Matt Campbell from Australia, Michael Christensen from Denmark, and Frederic Makowiecki from France were the drivers for the #05 Porsche Penske Motorsport, also known as the Porsche 963. This took place during the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Official Prologue in Doha, Qatar on February 26-27, 2024.
The first free practice session of the season saw Matt Campbell as the fastest driver in the #5 Porsche Penske 963. This session was part of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season-opener in Qatar. The session took place at the Losail International Circuit, which was a new venue for the WEC.
Teams were preparing for the 10-hour race event that was scheduled to take place on March 2. The Hypercar field, consisting of 19 cars, was highly competitive, with both Porsche factory and customer cars showing their strength throughout the session.
Phil Hanson, a former LMP2 champion and Le Mans 24 Hours winner, made his debut in the Hypercar category driving the #38 JOTA. He had previously participated in the IMSA Endurance Cup with JDC Miller MotorSports, also driving a Porsche 963.
The free practice session focused on collecting data about tyre degradation and race pace rather than setting the fastest lap times. This data would be crucial for success in the season-opener.
The session experienced multiple interruptions, including full-course yellow flags and red flags. These interruptions were possibly caused by gravel on the circuit and increased wind speed compared to pre-season testing. Despite the interruptions, Matt Campbell set the quickest lap time in the #5 Porsche Penske 963 with a time of 1:42.486.
Other notable performances included James Calado in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, who secured second place with a time of 1:42.532, and Kevin Estre in the #6 Porsche Penske, who finished third with a time of 1:42.593.
In the LMGT3 category, 18 cars were driven by eager drivers looking to push the limits of their racing lines. Track limits warnings were issued, and drivers had to be cautious not to exceed them to avoid penalties during the race. Josh Caygill in the #95 United Autosports McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo received a penalty for track limit abuse, resulting in a five-minute stop-and-go penalty.
Nico Pino set the fastest time in the LMGT3 field with a time of 1:55.824 in the #95 United Autosports McLaren. The AF Corse Ferrari 296s, driven by Alessio Rovera (#55) and Davide Rigon (#54), secured second and third place respectively.
The second free practice session, Free Practice 2, was scheduled to take place later in the day at 2.30pm GMT or 5.30pm local time.