Photo: Jurgen Tap/Porsche
***FIA World Endurance Championship teams participated in a photoshoot on Monday evening at Lusail Boulevard, a shopping area located not far from the Lusail International Circuit. Each manufacturer was required to participate with one car each (pictured above).
***The introduction of a driver ballast rule, confirmed on Tuesday, has met with approval in the paddock, with those polled by Sportscar365 supporting the new system. Its introduction follows lobbying from some drivers, most notably Ferrari’s James Calado, who believed they faced a disadvantage due to their weight.
***Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Mike Conway said: “It even things out, especially in qualifying, having everyone at the same weight. It takes away a variable there, and the bigger guys that maybe got overlooked before have now got more of a chance, which is good. We [in the No. 7 car] are probably on the smaller side, with one of us [Nyck de Vries] being a bit smaller, so we’ve got to fatten him up!”
***Antonio Giovinazzi, who is part of the same No. 51 Ferrari crew as Calado, said: “To be honest, I think it’s fair. Since we raced in karting, we have had lighter people and heavier people, and we always had compensation weight. When you think about the Balance of Performance, they are adding a few kilos here and there, and then you have some drivers who are ten kilos less. So I think it’s fair for the sport.”
***The JOTA Group, which includes the JOTA Sport team, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season. A statement from the British organization said the team will be marking the milestone by “hosting events and activities throughout the year at some of the most iconic motorsport locations around the world.”
***JOTA co-owner Sam Hignett said that the team’s crews for its first season as the works Cadillac outfit were decided in the wake of a driver camp on the Spanish-owned island of Tenerife in December, explaining that many factors were involved.
***Hignett told Sportscar365: “It was important that it’s seen as one team, and that it’s not seen as one GM car and one JOTA car, which there could have been with three drivers from each party. That wasn’t the deciding factor, but it was a consideration of how it came together, and so were things like driving styles, seat fits. Also the drivers’ other commitments: we have one guy doing Formula E [Norman Nato], one guy doing IMSA [Earl Bamber]. We can’t burden the people who are super-busy.”
***This weekend’s Qatar race marks Alex Lynn’s first race for JOTA in the WEC, but he previously worked with the team when it ran the R-Motorsport Aston Martin effort in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in 2019.
***BMW M Team WRT team principal Vincent Vosse expressed his delight at Kevin Magnussen joining the German manufacturer’s Hypercar lineup this year, as the Dane slots into the No. 15 car in place of Marco Wittmann, who is focused exclusively on the manufacturer’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program.
***Vosse told Sportscar365: “I have had a link with his family for a long time. I was teammates with his father [Jan] in Formula Ford in 1992, we shared a house together in England, and I remember when Jan knocked on the door and he told me his girlfriend was pregnant — it was the year Kevin was born! I have always followed Jan’s career, and of course Kevin in Formula 1. It’s a pleasure to have him.”
***BMW has confirmed that the No. 20 M Hybrid V8 will run with Shell branding for the full season. The car, driven by Robin Frijns, Sheldon van der Linde and Rene Rast, ran in the Prologue with a revised red and yellow scheme, the signature colors of the oil giant.
***The German brand has launched a limited edition of its M4 CS road car, designed to mark Valentino Rossi’s 46th birthday. Named the M4 CS Edition VR46, the car’s two design variants are built to a limited run of 46 examples each. Rossi was involved in the design process, while the purchase of the car also includes a meeting with the nine-time motorcycle world champion at his ranch in Tavullia.
***Alpine newcomer Frederic Makowiecki has described his first impressions of working together with Mick Schumacher, one of his two teammates aboard the French marque’s No. 36 car along with Jules Gounon.
***Makowiecki told Sportscar365: “He is very professional, but sensitive to the human aspect. He is very respectful and open-minded. When you talk to him, you can really share; even if your opinion is different, he is ready to listen. This is something which I really appreciate, because he comes from a single-seater environment where you do everything for yourself, and it’s not always clear if the person will be open-minded.”
***Support race action for this week’s Qatar 1812km features the Formula 4 and Formula Regional Middle Eastern Championships. Several names familiar to sports car racing fans feature on the entry for the Formula Regional round, including Iron Dames-backed Doriane Pin, Toyota junior Jin Nakamura, who raced in SUPER GT last season, and Jakob Bergmeister, the son of Tim and nephew of Joerg.
***The support bill also includes the Qatar Classic Challenge, organized by Peter Auto. The field for the event consists of prototypes and GTs from the 1960-80s, such as multiple Lola T70s, a Ferrari 512 BBLM and Porsche 935. Notable drivers include former JOTA driver Sam Hancock, Bronze-rated driver Steve Brooks and Maxime Robin, the son of Akkodis ASP driver Arnold Robin.
***Also on display in the paddock are the Ferrari 550 GTS that Jamie Davies, Peter Kox and Tomas Enge drove to a GTS class win in the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans and a 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Evo that was piloted that year by Emmanuel Collard, Ralf Kelleners and current WEC safety car driver Yannick Dalmas.
***The WEC has created a special online streaming package for U.S. and Canadian viewers, with live and on-demand coverage of the entire season, except for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Lone Star Le Mans, for €39.99 (appx. $42 USD / $59 CAD). Click Here for more information. A global TV schedule for this weekend is expected to be released shortly.
John Dagys & Davey Euwema contributed to this report
