Callum Ilott of the #12 JOTA Porsche 963 recorded the quickest lap time on the first day of the Prologue test for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship in Qatar. The Losail International Circuit in Qatar hosted the track action for the WEC and the pre-season test after some teams experienced delays in receiving their race cars. Ilott set a time of 1:40.541 in the second session, which was the fastest of the day for JOTA.
The first session included nine cars from five teams, while the second session saw repeated violations of track limits in the LMGT3 category during 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 the Hypercar category, and Iron Lynx, TF Sport, and United Autosports in the LMGT3 category chose to participate in Session 1.
The two JOTA Porsche 963 Hypercars were the fastest in Session 1, with both the #38 and #12 drivers having equal track time before continuing with their programs. Frenchman Norman Nato set the fastest lap time for the #12 JOTA 963 at 1:41.822 after completing 29 laps. Former F1 World Champion Jenson Button was second fastest in the #38 with a time of 1:43.206, followed by the #11 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6-C in third.
Jean-Karl Vernay set the fastest lap time in the #11 with a time of 1:45.928, while Antonio Serravalle did not drive during the session. The second session included the full 37-car field for the first time as the day transitioned from evening to nighttime. There were incidents involving Loic Duval of the #94 Peugeot 9X8 and Joshua Caygill in the #95 McLaren, but no further investigation took place. Duval and Caygill received warnings for breaching track limits, and Caygill was given a drive-through penalty.
The Toyota GR010 Hybrids set the benchmark in Session 2, with the reigning Hypercar champions having a productive running session. The #11 Isotta briefly stopped in the pit lane with Serravalle due to reported oil issues. The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) procedure was tested, followed by a full Safety Car deployment to clear the gravel at Turns 8-9. Another red flag was declared when Harry Tincknell of the #99 Proton Competition 963 got stuck in the gravel at Turn 2. Multiple cats were also spotted at Turn 10, resulting in a second VSC and a brief red flag.
Loic Duval received a drive-through penalty for track limits violations towards the end of the session. Callum Ilott set the fastest lap of Session 2 and the Prologue overall with his 38 laps in the #12 Porsche 963. Ferrari AF Corse’s #50 499P was the second fastest, followed by the #38 JOTA 963. The #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid completed the most laps in the session, followed by the #51 Ferrari 499P and the #38.
In the LMGT3 category, TF Sport’s #82 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R led the times in Session 1, while United Autosports’ #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo was the quickest at the end of the session. TF Sport’s #82 Z06 completed the most laps out of all the cars. The second session saw drama involving the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3, which had to be retrieved after Thomas Flohr stopped at the exit of Turn 2. Several LMGT3 drivers received warnings for exceeding track limits, and penalties were awarded for track limits violations.
Gregoire Saucy set the fastest lap in Session 2 for United Autosports in the #59 McLaren, followed by Davide Rigon in the #54 AF Corse Ferrari. Esteban Masson finished in the top three for Akkodis ASP Team’s #87 Lexus RC F. The Prologue will conclude tomorrow with two three-hour sessions.