WEC

Relive the 1812 km of Qatar with live commentary

Relive live commentary of the first round of the 2025 FIA WEC season, the 1812 km of Qatar, which started at noon, French time.

Published 28/02/2025 à 19:03

Valentin GLO

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Relive the 1812 km of Qatar with live commentary

© Charly Lopez / DPPI

The World ChampionshipEndurance is finally back! The 2025 season of the WEC starts this Friday with the 1812 km of Qatar, the first meeting of this new exercise. As its name indicates, the race will be 1812 kilometers long or will last a maximum of ten hours. The start of the 1812 km of Qatar 2025 was given at noon, French time, 14:00, local time. The finish is scheduled for 22:00, French time.

> You can follow the evolution of the ranking live via the official WEC Live Timing, available here.

WEC – 1812 km from Qatar
Relive the race live with commentary

22h05 – 👋 Thank you all for following us during these ten hours of live broadcast! See you on April 20th for the second round of the season, the 6 Hours of Imola! Have a great evening!

Ferrari scores a hat-trick at the 1812 km of Qatar

22h02 – 🏁 VICTORY OF THE FERRARI #50 IN QATAR! Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina win the 1812km of Qatar! Ferrari signs a hat-trick with the AF Corse n°83 which finishes 2nd just ahead of the Ferrari n°51, which fails by less than a second! First victory for the official Ferrari team outside of Le Mans in WEC! And victory of the TF Sport Corvette n°33 in LMGT3 ahead of the McLaren United Autosports #59!

1812km from Qatar – Ranking

22h00 - Last lap for Antonio Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari! Kubica still resists Pier Guidi!

21h58 – Oh, the battle between the two Ferraris almost turned sour because of… the BMW n°31 in LMGT3, which didn’t seem to be interested in the fight between the two 499Ps! But Kubica remains ahead of Pier Guidi!

21h56 – 🔎 Less than five minutes left and two battles are underway: the first for 2nd place in Hypercar between the #83 Ferrari and the #51 Ferrari, and the second for victory in LMGT3 between the #33 Corvette and the #59 McLaren!

21h53 – 2nd place may not be decided yet, as Pier Guidi has come back on Kubica’s heels!

21h51 – The gaps stabilize at the top of the Hypercar category between the three Ferraris, while Grégoire Saucy fails to take the lead over Dani Juncadella in LMGT3.

21h49 – 📻 "We are happy with our position", this is the message sent to Alessandro Pier Guidi, 3rd. Is it a disguised message to freeze the positions at Ferrari? It sure looks like it…

21h47 – As expected, the #31 BMW, leading the LMGT3 class, returns to the pits. Now, the duel between the #33 Corvette and the #59 McLaren is for first place!

21h45 – 🔎 15 minutes left and the gaps are really closing at the front: Antonio Fuoco (Ferrari #50) is now only 2″3 ahead of Robert Kubica (Ferrari #83) and 5″0 ahead of Alessandro Pier Guidi (Ferrari #51). Ferrari is heading for a hat-trick, but in what order?

21h42 – The battle continues between the #33 Corvette and the #59 McLaren, but Dani Juncadella is not giving up. In front, the #31 BMW is waiting for the right moment to stop, but has only 10% energy left…

21h39 – Alessandro Pier Guidi continues to attack: the gap is now 8 seconds with Antonio Fuoco!

21h35 - In LMGT3, the victory is now between the Corvette n°33 of Dani Juncadella and the McLaren n°59 of Grégoire Saucy! The two men are battling it out with the Spaniard in front, while the leading BMW #31 is expected to stop soon.

21h34 – 🔎 And let's not forget Alessandro Pier Guidi, the fastest man on the track right now! With fresh tires on his #51 Ferrari, the Italian is taking back one to two seconds per lap from the two Ferraris in front! The gap is under ten seconds with the leading car, the #50 Ferrari!

21h30 – More than 30 minutes of racing and for the moment, Ferrari is managing its race perfectly with its three cars at the front. The #50 of Antonio Fuoco still has a 4 second lead over Robert Kubica, but the gap is closing lap after lap…

21h27 - Also a quick update on the Top 10 in the LMGT3 category with the BMW n°31 in the lead ahead of theAston Martin #27… but these still have to stop one last time.

21h22 – 📻 Antonio Fuoco is asked to take care of the front-left tire of the #51 Ferrari to go to the end of the race. "We are not threatened", his engineer says on the radio.

21h20 – 🔎 Here is the Top 10 of the race with 40 minutes to go! The two leading Ferraris are on the same strategy, both in terms of energy and in terms of tires.

21h18 – After its stop, the Ferrari n°50 is in the lead with a 6″5 lead over the AF Corse n°83 and a 24″0 lead over the Ferrari n°51 which, we remind you, has a new driver and new tires.

21h14 - The Ferrari n°50 completed a few more laps and stopped 45 minutes from the finish… and it came out in the lead ahead of the AF Corse n°83! With the pit stops, the BMW n°20 of Dries Vanthoor moved up to 4th place, just behind the Ferraris!

21h10 – Driver change on the Ferrari n°51! Calado gives his steering wheel to Pier Guidi to finish the race, 50 minutes from the finish! Very risky strategy on the part of Ferrari.

21h09 – It’s the turn of the Toyota #7 pit stop: a tire change, a refueling and off we go again Kamui Kobayashi ! The #15 BMW also went through the pits and came out in front of the #7 Toyota.

21h07 – Robert Kubica pits in the #83 AF Corse! The race leader stops first among the leading trio, while the two official 10Ps still have more than 499% energy left.

21h06 – The radios are heating up at Ferrari AF Corse: if the three 499Ps are in the lead, things are far from calm among the Italians… The Toyota n°7 is nine seconds off the podium.

21h02 – Robert Kubica starts to get annoyed on his radio, without getting any real answer on the strategy to adopt. Behind, the Toyotas are still threatening the Ferraris…

21h00 – 🔎 Here is the ranking of the 1812km of Qatar with one hour to go! The three Ferraris are within four seconds of each other! 

20h56 – We will never tire of the switch between electric and thermal engine of the Cadillac V-Series.R…

20h52 – 📻 Radio conversation between Robert Kubica and his engineers about his tire management. The Pole questions his pace and asks his team if he should push harder. The former driver of F1 is still in the lead but the #50 Ferrari is back to within a second!

20h49 – 🔙 The Aston Martin n°009 takes to the track again, still with the goal of seeing the checkered flag!

20h48 – 📸 The night race allows us to admire the headlights of the Hypercars, often identifiable as those of the BMW M Hybrid V8.

20h45 – 🛠️ After the retirement of the n°007, the Aston Martin n°009 is back in its box 1h15 from the finish…

20h44 – Robert Kubica regains some air in the lead, with a gap stabilized at 2″5 ahead of the Ferrari n°50. At BMW, team orders are applied to let the n°15 pass in front of the n°20 for 6th place.

20h38 – The gap has dropped to just one second between the leading AF Corse #83 and the Ferrari #50! Kubica and Fuoco will be in a duel for first place!

20h36 – ⚠️ Ouch, drive-though for the McLaren #95 for an infraction in the pits, with an "unsafe release"! It was in the lead a few minutes ago... It's the Corvette #33 that leads in LMGT3 ahead of the other McLaren, the #59. 

20h35 – 🔎 Small stat to show the domination of the 499P today at Losail: only four cars ran in less than 1'42 on this race… including the three Ferraris! The fourth is the BMW n°15.

20h33 – Stoffel Vandoorne respects his drive-through penalty and comes out 14th, still one lap behind the leaders. The points are moving further away for the n°94…

20h31 – ⚠️ Drive through for the Peugeot No. 94 for his (too) muscular battle with the Porsche #5!  

20h29 – ⚠️ 5-second stop-and-go penalty for the #009 Aston Martin for a technical infraction on the use of the differential. It won’t change much, with the British Hypercar being 9 laps behind…

20h28 – ⚠️ The multiple contacts between Michael Christensen (Porsche n°5) and Loïc duval (Peugeot n°94) just now did not go unnoticed by the stewards, who launched an investigation into the battle between the two drivers.

20h26 – 🔎 The situation at 1h30 from the finish: the three Ferraris are in the lead with the n°83 ahead of the n°50 and the n°51. The three 499Ps are within ten seconds, while the two Toyotas are 4th and 5th with a small delay of 3 to 5 seconds behind the Italian machines.

20h23 – Race leader Nicklas Nielsen stops and gives his seat to Antonio Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari. A driver change which allows AF Corse n°83 to take the lead of the race! 

© Julien Delfosse / DPPI

20h21 – No change of drivers however for the Ferrari n°51: James Calado continues his stint… and climbs to 3rd place after his pit stop. So we have a Ferrari hat-trick leading the race!

20h18 – Change of tires and driver for the BMW n°20: Robin Frijns takes the wheel to finish the race and try to get the podium against the Toyotas. With the change of tires, the BMW n°20 came out behind the Toyotas.

20h16 – On the Toyota n°7, 4th in the Hypercars, Mike conway gives way to Kamui Kobayashi who will finish the race and try to get the podium for the Japanese clan.

20h13 – Pit stop for Robert Kubica in the AF Corse n°83, second in the race with less than two hours to go. The Pole makes do with a simple refuelling and comes out 9th.

20h09 – ❌ Aston Martin No. 007 confirmed to retire, which will not see the finish of its first race in WEC. The n°009 is still on track and can save the honour of the British manufacturer.

20h07 – 🆙 And that's it, Michael Christensen has finally found the opening on Loïc Duval! The Porsche n°5 climbs to 10th place and therefore, in the points zone.

20h06 – ⚠️ Fred Makowiecki goes off track with theAlpine #36! The Frenchman loses the rear of his bike and goes into the gravel. No damage but time lost for the new rider with the arrowed A.

20h04 – And it continues between the two… and this time, the Dane goes into the gravel! Watch out because behind, the leading Ferrari wants to pass!

20h02 – 💥 Christensen and Duval are still in contact! The Peugeot driver is elbowing his way through and is still holding out against the Porsche, but for how long?

20h00 – Two hours from the finish, the positions have been frozen for several minutes. Only the battle between the Peugeot n°94 and the Porsche n°50 for the (meager) 10th place keeps us on the edge of our seats…

19h56 - The complete ranking after eight hours of racing in Qatar!

19h50 - Drive through for Valentino Rossi (BMW #46) for abuse of track limits.

19h43 - Second-placed Robert Kubica and LMGT3 leader Sean Gelael are under investigation for an incident at Turn 13.

19h41 - The Aston Martin Valkyrie #007 is completely dismantled in his garage.

Photo: Julien Delfosse / DPPI

19:40 p.m. – 🟢 Green flag, the race resumes.

19:37 p.m. – 🟡 Full Course Yellow for debris at turn 1.

19h27 - Following the withdrawal of the Aston Martin Valkyrie n°007, four retirements have been recorded in this race so far: the n°007 therefore, but also the Mercedes #61, the #81 Corvette and the #87 Lexus.

19h24 - Virtual leader Loïc Duval (Peugeot n°94) also goes through the pit lane. The Ferrari n°50 takes back the lead.

12h23 - The #50 Ferrari then goes through the pits, followed by the #8 Toyota.

19h19 - The AF Corse n°83 passed through the pit lane, leaving provisional second place to the Toyota n°8.

19h05 - The reason for 007's retirement was a transmission problem.

19h03 - The Aston Martin Valkyrie No. 007 officially retires. The car had been in the garage for several dozen minutes.

19h00 – 🔎 Here is the ranking of the 1812km of Qatar three hours before the finish of the race! Ferrari still dominates, but Toyota remains in ambush...

18h53 – Since Nicklas Nielsen took the wheel of the Ferrari n°50, the gap has been stable with the AF Corse Ferrari n°83 of Phil Hanson: the gap fluctuates around three seconds between the two men.

18h48 – It’s getting hot between Mick Schumacher (Alpine n°36) and Raffaele Marciello (BMW n°15) for 8th place! The Swiss is trying to find an opening on the German, so far without success…

18h44 – 🛠️ The Aston Martin #007 is on the trestles in his garage, dismantled. Will it be able to finish the race? Nothing is less certain…

18h42 – 🇫🇷 Quick update on the French Hypercars 3h20 from the finish: theAlpine Mick Schumacher's #36 is in 8th place, while Paul-Loup Chatin's #35 is still one lap behind, in 13th place. The two Peugeot 9X8s are grouped in 10th and 11th places, with Paul di Resta's #93 ahead of Loïc Duval's #94.

18h39 – No action by the stewards on the collision between the BMW n°46 of Kelvin van der Linde and the Ferrari n°21 of Alessio Rovera.

18h37 – Pit stop for Julien Andlauer’s Porsche No. 5: after refueling, the Lyonnais sets off again in 12th place, more than a minute behind the leaders.

18h36 – 🔎 Having gotten off to a bad start after difficult qualifying, the two Toyotas find themselves fighting for the podium, or even for victory over these 1812km of Qatar! In the Japanese clan, we believe in it!

18h33 – Julien Andlauer may be on an offbeat strategy, but that doesn't stop him from attacking and setting personal bests. The #5 Porsche is putting pressure on the #7 Toyota for 3rd place.

18h31 – Change of driver for the Iron Dames with Michelle Gatting entering the track after Rahel Frey's stint. The Dames are experiencing a fairly anonymous first race: the Porsche n°85 is driving at the back of the pack in LMGT3, in 13th place.

18h28 – 🔎 After the waltz of pit stops, we find the Ferrari n°50 in the lead ahead of the AF Corse n°83 and the Toyota n°7. Julien Andlauer is in 4th place with the Porsche n°5, but the Frenchman is on a strategy offset from the leaders.

18h25 – The Ferrari n°50, leading the race, arrives in turn at the pits. Miguel Molina has finished his stint, it’s Nicklas Nielsen’s turn!

18h24 – The #51 Ferrari enters the pits and applies its 10-second penalty received earlier in the race.

18h20 – A duel that did not last long: the ex-pilot Haas stops and hands the wheel over to Raffaele Marciello. Kevin Magnussen So ended his day at the wheel of the BMW, a laborious day with a mistake at the end of an FCY at the start of the race.

18h17 – 🇩🇰 Danish duel for 9th place: Kevin Magnussen (BMW n°15) came back on the heels of the young Malthe Jakobsen (Peugeot n°94), who is competing in his first Hypercar race.

18h14 – Phil Hanson continues to lose time to the leading #50 Ferrari… and continues to hold back the two Toyotas. Nyck de Vries can't find the opening on the yellow 499P.

18h12 – ⚠️ Race stewards launch investigation after collision between Kelvin van der Linde's #46 BMW and Alessio Rovera's #21 Ferrari in LMGT3.

18h10 – After popping the Phil Hanson cork on the AF Corse n°83, Miguel Molina begins to escape at the front: the Spaniard has a six-second lead at the front aboard the Ferrari n°50.

18h08 – 🔎 Eduardo Barrichello, 11th in the LMGT3 category on the Aston Martin of Racing Spirit of Léman, has just completed his personal best time in 1'55″973. The opportunity to discover this new face of the WEC with a name familiar to motorsport connoisseurs…

WEC 2025 Guide – Eduardo Barrichello: more than a name, an ambition

18h05 – In LMGT3, McLaren United Autosports continues to put on a show: the n°95 of Marino Sato is in the lead, the n°59 of Sébastien Baud is 3rd.

18h02 – Great battle at the top of the Hypercar class with the top six in just six seconds! We’re heading towards a Ferrari – Toyota duel for the win, with BMW as referee…

18h00 - Here is the ranking of these 1812km of Qatar after six hours of racing!

17h56 - With exactly 100 laps behind, the Mercedes-AMG n°60 of the Iron Lynx team comes out of its garage to resume the race. The objective here is to be able to store up kilometers and experience for the next races with a car that is only just beginning its adventure in the World Endurance Championship.

17:51 p.m. – Change of overall leader! Miguel Molina passes Phil Hanson at the first corner and puts the #50 Ferrari in the lead of the race.

17h50 - Second in the Hyperpole in LMGT3, Sébastien Baud is attacking Dani Juncadella (Corvette TF Sport n°33) for third place on the podium.

17h42 - Another penalty for the Ferrari No. 51. Alessandro Pier Guidi is this time at fault for overtaking outside the track limits.

17h41 - Five-second penalty at next pit stop forAlpine No. 35 for the collision between Charles Milesi and Célia Martin (Iron Dames) earlier in the race.

17h40 - Drive through for Aston Martin Valkyrie #007 for technical infraction.

17:38 p.m. – 🟢 The Safety Car returns to the pits, the race resumes.

17:35 p.m. – 🟡 The race is still under Safety Car regime.

17h26 - The #77 Ford Mustang had already caught fire during the Prologue.

17h24 - By overtaking the leader Phil Hanson (AF Corse n°83) before this new interruption of the race, Michael Christensen made a good move in this short restart by allowing the Porsche n°5 to get back on the leader's lap.

17:22 – 🟡 The #3 Ford Mustang GT77 starts to catch fire! Bernardo Sousa stops before Turn 1 and exits the car. New Safety Car.

17:19 p.m. – 🟢 The Safety Car withdraws, the race resumes!

17h13 - As with every Safety Car regime, a Pass Around is carried out.

17h08 - Now that the pit lane is closed, we can take stock of the complete standings:

17:06 – 🟡 Safety Car. The pit lane is now closed.

17h01 - Pit stops are increasing in both categories. The rankings risk being shaken up once again.

16:59 p.m. – 🟡 It is finally a Virtual Safety Car that is deployed.

16:57 p.m. – 🟡 Nicolas Varrone runs wide at turn 15 and damages the #963 Proton Competition Porsche 99 on the kerb. Full Course Yellow.

16h48 - The Aston Martin Valkyrie #009 has returned to the garage.

16h47 - More fear than harm for the Canadian, who sets off again.

16:45 p.m. – 🟡 Roman De Angelis (Aston Martin Valkyrie #009) spins at turn 6. Yellow flag.

16h41 - And another drive through for the #51 Ferrari for speeding in the pit lane. Antonio Giovinazzi collects them today.

16h36 - The retirement of the Mercedes-AMG n°60 of the Iron Lynx team is official.

16h33 - It's a complicated first race for the WEC newcomers. The Aston Martin Valkyries are at the back of the Hypercar pack while the two Mercedes-AMGs of the Iron Lynx team have been in the garage for a long time.

16h30 - Another penalty for the #51 Ferrari, this time an additional five seconds at the next pit stop for an incident at Turn 6.

16h28 - Alex Lynn also stops, leaving his place to the Frenchman Norman Nato in the Cadillac n°12. The Ferrari n°83 of AF Corse now driven by Phil Hanson is once again in the lead.

16h25 - Fuoco also dives into the pit lane, followed by Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche n°5). Alex Lynn inherits the lead with the Cadillac n°12.

16h23 - The AF Corse Ferrari 499P n°83 passes through the pit lane, Antonio Fuoco takes back the lead of the event at the wheel of the Ferrari n°50.

16h21 - Valentino Rossi overtakes François Hériau (Ferrari Vista AF Corse n°21) to place the BMW M4 GT3 n°46 in fourth place.

16h18 - Pit stop of theAlpine No. 36, Jules Gounon gives up his place to Mick Schumacher at the wheel of the French prototype, currently ninth.

16h13 - LMGT3 polesitter Sean Gelael reclaimed the class lead in the No. 95 United Autosports McLaren, ahead of the No. 31 BMW and No. 78 Lexus.

16h04 - 💥 Contact between Antonio Giovinazzi (Ferrari n°51) and Sheldon van der Linde (BMW n°20), the South African remains ahead of the Italian, in seventh place.

16h02 - On video, Charles Milesi's spin, sandwiched between the BMW n°31 of Team WRT and the Porsche n°85 of the Iron Dames.

16h00 – 🔎 Here are the standings after four hours of racing! Two Ferraris in the lead with the #83 of Yifei Ye ahead of the #50 of Antonio Fuoco.

15h58 – ⏱️ Best lap time for Dries Vanthoor (BMW n°15) in 1'41″701!

15h57 – Big battle between the top three in LMGT3! Ben Tuck defends his first place with his Ford #77 ahead of the Lexus #78 of Finn Gehrsitz and the McLaren #59 of Sébastien Baud.

15h55 – 💨 After four hours of racing, it was the Peugeot n°94 which recorded the best top speed after being clocked at 326,3 km/h.

15h53 – Change of position between the two Toyotas: the n°7 passes in front of the n°8 for the gain of the 3rd place. Kamui Kobayashi is 28 seconds behind the AF Corse n°83.

15h51 – The incident between Charles Milesi, Timur Boguslavski (BMW n°31) and Célia Martin (Porsche n°85) is under investigation by the stewards after the spin of theAlpine n ° 35.

15h48 – ⚠️ Drive-through for the BMW n°15 after Dries Vanthoor's collision with the Ferrari n°50!

15h47 – With the long stop of the Cadillac n°38, the two Aston Martin Valkyries are no longer last in the race! They are still very far from the pack, more than 8 laps behind the leader…

15h45 – 🟢 Green flag, the race resumes its normal pace!

15h44 – A big smile for Alex Riberas, driver of the Aston Martin n°009, despite the complicated start for the British manufacturer in Qatar.

15h43 – After a dozen minutes in its box, Cadillac No. 38 will return to the track with Sébastien Bourdais driving.

15h40 – 🟡 Full Course Yellow, debris is on the track after Charles Milesi's spin.

15h39 – No big boo-boo on theAlpine No. 35, but a lot of time was lost. Charles Milesi starts again in 13th place, one lap behind the leading car, the AF Corse No. 83.

15h37 – ⚠️ Charles Milesi spins with theAlpine #35! The Frenchman was caught in traffic while trying to get between two LMGT3s. He was able to continue but had to pit to change his tyres.

15h35 – 🇫🇷 A quick update on French frames: the two Alpine are currently 6th and 7th, with the n°36 ahead of the n°35, while the Peugeots are in 9th place for the n°94 and 13th place for the n°93. In LMGT3, the Lexus Akkodis-ASP n°78 is 2nd, the Aston Martin Racing Spirit of Léman is 11th.

15h33 – With more worn tires, Charles Milesi defends his 7th place ahead of Sheldon van der Linde on his BMW n°20. For the moment, the Frenchman is holding on.

15h31 – 🛠️ The Cadillac n°38 of the trio Button – Bourdais – Bamber enters its box, with a problem on the accelerator. The ordeal continues for the American manufacturer…

15h27 – Yifei Ye pitted and emerged comfortably in first place, ahead of the #50 Ferrari of Antonio Fuoco who made up the deficit from his spin. It was the #8 Toyota of Brendon Hartley which completes the Top 3.

15h26 – ⚠️ The collision between the BMW #15 and the Ferrari #50 is under investigation by the stewards. A penalty to come for Dries Vanthoor and BMW?

15h24 – New drive-through in LMGT3 for the Ford Proton Competition n°88 for a failure to respect the tire pressures. The sister car, the n°77 of Ben Tuck, is currently leading the category.

15h22 – Driver change in the BMW n°20, which was in 2nd place: Robin Frijns hands over the wheel to Sheldon van der Linde.

15h17 - Antonio Giovinazzi goes into the pits to apply his penalty and comes out 6th, so it is the AF Corse Ferrari n°83 which takes the lead of the race!

© Fabrizio Boldoni / DPPI

15h15 – ⚠️ Drive-through penalty for the leading Ferrari #51! Antonio Giovinazzi was guilty of a procedural violation during the VSC!

15h14 – 💬 Charlie Eastwood's reaction after the retirement of the No. 81 TF Sport Corvette early in the race.

15h12 – A new round of pit stops begins with the entry of the Toyota n°7 and the Peugeot n°94.

15h08 – The Ferrari n°83 of Yifei Ye therefore moves up to 2nd, ahead of the BMW n°20 of Robin Frijns and the Toyota n°8 of Brendon Hartley.

15:06 – 💥 The #50 Ferrari is sent into a spin by the #15 BMW of Dries Vanthoor, who was a lap behind! The Italian mount can start again but it has lost several positions, it is now 5th!

15h05 – Big duel between Charles Milesi (Alpine #35) and Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota #7) for 6th place. The Frenchman, who managed to maintain his position against the Japanese, finally went to the pits to change his damaged front bonnet.

15h04 – Alex Lynn goes through the pits to apply his drive-through penalty.

15h03 – 🛠️ The Mercedes Iron Lynx n°60 is back in its box. A difficult first for the brand with the star in WEC.

15h02 - Here is the ranking of these 1812 km of Qatar after three hours of racing.

14h58 – ⚠️ Drive-through penalty for the #12 Cadillac of Alex Lynn for the collision with the #38 Cadillac of Jenson Button! 

14h57 - TheAlpine #35 of Charles Milesi is battling with the two Toyotas: after giving way to the #8 for 5th place, the Frenchman is fighting to defend his 6th place against the #7 Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi.

14h55 – 📸 This opening round is also the opportunity to see all the Hypercars and LMGT3s racing for the first time this year! What is your favorite car of the 2025 WEC season?

14h52 – ⏪ If you're just joining us, here's the main event of these first three hours of racing, the collision between the two Cadillacs during a Safety Car while they were leading these 1812km of Qatar.

VIDEO – The improbable Cadillac accident at the 1812 km of Qatar

14h51 – ⚠️ Leader Antonio Giovinazzi (Ferrari #51) is under investigation for procedural violation during the Virtual Safety Car.

14h50 – 🔎 Of the 18 Hypercars in the running, five are no longer on the leader’s lap: the #6 Porsche, the #99 Proton and the #38 Cadillac are one lap behind, while the two Aston Martins are already 7 and 9 laps behind.

14h45 – In LMGT3, it is still the Lexus Akkodis-ASP n°78 of Finn Gehrsitz who is still in the lead, while the Lexus n°87 is still in the pits… Here is the Top 10 of the category.

14h43 – The collision between the two Cadillacs is obviously under investigation by the commissioners.

14h41 – ⏱️ Best lap for Yifei Ye in the AF Corse Ferrari n°83 in 1'42″262.

14h39 – Unsurprisingly, the two official Ferraris are already taking the lead in the race…

14h36 – 🟢 Green flag, the peloton is released and this time, no clashes among the Hypercars!

14h35 – Good news for Peugeot: the n°93 was able to return to the leaders’ lap thanks to this Safety Car.

14h32 – Alex Lynn blames Jenson Button after their collision: the driver of the No. 12 car believes that the ex-F1 driver tricked him by braking unexpectedly before the penultimate corner. It doesn't matter who is at fault: both Cadillacs have lost almost everything here!

14h31 – 🔎 Here is the Hypercar standings after the deployment of the second safety car, with the three Ferraris in the lead.

14h29 – 🟡 The two Cadillac JOTAs were able to set off again: Alex Lynn's #12 is 12th, Jenson Button's #38 is 16th... What a disappointment for the Anglo-American team.

14h27 – 🟡 Safety Car! Debris from the two Cadillacs is scattered in the 3rd sector.

14h26 - So it's Ferrari who takes the lead again with the n°51 of Giovinazzi ahead of the n°50 of Fuoco! 

14h25 - 💥 Oh what a huge blunder the Cadillacs made, crashing before the restart! Alex Lynn drove straight into Jenson Button's sister car! Both Cadillacs are in the pits and badly damaged! 

14h24 – 🟢 Green flag, the race is on again! 

14h24 – 💬 The reaction of Earl Bamber, driver of the No. 38 Cadillac, who went from a spin at the start of the race to first place thanks to the VSC: “We had a good start. I was fighting with the BMW (for third) on the outside, I got hit by the McLaren on the right rear and I spun. To make up some positions we decided to extend the stint and we managed to do some really good laps and some great overtaking and then we managed to get past one or two other cars. The car is really quick so I think we’ve got ourselves in front now thanks to the strategy so it’s a good decision from the guys but there’s still a long way to go.”

14h22 – The two Cadillacs in the lead after two hours of racing, that's bound to give shivers at JOTA, for the first race of the Anglo-American association...

14h19 – 🟡 The peloton will start the “Pass Around” system to regroup the two categories in the correct order.

14h15 – 🔎 This VSC also benefited Alpine, since the n°35 is now 7th despite an additional pit stop! On the other hand, the two Peugeots are out of the Top 10.

14h13 – 🟡 The VSC is transformed as planned into a Safety Car, which will bring together the two Hypercar and LMGT3 platoons.

14h09 – 🔎 Here is the ranking which was shaken up with this VSC! The Cadillacs are now in the lead ahead of the three Ferraris!

14h07 – 🟡 Mercedes #61 has been cleared. The two Cadillacs, which had not stopped, go to the pits... and come out in the lead! They are the big winners of this VSC!

14h06 – 🟡 We remind you that drivers can go to the pits during a VSC, which is not the case for a Full Course Yellow. The Safety Car will be deployed in a few moments.

14h04 – 🟡 Virtual Safety Car, which therefore announces a Safety Car. The leading Ferrari #51 had just arrived in the pits, James Calado gave way to Antonio Giovinazzi.

14h03 – 🟡 Yellow flag at turn 9: Christian Ried's Mercedes Iron Lynx n°61 is in the gravel trap! 

14h01 – ⏱️ Best lap for the Ferrari n°51 in 1'42″525! James Calado leads the way with an 11″ lead over the sister car.

14h00 – Pit stop and driver change on theAlpine #36: Fred Makowiecki gives way to Jules Gounon. All four tires are changed.

13h54 - While Valentino Rossi was rather sceptical this Thursday evening about signing a podium in GT3, the BMW M4 GT3 n°46 that the Italian shares with Ahmad Al Harthy and Kelvin van der Linde occupies second place at the end of the second hour of the race.

13h47 - Mike Conway spins the #7 Toyota. More fear than harm for the Briton, who sets off again.

13h45 - Robin followed up by overtaking James Cottingham (McLaren #59) for the lead in LMGT3.

13h43 - Arnold Robin (Lexus #78) takes second place in the LMGT3 category from Darren Leung (McLaren #95).

13h39 - The image of this start of the race in Qatar: the right door of the Aston Martin Valkyrie n°009 comes loose on the track.


13h30 - THEAlpine #35 made a second stop for a suspected puncture. Habsburg is now 15th.

13:23 p.m. – Drive through for Peugeot No. 93 for failure to comply with procedures under Full Course Yellow.

13h20 - An update on the full standings after just over an hour with the first retirement of the race for the No. 81 Corvette due to a problem with the driveshaft.

13:10 p.m. – 🟢 Green flag. The #009 is back on track with a new right door and Alex Riberas at the wheel.

13:09 p.m. – 🟡 Full Course Yellow to remove the door of the Aston Martin Valkyrie n°009 at the edge of the track.

13h06 - Bamber then pitted, handing the lead back to the two factory Ferraris. Ferdinand Habsburg dropped back to eighth after his first stop.

13h01 - While the #009 Valkyrie was experiencing door issues, most of the other Hypercar class cars were making their first stops. Earl Bamber temporarily took over the steering wheel of the #38 Cadillac.

12:58 – ⚒️ The right door of the Aston Martin Valkyrie #009 comes off and flies away! Luckily it ends up off the track. Sørensen returns to the pits and the car goes back to the garage. 

12h57 - The problems are mounting at Aston Martin! The door of the #009 driven by Marco Sørensen is open on the track!

12h55 - Harry Tincknell suffered a problem restarting from his first stop, but the Englishman managed to get back on track after a few extra seconds.

12h53 - The Aston Martin Valkyrie make their first stop after 53 minutes of racing.

12h51 - James Calado now has a twenty-second lead over Ferdinand Habsburg in third place.

12h44 - Magnussen lost those places due to a very poor restart. The former Formula 1 driver did not seem able to accelerate.

12:42 p.m. – 🟢 Green flag. Kevin Magnussen drops down the rankings. The Dane is ninth, Habsburg is third for Alpine. 

12h40 - The opportunity to take a first look at the top 10 in the Hypercar category:

12:39 p.m. – 🟡 The first Full Course Yellow of the season is deployed for debris at the first turn.

12h36 - The two Ferraris take off at the head of the race.

12h34 - Fourth, Ferdinand Habsburg is under pressure from René Rast (BMW n°20).

12h27 - The stop of the Porsche n°5 is the result of a slow puncture on the front right.

12h25 - Early stop for Porsche with Julien Andlauer's #5 in the pits. The Frenchman comes out in last position in the Hypercar category.

12h22 - Arnold Robin takes the lead in LMGT3 with a margin of more than four seconds over the leading McLaren.

12h20 – Leading the race, James Calado was the only one to run under one minute and 44 seconds with a best lap of 1:43.964.

12:16 – 💥 Earl Bamber spins at the first corner! The New Zealander tries to overtake a McLaren on the outside of the first, but the latter already has a BMW on its right flank and touches the American prototype. The Cadillac n°38 sets off again between the two Aston Martin Valkyries.

12:13 – ⚒️ Bad news at Akkodis with the n°87 in the garage after a collision with the n°21 Ferrari of Vista – AF Corse.

12h12 - The leaders of the Hypercar category arrive in the traffic of the latest GT3s.

12h10 - The start of the race was complicated for the two Aston Martin Valkyries which occupied the last two positions in the Hypercar category.

12h08 - Laurens Vanthoor also had a difficult start, the Belgian was only 15th at the wheel of the Porsche n°6.

12h06 - The Frenchman now overtakes Darren Leung to take the lead in his category.

12h05 - In LMGT3, Arnold Robin slotted Akkodis ASP's No. 78 Lexus RC F into second place in the race between the two McLarens.

12h03 - Fourth on the grid with the No. 12 Cadillac, Will Stevens dropped to twelfth place.

12h01 - Nicklas Nielsen gets off to a good start with the Ferrari n°50 and slips into second position between the Ferrari n°51 and the BMW n°15. Ferdinand Habsburg gets off to a great start, gaining five places with theAlpine #35 and finds himself fourth!

12:00 p.m. – 🟢 The start of the 1812 km of Qatar has been given!

11h56 - The two warm-up laps are underway. The start will be given in a few moments.

11h53 - The #51 Ferrari starts from pole position with James Calado at the wheel, ahead of the #8 BMW M Hybrid V15 driven by Kevin Magnussen. The starting grid is available below:

The starting grid for the 1812 km of Qatar 2025

11:48 p.m. – ☀️ The sun is finally present this week on the Losail international circuit!

11:45 – Hello everyone, welcome to follow live commentary of the 1812 km of Qatar, opening round of the 2025 WEC season. The sun is finally here for this race day!

Valentin Glo and Dorian Grangier

ALSO READ > The starting grid for the 1812 km of Qatar 2025

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Valentin GLO

Journalist. Endurance reporter (WEC, IMSA, ELMS, ALMS) and sometimes F1 or IndyCar.

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