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Late Safety Car Alters McLaren GT3 EVO's Victory Path At FIA WEC Fuji Race
McLaren GT3 EVO cars showcased impressive speed at the FIA World Endurance Championship Six Hours of Fuji. Both vehicles qualified in the top five, with car #59 starting third and car #95 fifth. Despite leading for most of the race, a late safety car intervention disrupted their strategy, resulting in eighth and seventeenth place finishes.
The weekend began positively with strong practice sessions. Marino Sato led the initial session, while Josh Caygill in car #95 and James Cottingham in car #59 advanced to the Hyperpole session. They secured third and fifth positions on the grid respectively.
At the start, Caygill moved inside, and Cottingham found space to emerge in second and third places. However, an issue caused car #95 to drop off the lead lap early on. Despite efforts from Nico Pino and Sato, it finished seventeenth.
Car #59 had a promising run with Nicolas Costa taking the LMGT3 lead on lap 56. The McLaren GT3 EVO maintained its advantage except during pit stops. Unfortunately, a late safety car period erased their secure lead, making for a tight final 45 minutes of racing.
Tire degradation affected Gregoire Saucy's performance against rivals with fresher tires. Consequently, car #59 finished eighth at the chequered flag.
Reflections from Team Leaders
Richard Dean, CEO of United Autosports, commented on the race: "After a run of really strong results, this has brought us down to earth a bit. The #95 started strong but due to a number of reasons was out of contention within the first hour. It feels particularly unfair on the crew because from their perspective it was faultless. It was equally tough on the #59 which led most of the race, but a Safety Car late on negated the strategic call and the gap we had built up. It’s disappointing but we have to focus on the season finale in Bahrain."
Mick McDonagh, Director of MSO Motorsport at McLaren Automotive, added: "Once again it has been a frustrating weekend for both cars, but we must remember this is our first year of the programme and we are battling with the best GT teams in the world. We will take the learnings from each race and keep pushing forwards."
Looking Ahead
The team now has a six-week break before heading to Bahrain for the final round from October 31 to November 2. They aim to finish the season strongly after learning valuable lessons throughout this challenging year.
About McLaren Automotive
McLaren Automotive produces high-performance supercars known for their lightweight design. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Woking, Surrey, England, McLaren leverages its rich racing heritage to create some of the world's most thrilling vehicles.
The company’s product range includes GTS, supercar, Motorsport, and Ultimate models sold across over 40 markets globally. Their cars are hand-assembled at McLaren Production Centre (MPC) located alongside their headquarters.
Innovations and Milestones
McLaren introduced carbon fibre chassis technology into Formula 1 with MP4/1 in 1981 and built its legendary road car McLaren F1 in 1993. In 2013 they launched P1™, their first hybrid hypercar followed by Senna in 2018 and Speedtail hybrid hyper-GT in 2019.
The latest addition is Artura Spider unveiled in early 2024 as McLaren’s first high-performance hybrid convertible marking significant advancements within just twelve months.
World Endurance Championship Overview
The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) is an international sportscar championship featuring Hypercar and LMGT3 categories across eight rounds worldwide including Europe Asia North America South America Middle East races varying from six hours up-to twenty-four hours like Le Mans considered one among greatest sporting events globally.
September1 td >Lone Star Le Mans td >Circuit Americas td > tr >September15 td >6 Hours Fuji td >Fuji Speedway td > tr >November2 td >8 Hours Bahrain td >Bahrain International Circuit td > tr >The championship now entering its twelfth season offers manufacturers real-world relevance advances road-car design crossover technology performance safety .About McLaren GroupFounded by Bruce McLaren1963 , Group encompasses Automotive hand-building lightweight supercars competing global series including World Endurance Championship majority stake Racing competing Formula1 World Championship INDYCAR series Formula E Extreme E F1 Academy .Headquartered iconic Technology Centre Woking Surrey England reputation innovation technological excellence makes one UK largest independent companies .Partnerships CollaborationsMcLaren partners like-minded world-leading companies organisations pushing boundaries respective fields including Ashurst Bowers Wilkins Dynisma Gulf Monroe Pirelli Plan International Richard Mille Tumi .The team remains optimistic about future races continuing strive excellence despite challenges faced during current season .| Date | Event | Circuit |
|---|---|---|
| March 2 | Qatar 1812km | Lusail International Circuit |
| April 21 | 6 Hours of Imola | Imola |
| May 11 | 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps | Spa Francorchamps |
| June 15-16 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Circuit de la Sarthe |
| July 14 | 6 Hours Sao Paulo td >Interlagos td > tr > | |
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