The 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season kicked off over the weekend with the Prologue, a two-day pre season test at Qatar’s Lusail International Circuit. New Zealand was well-represented at the test, with seasoned WEC competitors Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber both in action.
Hartley begins his sixth consecutive year with Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2025, again partnering with Sébastien Buemi and Ryō Hirakawa in the #8 car. Their 2024 campaign, despite two wins at Interlagos and Bahrain, ended in a disappointing fourth place overall—43 points behind the Porsche champions—largely due to the team’s inconsistency.
Bamber continues with the factory Cadillac program, now under the Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA banner, which took over factory support from Chip Ganassi Racing. He’ll race the Cadillac V-Series.R alongside Sébastien Bourdais, a four-time Champ Car champion, and 2009 Formula One World Champion, Jensen Button, in the #38 entry.
The first day in Qatar was dominated by Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, with Alex Lynn leading the way in the #12 Cadillac, just two tenths of a second ahead of teammate Bourdais in the #38.
Robert Kubica’s AF Corse Ferrari showed early speed but ultimately finished fifth, almost seven tenths behind the leading Cadillac.
Toyota Gazoo Racing had a relatively quiet day; with Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 achieving the team’s fastest lap with a 1:40.7—over a second slower than the leading Cadillac—with the #8 car finishing further six tenths back in eleventh. However, Toyota demonstrated the reliability of their 2025 challenger by completing the most laps of the day of any manufacturer.
Saturday brought a surprise; BMW claimed the top spot thanks to Robin Frijns’ impressive performance. Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, initially strong with Bourdais’ early pace, suffered a setback when Bourdais spun his V-Series.R while on a flyer. He quickly recovered, briefly leading before being beaten by Frijns in the BMW.
The top six was a closely fought three-way battle between BMW, Cadillac, and Ferrari, all breaking the existing lap record. Alpine and Toyota stayed within six tenths of a second of Frijns’ best time, while Porsche Penske Motorsport’s engine trouble significantly hindered their performance.
The incredibly close competition makes the season opening Qatar 1812km this weekend difficult to predict, and with experienced Kiwi drivers Hartley and Bamber well in the mix, New Zealand motorsport fans have plenty to look forward to.
Combined Top 12 Times from Qatar Test:
1: #20 BMW M Team WRT – 1:38.971
2: #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – 1:39.116
3: #83 Ferrari AF Corse – 1:39.141
4: #15 BMW M Team WRT – 1:39.253
5: #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – 1:39.296
6: #50 Ferrari AF Corse – 1:39.367
7: #36 Alpine Endurance Team – 1:39.505
8: #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing – 1:39.549
9: #51 Ferrari AF Corse – 1:39.568
10: #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport – 1:39.873
11: #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing – 1:40.128
12: #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies – 1:40.138
Header Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing
