Genesis scores its first WEC points at Spa: "It was really important to score these points before Le Mans"

Only two races in the World ChampionshipEndurance (WEC), and now the first points in its history. Genesis Magma Racing is progressing at a pace few would have anticipated. The number 17 car, driven by André Lotterer, Mathys Jaubert, and Luís Felipe “Pipo” Derani, secured a well-deserved eighth place after a turbulent race, culminating in a heroic defense by the Brazilian in the final thirty minutes. This result was built on a bold strategy—a short pit stop under the virtual safety car in the last hour and flawless teamwork.

Pipo Derani, who inherited a struggling car as soon as he entered the cockpit, perfectly sums up the spirit of this end of the race: “From that moment on, I did everything I could to hold on, understand what we could do to improve, and bring the No. 17 GMR-001 Hypercar to the checkered flag. I constantly urged Mathieu Leroy to adopt a strategy that would allow us to gain positions on the track, hoping to perhaps hold up the cars behind us, as that was our only chance to score points. I fought to manage my energy, constantly asking the engineers for the figures, but in the end, that's exactly what we managed to do. I'm very proud of the team and of having been able to deliver Genesis Magma Racing's first points.”

Mathys Jaubert, who had preceded the Brazilian in the car, emphasizes the importance of the strategic factor in this result: "Like last year in ELMSMathieu Leroy did a fantastic job on the strategy. We may have been a bit lucky with that last general yellow flag, but you had to be in the right place for luck to be on your side.

Genesis #19 hampered by an electrical problem

On the other side of the garage, car number 19 had a more complicated race. An electrical problem in the first hour cost the Chatin-Jaminet-Juncadella crew seven laps, definitively relegating them out of contention for points. But the team chose to use this track time to experiment—Mathieu Jaminet notably testing an asymmetric tire strategy mid-race to gather data for the engineering department. "We tested different tire strategies with me. I'm glad we're leaving Spa with much more knowledge than before we arrived.", said the Frenchman.

Dani Juncadella, for his part, prefers to emphasize group solidarity: "This is a victory for the whole team. Considering we're only at the very beginning of the development phase and this was our first race at Spa with this car, we managed to score points – it's simply incredible." Paul-Loup Chatin, who completed the final laps in car number 19, also keeps the essentials in mind: “I’m really pleased that our sister car scored the first point for Genesis Magma Racing. They made history and entered the annals of the sport today. I think it was really important to score those points early on.” Le Mans »

A historic moment before the big deadline

Among the leadership, the emotion is palpable. Cyril AbiteboulThe team leader places this result in the broader context of the project: “For our second endurance race, we couldn’t have dreamed of a better place than Spa to score the very first points in Genesis Magma Racing’s history. We are still a very young team, and this result is an extremely emotional moment for everyone involved. As we encountered some power and energy consumption issues, we decided to make a bold strategic decision towards the end of the race by making a very short pit stop with the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar. This was perfectly executed by the pit crew and Pipo, and it worked out very well.”

He has already set the following objective: "It's fantastic that this is happening now, as it also gives us the momentum we need to resolve as many issues as possible before the next major step in our program at Le Mans." André Lotterer, who had opened the race in car number 17, does not hide the fact that this result exceeds his initial expectations: "Secretly, I hoped we would score our first points, and that's exactly what happened." In the constructors' standings, Genesis now sits eighth with four points—still far behind leaders BMW with 59 points, but the main focus for a team that has only existed for a few hundred days is elsewhere. The next race on the calendar, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, on June 13th and 14th, will be a new chapter, the biggest of all.

ALSO READ > BMW secures its first Hypercar victory at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps