• First FIA World Endurance Championship points for McLaren and racing partner United Autosports at Imola 6 Hours
•Number 59 McLaren GT3 EVO qualifies for Hyperpole for the second race in succession
•Car 95 car finishes sixth in the LMGT3 class after bold strategy call
McLaren and racing partner United Autosports scored their first FIA World Endurance Championship points at Imola this weekend (April 21), after a strong performance and inspired tyre strategy powered the number 95 McLaren GT3 EVO to finish in sixth place, securing eight championship points.
Having put 128 laps on the cars during Friday's two free practice sessions, the McLarens entered Saturday's qualifying session with the number 59 car of James Cottingham making it through to the Hyperpole top ten shootout. Fellow bronze driver Josh Caygill qualified 15th for the race.
Contact amongst the Hypercars on the opening lap of the race helped James to gain three places in the chaos at turn one. After a brief Safety Car intervention to recover stranded cars, Cottingham continued his progress to take sixth place. Caygill also gained a place, as he worked his way through the train of cars ahead.
Both McLaren GT3 EVOs were in the top eight as the window for driver changes came into sight at the two hour mark. Nicolas Costa got behind the wheel of 59, while Nico Pino took over 95, but both drivers had to contend with rain falling as the race progressed.
Weighing the likelihood of another Safety Car intervention, the team decided to pit the 59 car and change to wet tyres as Gregoire Saucy took over for the final run to the flag. Meanwhile, with the intermittent rain, the team split the strategy, keeping the sister car, now with Marino Sato onboard, on slicks. Despite many drivers falling victim to the greasy conditions and going off track, both cars remained consistent and came home for a second successive double finish.
'Today is a big step forward from Qatar. It has been six weeks of solid work to get both cars in a position to race to the finish with no real technical issues. We didn't have a good Qualifying in Imola which put us on the back foot, but today the race pace of both cars and all six drivers was really impressive. I'm very grateful for all the work that the United Autosports team, McLaren and the drivers have done to get us to this point. Onwards from here.'
Richard Dean, CEO, United Autosports
'I'm delighted with the result and really pleased that all the hard work put in by both United Autosports and us has shown we're making positive steps. We know we have a competitive package, but we have always been measured in our expectations. Since Qatar we have been working extensively, applying what we learned during the opening race weekend to improve the cars, and I'm pleased to say the results are showing the fruits our labour. We are competing against rivals who have been racing in the WEC for years and have a body of experience that they can call on, this is only our second race weekend, so to come away with points is very gratifying and a promising step toward further improvement as we progress through the season.'
Mick McDonagh, Director of MSO Motorsport, McLaren Automotive
Photo credit: McLaren posted on conceptcarz.com
