Ferrari in control in early stages of Qatar 1812km

Hypercar 

• Ferrari in charge in the early stages of the Qatar 1812km, as the pole-sitting #51 499P Hypercar piloted by James Calado holds a slender lead over Nicklas Nielsen in the sister #50 car
• Earl Bamber fights back from early error, climbing from 17th up to third in #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R and posting fastest lap along the way. After being shuffled out on the opening lap, the #12 Cadillac recovers to fifth
• Differing fortunes for BMW M Team WRT Hypercars, with Robin Frijns running fourth in the #20 car while the #15 entry loses time to a pit speed limiter problem and a clash with an LMGT3 car
• Alpine showing strong pace with the A424, although Frédéric Makowiecki in the #36 slips down the order during first pit-stop phase
• Reigning Manufacturers’ champions Toyota in trouble, as Mike Conway spins the #8 GR010 Hybrid while Sébastien Buemi makes contact with a Vista AF Corse Ferrari LMGT3 car
• Porsche Penske Motorsport similarly in the wars, as Julien Andlauer picks up an early puncture in the #5 machine and the #6 963 Hypercar incurs rear wing damage
• Aston Martin Valkyrie shows pace with purple sectors on FIA WEC debut, although #009 endures a tough start to proceedings with a lost door prompting an unscheduled pit-stop

LMGT3 

• Close four-way fight for the top spot
• Arnold Robin twice grabs the lead from the qualifying pace-setting McLarens to install Akkodis ASP Team Lexus at the front of the field
• Ahmad Al-Harthy climbs from eighth on the grid to second in the #31 BMW, with James Cottingham and Darren Leung keeping United Autosports solidly in contention in third and fourth, the quartet covered by less than ten seconds
• Ian James ‘best of the rest’ in the Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin
• TF Sport suffers early blow to title bid as Tom van Rompuy retires the #81 Corvette with alternator issues after climbing as high as fifth and Ben Keating makes a couple of errors in the #33
• Petru Umbrarescu in the #87 Lexus makes contact with the #21 Ferrari, dropping both cars down the order

Live timing is available HERE