Defending champions Porsche ‘deserved more’ from ‘disappointing’ Qatar curtain-raiser
Twelve months on from a dominant performance at Lusail International Circuit, Porsche came away frustrated from the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship curtain-raiser at the same track – and with work to do to kick its title defence into gear.
For the first time since debuting in the series in 2023, there were no Porsche 963s inside the top ten on the grid for the Qatar 1812km, with Porsche Penske Motorsport new boy Julien Andlauer qualifying the #5 hybrid prototype 11th – missing out on Hyperpole by a mere two hundredths-of-a-second – and reigning Drivers’ champion Kévin Estre 13th in the sister #6 entry. The following day’s ten-hour race would be no more straightforward.
An eventful start obliged Andlauer to make an unscheduled pit visit barely half-an-hour in due to a damaged tyre, dropping the car he was sharing with compatriot Mathieu Jaminet and Denmark’s Michael Christensen to 18th and last position in the Hypercar class.
An early refuelling stop during a safety car intermission helped to elevate the #5 crew temporarily to third, only for another tyre issue and a damper element on the rear axle – which needed to be fixed at the halfway mark – to cost the trio further time, restricting Andlauer, Jaminet and Christensen to a lapped tenth at the chequered flag.
“An exhausting, sometimes really difficult race,” the latter reflected. “It was pretty tough on the track – rarely have I had contact with so many other cars in such a short space of time. I did not want that at all, but sometimes that’s the way it is.
“Our Porsche felt very good at times, but in the end I had to fight with tyre and brake wear as well as the energy level. I was aiming for ninth place, but then we fell out of the performance window and no longer had a chance. We crossed the finish line and have two championship points, which counts because they could become important.”
Crewed by Estre, fellow defending champion Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell, the #6 963 wound up just over 20 seconds further in arrears in 11th. That car similarly suffered an early setback, after Vanthoor found himself hit from behind, necessitating a rear wing replacement at the crew’s first pit-stop.
Porsche Penske Motorsport will be hoping for significantly better fortunes in round two – the 6 Hours of Imola in Italy on 18-20 April – around a circuit where last year, the German-American alliance raced to a rostrum double.
“We knew from the start that we were in for a difficult race,” acknowledged Porsche Factory Motorsport LMDh Director, Urs Kuratle. “Last year, we finished with three Porsche 963s on the podium in Qatar, but the situation has changed. We were not completely faultless, but the team and the drivers did a good job. Nevertheless, the result is disappointing.”
“We only scored two points – but I feel like we deserved more,” added Porsche Penske Motorsport Managing Director, Jonathan Diuguid. “Our two Porsches had a long day. The #6 was caught out by the Virtual Safety Car through no fault of its own. From then on, it was one lap down but running with good pace and no real mistakes.
“The #5 suffered two punctures and a technical problem. Despite this, they were able to stay on the lead lap until shortly before the end. We will improve a few things and work on our performance for Imola.”
