André Lotterer satisfied with Genesis's start: "I've seen this team grow."

The #17 Genesis wasn't supposed to be here—or at least not so close. Having started last after yesterday's qualifying session, André Lotterer and his teammates managed to stay in the pack, with Mathys Jaubert currently sitting in eleventh position, just outside the points. The #19, the other Genesis entered, has been relegated to last place, far behind the rest of the field, after spending more than 30 minutes in the pits due to what Genesis described as a sensor problem.

This position partly explains why Lotterer can boast of not being so badly placed. He savors this intermediate result with measured satisfaction: “We thought we were going to get lapped, but so far we’ve stayed in the pack. We’re obviously last, but not far off. I enjoyed being in the car. The feeling with the car wasn’t too bad, we’re making progress. Of course, there’s still a lot to improve, but we were there and we had fun.” Beyond the immediate sporting result, Lotterer places this first race in a much broader context.

A project that is built over time

501 days after the official announcement of the Genesis Magma Racing program, seeing the car on the starting grid of a round of the World Championship...Endurance (WEC) represents in itself a form of accomplishment: “It’s really cool and personally, I find it very enjoyable to have been here right from the start. I’ve seen this team grow, putting so much heart into the project. It’s a very unique opportunity to arrive with a new manufacturer, a completely new competition department, and when we see how everything has come together in such a short time, with the motivation of the people and the team spirit, it’s really very good.”

André Lotterer has no illusions about the road ahead, but is already projecting the team towards a more ambitious future: "I hope that in two or three years we will look back on those early moments with a bit more success, and that we will then be serious contenders." A long-term vision that perfectly aligns with the reality of a program that is literally in its infancy at the highest level of world endurance racing. For Genesis, Imola is just the first page of a story that is only just beginning to be written.

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