Credit: Nick Dungan / Porsche
Callum Ilott of the #12 JOTA Porsche 963 recorded the quickest lap time on the first day of testing for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship in Qatar. The Prologue pre-season test took place at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit after some teams experienced delays in receiving their race cars. The opening day saw two sessions, with Ilott setting the fastest lap for JOTA in the second session. The first session included nine cars from five teams, while the second session saw multiple track limits violations in the five-hour session.
Teams had the option to participate in either Session 1 or Session 4, in addition to Sessions 2 and 3, resulting in a total of eight hours of running. Only JOTA and Isotta Fraschini in Hypercar, and Iron Lynx, TF Sport, and United Autosports from LMGT3 chose to participate in Session 1. As expected, the two JOTA Porsche 963 Hypercars were the fastest in Session 1. Frenchman Norman Nato set the fastest lap time for the #12 JOTA 963, followed by Jenson Button in the #38 and the #11 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6-C.
The second session featured the full 37-car field and lasted for five hours, transitioning from evening to nighttime. There were a few incidents, including a red flag early on due to contact between the #94 Peugeot 9X8 and the #95 McLaren. The session also saw track limits violations and the implementation of Virtual Safety Car (VSC) and Safety Car procedures. In the end, Ilott set the fastest lap of Session 2, with Ferrari AF Corse’s #50 499P and the sibling #38 JOTA 963 following closely.
In the LMGT3 category, TF Sport’s #82 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R initially led the times in Session 1, but United Autosports’ #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo claimed the top spot with the fastest lap time set by Nicolas Costa. TF Sport’s #81 Z06 and United Autosports’ #95 720S secured second and third place, respectively. The session also saw drivers receiving warnings and penalties for track limits violations.
The Prologue will continue tomorrow with two three-hour sessions, providing further opportunities for teams to test and prepare for the upcoming season.