BMW sets fastest time in WEC 2025 Prologue

The FIA World Endurance Championship kicked off its activity with the official Prologue for the 2025 season at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. This mandatory pre-season test for all registered teams served as a stage for manufacturers and drivers to put their cars to the test before the start of the championship. BMW M Team WRT ended the two-day session with the fastest time, thanks to Robin Frijns, who outpaced the competition in Saturday’s afternoon session.

BMW, Cadillac, and Ferrari set the pace in Hypercar

Dutch driver Robin Frijns posted a 1m38.971s lap in the BMW M Hybrid V8, enough to top the combined time sheets. In a session that seemed to be controlled by the Cadillac V-Series.R of Hertz Team JOTA, an off-track excursion by Sébastien Bourdais prevented the Frenchman from consolidating his dominance from Friday. Despite the incident, Bourdais returned to the track and momentarily displaced the AF Corse Ferrari 499P, driven by Robert Kubica, from the top spot. However, Frijns set the fastest time, leaving Bourdais and Kubica in second and third place, respectively.

Dries Vanthoor, also with BMW M Team WRT, finished fourth, followed by Alex Lynn in the Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac and Antonio Fuoco in the AF Corse Ferrari. The time sheets reflected a tight battle among the leading manufacturers, with the top six covered by less than four-tenths of a second. Alpine and Toyota stayed close to the fastest time, while Porsche Penske Motorsport lost track time due to an engine change in its 963 Hypercar.

Close battle in the LMGT3 class

In LMGT3, Vista AF Corse secured the top two times with its Ferrari 296 LMGT3s, separated by just 20 milliseconds. Simon Mann led the category with a 1m54.790s lap, followed by Francesco Castellacci. TF Sport, with Corvette, and Akkodis ASP Team, with Lexus, remained in competitive positions after strong performances on the first day. Heart of Racing Team placed its Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 in third, while the top six were covered by just two-tenths of a second, showcasing a tight competition.

Pre-race testing for the Qatar 1812 km

Over the two days of testing, teams completed more than 12,000 kilometers in total. With this data in hand, teams will have three additional days for final adjustments before the first race of the calendar, the 1812 km of Qatar, scheduled for February 26-28.

Hypercar combined times

LMGT3 combined times