Campbell takes Hyperpole for Porsche Penske in Qatar
Matt Campbell in the No.5 Porsche Penske 963 Hybrid Hypercar took the first ever Porsche WEC pole position with a stunning 1m39.347s lap in the dying seconds of a thrilling Hyperpole session this evening in Qatar.
The Australian’s time eclipsed the No.7 Toyota Gazoo Racing entry driven by Nyck de Vries by 0.164s in a session that went right to the chequered flag.
The first ever Hyperpole session outside of the 24 Hours of Le Mans witnessed Porsche’s first WEC top class pole since Bahrain 2017, their last race with the Porsche 919 LMP1 Hybrid.
Porsche Penske Motorsport on POLE! @mattcampbell22_ takes the first Hypercar pole position for Porsche with a 1:39.347 lap in the No.5 Porsche 963 at Lusail International Circuit. #WEC #Qatar1812Km @PorscheRaces pic.twitter.com/sjqKUhmME5
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) March 1, 2024
De Vries’ return to the WEC was memorable as he sealed a front-row start for the Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar with a best lap of 1m39.511s.
Third on the grid will be the No.12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 as Callum Ilott made an excellent WEC debut in the gold liveried customer Porsche Hypercar.
Fourth was the No.50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P of Antonio Fuoco, while the Kevin Estre driven No.6 Porsche Penske 963 Hybrid Hypercar claimed a fifth placed start.
The remaining five places on the grid are made up of: 6th No.93 Peugeot; 7th No.2 Cadillac; 8th No.51 Ferrari AF Corse; 9th No.38 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche; 10th No.94 Peugeot
Grid Slots: 11 to 19 will be set as: 11th No.8 Toyota; 12th No.83 AF Corse; 13th No.99 Proton; 14th No.36 Alpine; 15th No.15 WRT BMW; 16th No.20 WRT BMW; 17th No.35 Alpine; 18th No.63 Lamborghini; 19th Isotta Fraschini
