The World Endurance Championship held its traditional ‘Prologue’ - its equivalent of Formula 1 pre-season collective testing - at Lusail on Friday and Saturday ahead of this Friday’s opening round at the track: the 1812km of Qatar.
Here are five key takeaways from the test.
BoP officially announced but already modified
It wasn't until Thursday, the day before the first testing day, that the first Balance of Performance (BoP) of the year was revealed. The BoP aims to ensure sporting equality. It draws on the data measured during the cars’ homologation process and on each manufacturer’s individual performance recorded on the racetrack by means of various sensors and indicators.
Surprisingly, the BoP was slightly modified after the first day for unexplained reasons. To try to analyse it, we must compare these figures to those from the first edition of the 1812km of Qatar a year ago, while considering that at the time, the cars were heavily weighted to give a chance to the first iteration of the Peugeot 9X8.
Ferrari and Toyota lost 38kg and 25kg, respectively, but the 499P lost only 2kW below 250km/h (155mph), compared to seven for the GR010 Hybrid.
Unsurprisingly, Porsche was the most penalized and the only one to gain weight (+26 kg) despite a 3kW boost below 250km/h. But don't forget that the 963 dominated last year on a track as smooth as a billiard table, which suited it perfectly.
Laptimes and mileage - the key stats
Ultimately, the best time over the four days was set by Robin Frijns in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8: 1m38.971s. Last year, the absolute best time at Lusail was set by Matt Campbell (Porsche 963): 1m39.154s during qualifying.
Cadillac and Ferrari followed at 0.145s and 0.170s respectively off the BMW, with Alpine and Toyota at 0.5s and Porsche at 0.9s. In terms of the ideal laptime (all the best sectors together), Cadillac led with 1m38.837s.
For Peugeot and Aston Martin, however, things were more challenging in terms of pure performance.
Regarding mileage, the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid completed 402 laps, and the sister #8 car managed 390. The two Aston Martin Valkyries combined for 549 laps, while the #6 Porsche only managed 284 due to an engine failure on the first day.
Prologue – Combined all days classification:
- BMW M Hybrid V8 #20 1m38.971s
- Cadillac V-Series.R #38 (+0.145s)
- Ferrari 499P #83 (+0.170s)
- Alpine A424 #36 (+0.534s)
- Toyota GR010 Hybrid #7 (+0.578s)
- Porsche 963 #5 (+0.902s)
- Peugeot 9X8 #93 (+1.167s).
- Aston Martin Valkyrie #007 (+2.118s)
Cadillac and Ferrari make a strong impression
Fourth in Qatar last year before being disqualified for a technical irregularity, Cadillac is clearly not disadvantaged by the BoP, nor is Ferrari.
Seeing the V-Series.R at the front is unsurprising, but what stands out is its consistency, as one of both cars always finished in the top five. Even though Sebastien Bourdais missed out on the best time by 0.145s, the Cadillac made a strong impression, particularly in long stints.
"We’ve got six generally happy drivers, which is always a good gauge of how it’s going," Jota Sport co-founder and director Sam Hignett said.
"If the path you travel is down a corridor, our corridor is very wide at the moment because we’re making sweeping changes to try different things, which is what testing is for.
“What’s really encouraging is wherever we go, it’s a definitive answer. We’re narrowing the corridor to find the best window where the car operates.
“We should roll into race weekend in pretty good shape. We can go testing and do things, but it’s just not the same as being at the Prologue. There are so many bits and pieces - working with the other cars, GT car traffic, working with the race director, pitlane rules, and full-course yellows. It is absolutely the best test session we do all year."
Cadillac, which has moved from Ganassi to Jota, seems well-equipped heading into the first race. However, like BMW and WRT last year, this new pairing will need time to gel.
Many see Ferrari as the favourite for the second edition of the 1812km of Qatar. With 38kg less weight than last year, a power loss of only 2kW, and an evo kit designed to perform better on this track than in 2024, the 499P has proven well-suited to the Lusail International Circuit, particularly in long stints. None of the four sessions ended without a 499P in the top three.
BMW and Alpine are also in contention, and seeing an A424 or a M Hybrid V8 in the top five would not be surprising, as was the case last year during the last two races of the season. But from there to winning...
Peugeot, however, is struggling a little bit more. But the 9X8 has historically performed better in races, and its deficit, when spread over a stint, is less significant than on a single lap.
"The car is performing quite well," Jean-Eric Vergne said. "We are mid-grid, but we can still improve the car for next week. It could be a good race weekend for us."
This is significant, especially considering that the ‘money time’ will take place at night, with the chequered flag dropping at midnight local time as track grip improves. Performing well under these conditions will be crucial.
Should we worry about Porsche and Toyota?
Last year, despite securing a surprise front-row start with Nyck de Vries, Toyota struggled at Lusail. The best GR010 Hybrid finished sixth at the chequered flag, with a best race lap 2.4s off the pace.
Given the new BoP figures, Toyota might struggle again this week.
"We are not the fastest right now, and I doubt we will be," Brendon Hartley said. "But we are trying hard to extract all the car’s potential so we can score as many points as possible in the race."
“It’s hard to get an initial reading, but it looks like it could be a challenging race for us,” added De Vries.
And what about Porsche? Having dominated last year, the 963 has been hit hard by BoP adjustments, with a significantly increased weight (+26kg), barely offset by a 3kW power increase.
"In testing, you never know who is trying out what and who is where in terms of performance," Laurens Vanthoor said. "Last year, we were very good here in Qatar. Our car is comparatively heavy, which plays a pretty big role on this track."
For Toyota and Porsche Penske Motorsport, the race could be long. But given their strategic expertise and race management skills, they should not be counted out.
Aston Martin getting up to speed
For its first public appearance outside the American continent, the Aston Martin Valkyrie has been closely watched. As the only Hypercar derived from a road-going model and, moreover, lacking a hybrid system, the British LMH once again made headlines thanks to the mesmerising sound of its V12.
In terms of laptimes, however, the Valkyrie remained rather discreet, with a 2.1s deficit to the #20 BMW. Should this be cause for concern?
First, it's worth noting that this car has yet to compete in a single race, whereas its rivals have at least one full season under their belts.
Additionally, regulations clearly state that the BoP cannot compensate for a lack of performance in the absence of representative data (i.e. too few races held under suitable conditions). In other words, if the Valkyrie truly lags behind, it will take several races before the BoP can adjust and bring it up to the level of the rest of the field.
“Everything lived up to expectations, even surpassed them,” Ross Gunn said. “We are learning a lot. The target is to learn as much as possible about the car.
“There were plenty of question marks coming in, and there are still quite a few unknowns. I think we answered many of those questions, but the test provided other question marks.
“We have to be realistic; the competition is the best in the world, and it is a long-term programme.”
It is therefore out of the question to expect the Valkyries to compete for a top-five finish on Friday. Simply getting both cars to the finish line would already be an achievement and would allow Aston Martin to gather a wealth of data to come back stronger in the next round: the Imola 6 Hours on April 20.
The main goal over these two days has been to collect as much data as possible for analysis before hitting the track again on Wednesday at 11:30am local time for the first free practice session. As a reminder, with Ramadan beginning on Saturday, March 1, the race has been scheduled for Friday, with the start set for 2:00pm local time.
