Team JOTA secures dramatic overall FIA WEC podium in inaugural Qatar 1812km

Hertz Team JOTA kicked off its 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with a strong run to the rostrum under the lights at the Lusail International Circuit.   The Qatar-based venue hosted the season-opening race of the season, with its 1812-kilometre race proving a true endurance test for the entire field.   An expanded Le Mans Hypercar field for 2024, totalling 19 cars, has increased the competitiveness of the category. This makes every position even more hard-fought, and the racing all the more intense.   The growth in the field size altered the Qualifying format for the 2024 season, with 10 cars in the Hyperpole session to determine the front of the grid. Both Hertz Team JOTA entries made it into the top 10, with Callum Ilott securing third on the grid for the #12 Porsche 963 with a 1m39.622s and 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button putting #38 in ninth after putting in his best time of 1m40.362, both on their team debut.   Starting the race was Will Stevens in the #12 and Phil Hanson in the #38. The start, taking place in the desert sun, was eventful with Will dropping a spot but Phil gaining four spots early on.

wIn the early laps of the race, the race-long battles started to shape out. Will put in a great move on the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry, highlighting the pace of the car in the early stages, as it challenged for the podium.   The teams cycled through the drivers as the hours passed, and the positions settled in. The #12 opened up a gap of half a minute, helped by the efforts of Will, Callum and Norman Nato, to a comfortable podium place in third.   Racing well within the points as well was the #38. Phil, Jenson and Oliver Rasmussen were in close battles as night descended, notably with the #5 and later with the #83 AF Corse.   The #12 came on strong late in the race and contended for the top three. Callum found himself in a battle with the #93 Peugeot which went to the final laps. With the #5 Porsche making a late pitstop, this elevated the #12 into third.   The gap to the #5 closed up in the final laps, but Callum pushed hard despite ageing tyres. Dramatically, on the penultimate lap, the Peugeot just ahead came to a halt, and this put Callum into second. He was able to resist the #5 Porsche in a close battle to the chequered flag which came just before the 10-hour time limit elapsed.   The #38 in the end was less fortunate, retiring late on with an electrical issue after running a strong seventh.

Quotes:Car #12Will Stevens: "It is nice to get our first podium in Hypercar. We have been on this journey as a team and we were close in the final few races of last year. I think we deserve this, we had a good start to the year and we hope we can carry it on that way. We elected for a different strategy to most, favouring triple stints because the degradation was less than expected when most of our competitors are doing doubles. This paid off today."

Callum Ilott: "It was a very tough couple of last stints. The Penske Porsche drivers pushed me a lot so credit to them. It was very unfortunate for the Peugeot, but it was still a great job by our team all around. We didn’t make any mistakes today. Congratulations to Will and to Norman, and I am glad they were able to join me on the podium."

Norman Nato: "It was difficult before the weekend to predict that we would come away with a podium. We did well considering that the competition is so tough. The car felt good in the race today and I can’t wait to hit the track again."Car #38Jenson Button: "Overall, I enjoyed today. It was a little frustrating with some cars in front who were a lap down to contend with, but it was fun out there. There were a couple of tussles and some important overtakes. It’s a shame not to finish the race after all the hard work of the team but our focus now turns to Imola."

Oliver Rasmussen: "Today has been fun. My FIA WEC Hypercar debut has been a one-of-a-kind experience and I am already looking forward to Imola. There is a bit of work to be done on my side, but we made good steps at this event. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t finish the race but until then, it was quite positive. We will come back stronger at Imola."

Phil Hanson: "We seemed to have good pace in clear air today. Track position was really difficult here, if you got in a wave of traffic, it was very frustrating. But overall, the car felt good."Dieter Gass, Team Principal: "What a fantastic result for us to achieve a podium in our first race with two cars. Obviously, it’s disappointing for the #38, which retired before the end after a very strong race, but I think to get that podium here is a brilliant start to the season and a key indicator of the hard work done by the team over the winter."