BMW / Lamborghini, very discreet debut in Hypercar

The four new manufacturers in Hypercar were the attractions of the opening round of the WEC, during the 1812km of Qatar. Alpine, BMW, Lamborghini and Isotta Fraschini made their debut in the premier category on Saturday and the four teams experienced varying fortunes. If the A fléché stood out by being the only new manufacturer to finish in the Top 10 on the Losail route, and without encountering any major problems, the other three were less lively.

The modest Isotta Fraschini Duqueine team logically suffered for its first representation in the WEC, both in terms of pace and in terms of reliability, since the Tipo6 did not even reach the halfway mark and only completed 157 laps before to give up. Laborious first steps but not surprising for such a small structure. An excuse that BMW and Lamborghini cannot use, however.

BMW still far from the mark

For the German manufacturer, these Hypercar debuts have not yet lived up to expectations, while the BMW M Hybrid V8 already has a year of experience in IMSA, in the GTP category. “It certainly wasn't the start to the season we all had hoped for, concedes Andreas Roos, director of BMW M Motorsport. I think in the Hypercar category it quickly became clear that we could not show the necessary pace in the race. It is now necessary to carefully analyze this situation and take the necessary measures to make the most of it. For our first race with BMW M Team WRT in the WEC, all the procedures worked very well. We now have to continue this momentum because our goal is to win races. »

“It was a difficult weekend. In the Hypercar category, finishing 12th and 16th isn't really what we were looking for, but we got a lot of data and now we have a lot of work to do, adds Vincent Vosse, team director of the BMW M Team WRT. It seems like Porsche did a great job over the winter and achieved an incredible result this weekend. »

Lamborghini already focused on the future in IMSA

Lamborghini, for its part, can however deny having never driven the SC63 in official competition. The only Italian LMDh entered in Qatar made a timid debut in the WEC and, although reliability was convincing, performance was sorely lacking for the Sant'Agata Bolognese firm. Only 15th at the finish with 5 laps behind the winners, Lamborghini still has work to do to compete with the other manufacturers entered. However, the trans stablealpine prefers to retain the positive from this first experience in Hypercar, and focuses on the upcoming events in the United States.

“We leave Losail with positive feelings after the race, nevertheless underlines Emmanuel Esnault, LMDh project manager at Lamborghini Iron Lynx. It's the start of a season of learning, but having such a solid foundation is very motivating given the enormous amount of work ahead of us. In a few weeks we will be competing in the 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the toughest races in the world. We need to take maximum advantage of what we learn during race weekends to develop the car and further improve our on-track operations to give our drivers the best possible opportunities. »

ALSO READ > Two cars at the finish and a Top 10: Alpine satisfied with his first in Hypercar