The highly anticipated 2025 World Endurance Championship season kicked off on Friday at the Losail International Circuit with the Qatar 1812km.

Ferrari secured a dominant 1-2-3 finish in the Hypercar class, in a race where neither Toyota nor Porsche Penske Motorsport could put up a serious challenge.

Will the revised Balance of Performance (BoP) system truly provide all teams with a fair shot, as governing bodies claim? This first race has yet to provide an answer to that question.

In the meantime, who disappointed? Who surprised? Let’s find out…

Winner: Ferrari

After the Prologue pre-season test and the free practice sessions, and given the Balance of Performance values in force in Qatar, many in the paddock predicted a Ferrari triumph, provided the team did not stumble.

Did it have a perfect race? #  The #51 Ferrari 499P received four penalties, three of them attributed to Antonio Giovinazzi, who had claimed pole position on Thursday.

However, the dominance of the Italian Hypercar was such that the #51 managed to fight its way back into the top three, ultimately finishing just 0.329 seconds behind the privately entered #83 AF Corse Ferrari, driven by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Phil Hanson.

If BoP is designed to equalise performance potential across cars, the 499P was in a league of its own this week, taking pole, fastest lap, and securing a 1-2-3 finish, led by the #50 car of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen.

“This is the best reward for all the work the entire team put in over the winter months to arrive in the best possible condition for the start of the season,” said Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti.

“Over the past months, we focused on every detail related to our car and team organisation, aiming to optimise every single aspect.

“In this regard, the comeback of the #51 crew, who managed to climb the podium despite some penalties, is a perfect example of how well we defined the team’s strategy and how skilled we were in tire management.”

Ferrari’s last 1-2-3 finish in endurance racing’s top class dated back to June 25, 1972, at the 1000km of Österreichring in Austria, with the Ferrari 312 PB. Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman crossed the finish line first that day, ahead of Helmut Marko and Carlos Pace, followed by Tim Schenken and Ronnie Peterson.

Ferrari now leads the manufacturers’ championship with 66 points, followed by BMW with 35 and Toyota with 33. But if BoP does its job and adjusts performance levels, Ferrari may not enjoy the same dominance at home at Imola in the next round on April 20.

Loser: Cadillac Team Jota

An early throttle issue with the #38 car and a well-timed safety car intervention propelled the two V-Series cars to the front of the race on lap 69 of the 318-lap race. But on lap 74, during a safety car period, an overly aggressive Alex Lynn collided with the sister car driven by Jenson Button.

Both cars suffered damage, with the #38 losing nine laps due to repairs, while the #12 received a drive-through penalty. Hopes of a podium vanished.

“Unfortunately, we were out of contention after having had contact between our two cars at a very unfortunate moment,” said Dieter Gass, team principal of Cadillac Team Jota. A ridiculous situation that cost Ferrari’s toughest competitors their shot at victory.

“If you take a look at the week overall, we can be happy with the way we got up to speed in the car so quickly and the performance we showcased ahead of the race,” added Will Stevens.

“On days like this, when you don’t get the results you want, it’s really important to pick up the pieces and get the best result possible. Even on bad days, as a team, we have to take the positives, we’ve shown good pace and gained a better understanding of the car, so even if it was a difficult and disappointing day, the experience will help us in the long run.”

Still, with only eight races in the season, scoring big points at favourable circuits is crucial. Cadillac Team Jota should have taken home much more than the meagre nine points earned for the #12’s eighth-place finish. At this level, such mistakes are unacceptable.

Winner: BMW M Team WRT

Finishing fourth and seventh, BMW M Team WRT achieved its best overall result in the WEC. Given Ferrari’s sheer pace, the German-Belgian squad could not have hoped for more, despite securing a front-row start thanks to Dries Vanthoor’s stunning Hyperpole performance.

“This was a very good start to our second season in the FIA WEC,” said BMW M Motorsport head Andreas Roos. “Our two BMW M Hybrid V8s showed strong pace from the Prologue, and with a second place in qualifying, we underscored our ambition to compete for the podium.

“Unfortunately, the Ferraris were too strong in the race, but we are satisfied with fourth and seventh places. These are valuable points for the championship, and we are continuing the positive trend from the end of 2024 and the Daytona 24 Hours opener.”

Was challenging Ferrari an impossible mission?

“After starting second, fourth place might not be what we hoped for, but we didn’t have a flawless race, including from my side,” Vanthoor admitted. “Without those mistakes, we could have fought for third place, but there was no way past the Ferraris this weekend. They were incredibly fast in every session, making it very difficult to beat them.

“I believe we can be proud of the progress we’ve made since last year. However, we are not there yet. It’s clear we are not the fastest, so we need to keep working hard.”

A solid performance, continuing the team’s progress from a disappointing 2024 season. BMW is a force to reckon with this year, though some drivers may need to raise their level of play to match their team-mates.

Loser: Alpine

After a convincing end to the 2024 season and some impressive performances in the Prologue, we expected more from Alpine. Ninth on the grid, Ferdinand Habsburg gained five positions to finish the first lap in fourth place, before taking third place in the second hour of the race. But unfortunately things went downhill from there.

“Car #35 suffered a puncture and then a collision, which caused it to fall down the rankings,” team principal Philippe Sinault explained. “From that moment on, it became more complicated, probably due to the drop in temperatures. Despite everything, it managed to maintain a similar pace to that of the competition, although relegated to one lap [behind].

“The situation is more surprising for #36, which behaved very differently and we don’t yet have an explanation for this.”

With the car falling somewhat short of expectations and minor driver mistakes, the two A424s took the chequered flag in 13th and 14th places, a far cry from pre-season ambitions.

“We need to get back to work for Imola, a circuit that didn’t work out for us in 2024,” Charles Milesi added. “It will be a good opportunity to see the progress we’ve made.”

Winner: LMGT3

Last year, the LMGT3 category was somewhat neglected. But how could it be otherwise when the Hypercar, quite logically, is the centre of attention? Ferrari’s outrageous Hypercar domination, combined with a clear rise in the level of Bronze drivers, has finally allowed LMGT3 to attract the spotlight.

But above all, Daniel Juncadella (Corvette Z06.R #33) and Grégoire Saucy (McLaren 720 S #59) treated us to a wonderful duel in the final hour, which was won by Juncadella’s Corvette.

From 0.991 seconds at the start of the final hour, the gap was 0.493 seconds under the chequered flag, but Juncadella fended off all the attacks of his Swiss rival. Enough to rekindle the wishful thinking of some to see the rebirth of a GT category reserved for professional drivers.

“Looking at my heart rate, I think that [in the closing stages of the race] I was on average 35bpm higher than during the first stint, so that tells you pretty much everything!” joked Juncadella. “We were hoping to have a good start to the season, maybe a top five, but we weren’t super-confident about being able to fight for a podium, and we ended up winning! It tastes great!”

Corvette claimed its first LMGT3 victory thanks to the trio of Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar and Juncadella, confirming its status as the overwhelming favourite, even if the new way of calculating the success ballast could reshuffle the cards in the coming rounds.

Losers: Porsche & Toyota

Outgoing constructors‘ world champion and drivers’ championship winner respectively, Toyota and Porsche were strangled by the BoP in this first round of the season. Both had to deal with, among other things, a minimum weight of 1064kg compared to 1037kg for Ferrari. A deficit that was barely compensated for by a few extra kW, 2 for Toyota, seven for Porsche, which was also slightly penalised for having used Evo Jokers during the winter.

“We knew from the start that we were in for a difficult race,” explained Urs Kuratle, Porsche’s Head of Factory Motorsport LMDh. “Last year, we finished with three Porsche 963s on the podium here in Doha, but the situation has changed. We were not completely faultless today, but the team and the drivers did a good job. Nevertheless, the result is disappointing.”

Despite an optimised car compared to last year, the Porsche 963 was a shadow of its former self, with a disappointingly low 10th and 11th places at the finish line, whereas it monopolised the podium last year.

The same was true for Toyota, which placed its GR010 Hybrids in fifth and sixth place, thanks to a perfect race in every respect and a slight upturn in form with the drop in temperatures, but without setting the best laps and averages.

It is no secret that their performance deficit can be explained by this BoP penalising them for their good performances last season. But they cannot complain about it publicly since, as a reminder, Article 6.2.1 of the WEC Sporting Regulations stipulates that manufacturers, competitors, drivers and any persons or entities associated with their entries must not seek to influence the establishment of the BoP or comment on the process and/or the results, in particular through public statements, the media and social networks.

“Considering the conditions and the circuit, I would have signed for a fifth and sixth place when we arrived here,” said Toyota Gazoo Racing technical director David Floury. “Our rivals, despite some mistakes, easily beat us. As for us, we maximised our potential. The team made zero mistakes, unlike the competitors ahead of us. We couldn’t have done much better than what we did.”

“That part is satisfactory, but the rest is not,” Floury added. “On a circuit where it is difficult to overtake, where there is no degradation and no risk of the weather getting in the way, you suffer. We exploited every strategic opportunity we had. If you do the race again, there’s not much more we can do.”

The rest is out of his hands…

Winner: Akkodis-ASP

The Lexus RC F GT3 has been competing since 2015. It is therefore an understatement to say that it is showing its age compared to its rivals and that its little sister, whose racing debut is scheduled for 2026, is eagerly awaited.

Last year, it was the only car in the LMGT3 category not to have finished a race in the top three. A world reference in GT3, the Akkodis-ASP team has held its ground.

Unfortunately, Petru Umbrarescu destroyed the #87 in a crazy attack in the first hour of racing. As for the podium – or rather the victory – it once again eluded ASP due to a five-second penalty for maximum released powertrain power over the limit.

Despite everything, the weekend was a positive one overall, with both cars in Hyperpole for the first time. But also 97 laps led. How do you explain this turnaround in the situation? 

“It’s cool and the surface doesn’t damage the tyres at all,” explained team principal Jérôme Policand. The crews are also perhaps more even, not to mention a revised BoP system that smooths out the performance of the cars, the drivers and even the degradation of the tyres even more.

Loser: Mercedes/Iron Lynx

Iron Lynx linked its destiny to that of Mercedes-AMG because its relationship with Lamborghini had reached a point of no return. The Italian team was looking for a manufacturer to enter LMGT3 and Mercedes was looking for a team loyal to the ACO championships that would allow it to enter the WEC since, as a reminder, the selection committee favours Hypercar manufacturers and then loyal teams. 

The two therefore had everything they needed to get along. However, the start of this new adventure did not get off to an ideal start. Christian Ried and Claudio Schiavoni finished in the last two places in LMGT3 qualifying, 3.7s and 4.3s respectively off the benchmark time.

In the race, within the space of a few minutes, the #61 car went off the track following a technical issue after 59 laps, before the #60 car was taken to the box long enough to finish unclassified, 194 laps behind the class winner. 

Just as was the case in the 24 Hours of Daytona, Mercedes-AMG still has to learn to work with the torquemeters used to measure power at the wheels and thus to develop the BoP. And that’s without mentioning the issues of energy management. And it will probably take a few races, not to mention the fact that the two identities must learn to work together.