P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Matt Campbell took pole for the Qatar 1812km, the opening race of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, with the
In the Q1 session of LMGT3, Tom van Rompuy set the early pace in the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R with a 1:55.634, but was later surpassed by #777 D’Station Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3’s Clement Mateu. Alex Malykhin in the #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3.R ultimately secured the fastest time with a 1:55.611. Surprisingly, Ian James in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 managed to beat Malykhin by almost four tenths in the final minutes of the session. The cars that didn’t advance to Q2 in LMGT3 were diverse, including the likes of Proton Ford Mustang and Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3.R.
Moving on to Q2 in the Hypercar category, the factory Penske-run #5 Porsche 963, driven by Campbell, set the quickest time with a 1:39.154, besting competitors like Nyck de Vries in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid. Jenson Button in the #38 JOTA Porsche made it through to the next round, while the #8 Toyota of Brendon Hartley surprisingly got eliminated. The cars that failed to advance to Hypercar Hyperpole ranged from AF Corse Ferrari to Alpine A424 and BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8.
In the Hyperpole session for LMGT3, Tom Van Rompuy in the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R reclaimed the top spot after a strong run, replacing Ian James. Ahmad Al Harthy had shown early promise but couldn’t maintain his position. Overall, the qualifying sessions featured intense competition and surprises among the different car brands and drivers.
