Doha. At the season-opener of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in Qatar, the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the BMW M4 GT3 EVO delivered strong performances, making a significant impact in the competition against the world's top manufacturers. The two BMW M Team WRT hypercars finished in fourth and seventh places respectively, earning valuable points for the World Championship standings. In the LMGT3 class, the #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO achieved a podium finish, coming in third .
At the start of its second season in the FIA WEC, the BMW M Hybrid V8 demonstrated strong pace. In qualifying, Dries Vanthoor (BEL) secured a spot on the front row with a second-place finish in 1:38.495 minutes – a first for the hypercar, missing pole position by just 0.136 seconds. Robin Frijns (NED) also made it into the top-ten Hyperpole with the sister car.
During the race, the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 initially fell back, but the team, including Vanthoor, Kevin Magnussen (DEN), and Raffaele Marciello (SUI), fought their way back to the top positions with strong lap times over the ten-hour race. In the end, only the three Ferraris, which battled among themselves for the win, were faster. The #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Frijns, René Rast (GER), and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), was at one point in third place but finished seventh due to varying strategies.
In the LMGT3 class, a BMW M Motorsport crew celebrated a podium finish. Augusto Farfus (BRA), Timur Boguslavskiy, and Yasser Shahin (AUS) drove the #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO to third place, mounting a remarkable comeback from 14th on the grid after a setback in qualifying. The #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, piloted by Kelvin van der Linde (RSA), Valentino Rossi (ITA), and Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), faced challenges and finished eleventh in the LMGT3 class.
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