Barcelona, Spain – Genesis Magma Racing achieved a significant milestone in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Mathys Jaubert claiming the organization’s first pole position in the Hypercar class.
Jaubert set an impressive time of 1:30.166 during the Hyperpole shootout, which included two ‘purple’ sectors, surpassing his earlier best of 1:30.329. This performance not only secured him pole but also made him the youngest-ever WEC pole-sitter.
“It’s an amazing feeling. The car was just incredible,” Jaubert remarked. “We executed the right tyre strategy on a tricky track with low grip.”
Co-driver Andre Lotterer emphasized the significance of the achievement: “A star is born. It shows we mean serious business in this championship.”
The sister car, driven by Mathieu Jaminet, qualified third with a time of 1:30.366, having momentarily threatened pole position before losing time in the latter sectors. Ryo Hirakawa in the championship-leading #8 Toyota Racing TR010 HYBRID secured the second position with a 1:30.336.
The top five were completed by the #35 Alpine and the #12 JOTA Cadillac, followed by the #83 AF Corse 499P in sixth. The remaining top ten included the #36 Alpine, #50 Ferrari, #7 Toyota, and #38 Cadillac. Aston Martin THOR Team’s Valkyries narrowly missed the Hyperpole cut, qualifying in 11th and 12th positions.
Driver Marco Sorensen expressed his intention to improve: “People are expecting us to get into Hyperpole, which is a good problem to have. Hopefully, we can make up ground tomorrow, especially if it rains, which is highly likely.”
Notably, the #51 AF Corse 499P finished 13th after a track limits violation nullified Antonio Giovinazzi’s best time. Neither BMW nor Peugeot made it into the top ten, with BMW Team WRT struggling to find competitive pace.
“Our strongest results have come during the race. Qualifying is never our strength, but I didn’t expect to be this slow,” commented BMW driver Sheldon van der Linde. “We have work to do on both short and long runs.”
Further updates are anticipated as teams prepare for the race following Saturday’s qualifying sessions.
