Ferrari 296 LMGT3s in Qatar for the first act of the FIA WEC 2025

The 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season opens once again with the 1812 km of Qatar, held at the Lusail International Circuit. The two Ferrari 296 LMGT3 cars fielded by Vista AF Corse arrive at the season-opener on the back of an excellent Prologue, which ended with a one-two finish, as well as back-to-back wins in the final two rounds of 2024 at Fuji and Bahrain.

The crew line-ups remain unchanged: in the number 54 car, Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci, and Davide Rigon return, having won last year’s 6 Hours of Fuji, while the second car has changed number to 21, still driven by François Heriau, Simon Mann, and Alessio Rovera, winners of the 8 Hours of Bahrain.

The 2025 season kicked off with the Prologue, a two-day test at the Lusail International Circuit that allowed drivers and teams to regain familiarity with the cars after the winter break. The Vista AF Corse 296 LMGT3 cars ended the sessions at the top of the standings, with a best time of 1’54”790 for the number 21, just ahead of the number 54, which set a lap of 1’54”810.

The history. The track was inaugurated in 2004 and is 5,419 km long. Lusail’s history, which is closely tied to two-wheel racing, has expanded in recent years thanks to the addition of more high-profile car racing events. Among these, since 2024, the 1812 km of Qatar has served as the FIA World Endurance Championship season-opening round. This 10-hour race is largely contested after sunset, with the cars racing beneath the floodlights.

The programme. Following the Prologue, track activities will resume on Wednesday, 26 February at 11.30 a.m. with the first free practice session, followed by a second session at 4.50 p.m., both lasting 90 minutes. On Thursday, 27 February, a third free practice session will take place at 12 p.m., followed by qualifying at 5 p.m. and the Hyperpole for the LMGT3 class at 5.20 p.m., reserved for the ten fastest crews. The race will get underway on Friday, 28 February, at 2 p.m.

The calendar.Following the season-opener at Lusail International Circuit with the 1812 km of Qatar (28 February), the world championship will feature legs at Imola (Italy, 20 April), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium, 10 May), Le Mans (France, 14-15 June), São Paulo (Brazil, 13 July), COTA (USA, 7 September), Fuji (Japan, 28 September), and Sakhir (Bahrain, 8 November). 

All times are local.