With the traditional ‘Prologue’ pre-season test already in the rear-view mirror, sights are focused firmly forward on what is shaping up to be the most competitive and unpredictable campaign in FIA WEC’s 13-year history.

Qatar’s 5.418km, 16-turn Lusail International Circuit (LIC) first welcomed the world’s premier endurance racing series in 2024, when Porsche prototypes locked out the podium places in the Hypercar category. The German marque similarly prevailed in the inaugural LMGT3 contest.

“The circuit is quite unique,” acknowledged reigning Hypercar world champion, Kévin Estre, who won at Lusail last year and is bidding to defend his Drivers’ crown with Porsche Penske Motorsport alongside Laurens Vanthoor and – in the longer events – Matt Campbell. “The entire track is very flat, with hardly any bumps and a lot of grip. Getting the tyres into the optimal operating window will be crucial.”

Dancing from day into night

Located just north of the Middle Eastern state’s capital, Doha and surrounded by desert, LIC’s smooth, high-speed layout poses a number of challenges as it pushes drivers, cars and tyres right to the limit, from its flat-out, kilometre-long main straight to its tight, twisty and technical middle sector.

Not only that, but with an early afternoon start time and a duration of approximately 10 hours, the Qatar 1812km – named in honour of the country’s national day – will see competitors race from daylight into dark, meaning they will additionally need to deal with dramatically differing air and track temperatures.

Porsche was again one of the leading protagonists during the two-day Prologue, as were Ferrari’s trio of 499P Hypercars and the recently-merged Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA alliance, while Aston Martin’s brand new V12-engined Valkyries made their first official appearance in FIA WEC’s 18-strong Hypercar field. 

Reigning Manufacturers’ title-holder Toyota is sure to be a force to be reckoned with once more as it fields an unchanged driver line-up in its pair of GR010 Hybrid Hypercars, and Peugeot will be seeking redemption after the 9X8 was denied its best finish in FIA WEC to-date in Qatar 12 months ago when Jean-Éric Vergne ran out of fuel on the last lap while on-course to scoop the runner-up spoils.

Series sophomores Alpine and BMW, finally, are bidding to build upon late-season momentum from 2024 – with Robin Frijns putting the Bavarian brand at the top of the testing timesheets, as the fastest three Hypercars all dipped beneath the existing lap record.

“Everything feels good,” reflected the Dutchman. “Getting the opportunity to do some driving at night during the Prologue was important, and now, we need to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and prepare ourselves for the race.”

Rossi aiming to reprise Qatar record

In LMGT3, TF Sport (Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R), Akkodis ASP Team (Lexus RC F LMGT3) and Vista AF Corse (Ferrari 296 LMGT3) all looked sharp during testing. The Team WRT-run BMW M4 LMGT3s were consistently there-or-thereabouts, too, with the Belgian squad’s superstar driver – nine-time motorcycling world champion Valentino Rossi – a multiple winner in Qatar on two wheels earlier in his career.

Eager eyes, meanwhile, will be trained on Iron Lynx’s pair of Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 challengers, as the German manufacturer makes its keenly-anticipated debut in the championship ahead of a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June for the first time in more than a quarter-of-a-century.

The on-track sessions will begin with free practice on Wednesday, 26 February, followed by qualifying – and the all-important Hyperpole – from 17:00 local time (15:00 CET) on Thursday, 27 February. The race will get underway at 14:00 local time (12:00 CET) on Friday, 28 February.

The full event timetable can be found HERE, with the entry list HERE.

Follow all the action via the official FIA WEC App.