Porsche has started the week leading up to the 1812 Km of Qatar, the first seasonal round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, on the right foot.
In the four Prologue sessions staged in Lusail there was always a 963 in the lead. The Jota guys took care of it first on Monday, while on Tuesday it was the Penske officials' turn to stand out in the Hypercar Class.
It's clear that the very first tests are indicative enough, especially because everyone carries out different work on tyres, set-ups and long-runs, but it must still be said that the German LMDhs proved to be competitive both over long distances and on the flying lap.
Furthermore, the two officials put together 449 laps over the two days, which added to those of the #12 and #38 of Jota and the #99 of Proton Competition (the one most in difficulty of the family) arrive at a total of 8,820 km of very useful data and information to best prepare for Friday's Qualifying and Saturday's event.
For the first race there is already a good indication, with Frédéric Makowiecki author of the fastest lap of the Prologue in 1'40″404 on the #5 shared with Michael Christensen and Matt Campbell, while the #6 of Lotterer/Estre/Vanthoor it has proven to be equally fast and constant in terms of performance.
#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Frederic Makowiecki
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“We tested numerous settings and obtained many insights, making considerable progress in terms of the set-up and balance of the car, which was already working well. We will continue to work on some aspects in the Free Practice sessions,” says Christensen.
Lotterer adds: “We spent a lot of time on the track and collected a lot of impressions and data. The focus was on understanding the behavior of the car and the tyres, all in the interest of the best possible preparation for the race. The results of the Prologue have been positive, now we need to further optimize everything for the opening of the season.”
As we were saying, Monday in particular highlighted Jota's 963, with the #12 of Stevens/Ilott/Nato capable of standing out already in the first three hours of the session ahead of the little sister #38 of Rasmussen/Button/Hanson, and then responded by significantly lowering the times in Session 2 in the evening.
With 491 laps completed in total by the English team it is clear that confidence is growing more and more, also in reference to excellent long-runs completed and not just in the attack on the best time.
#12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963: William Stevens, Callum Ilott, Norman Nato
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“The Prologue went very well for us, we had no problems with the car. Our last test was several weeks ago, so the work program for the season opener was intense,” explains Nato.
“It was nice to drive the 963 again and get to know everything better. We tried different settings for the systems. Of course, it was also about finding a set-up that would allow us to maintain a constant pace over long distances.”
“The first race of the season lasts ten hours. It's not just the fastest lap time that's important, but also the handling and consistency. We feel well prepared.”
Rasmussen was also happy: “I was extremely curious to see how the Prologue would go; for me personally, the transition from the LMP2 Class to the Porsche 963 is an important step. But everything went perfectly, both cars completed many laps without problems. It was important to cover a lot of kilometres.”
“Compared to an LMP2 car, the LMDh is much better in slow and medium-fast corners. This is the feeling a racing car should give! I can't wait to get back behind the wheel, I still have a lot to learn, but I'm succeeding. I expect a fun race on Saturday. I can't wait.”
#99 Proton Competition Porsche 963: Harry Tincknell, Neel Jani, Julien Andlauer
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
However, the #99 Proton Competition of the Jani/Tincknell/Andlauer trio had some problems, also having an off-track exit but then managing to get back on track on Tuesday.
“We weren't able to make the most of these tests because we stayed in the pits longer than the others – admits Jani – It wasn't ideal, especially if we want to compete with the official teams who have already tested on this track”.
“Everything is new for us, we are trying to learn as much as possible in the shortest time and we have no other choice. The Prologue was a very important event for us, because it gave us the opportunity to prepare as best as possible for the race weekend. I expect an exciting race that will be guided by strategy.”
#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Frederic Makowiecki
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Urs Kuratle, Director of the official LMDh program, does not hide his satisfaction: “The results of our official team were significantly better on the second day compared to Monday. However, one cannot read too much into the times. We did our duty and we worked meticulously on the vast plan of things to do”.
“We only encountered some minimal problems, without any particular dramas. It was a successful test that once again increased our confidence ahead of the new season. We are certainly better prepared than at the start of our debut year in 2023.”
Jonathan Diuguid, CEO of Porsche Penske Motorsport, echoes this: “The Prologue went very well on both days. It was incomparable to what we experienced at Sebring last year, there was a significant leap forward overall points of view. We have started the year well in the FIA WEC and we can't wait to start the first race weekend.”
#WEC #Porsche #confidence #Positive #work #optimised
