IDEC SPORT was racing at home during the second round of the European Le Mans Series for the 4 Hours of Le Castellet. Throughout the week, the team had to work hard to find the right setup. Paul-Loup Chatin secured 7th place in qualifying for the #28. In the #18, Mathys Jaubert achieved fourth position.
The conditions were tricky at the start of the 4 Hours of Le Castellet 2025, on Sunday, May 4 at noon. Rain had fallen earlier in the morning, but the track was not fully wet. Paul Lafargue took the start in the #28, while British driver Jamie Chadwick started in the #18. The team opted for slick tires. In the very first corner, Paul Lafargue was hit and spun around. The French driver rejoined at the back of the field. Shortly after the 44-car field set off, the rain returned, the track became slippery, and the safety car was deployed.
Paul-Loup Chatin replaced Paul Lafargue, while Dani Juncadella got behind the wheel of the #18. The Spaniard delivered a solid stint, climbing up the field to second place before handing the car over to Mathys Jaubert. Job Van Uitert took over in the #28. Unfortunately, with just over 1 hour and 20 minutes left in the race, the Dutch driver was involved in a crash and ended up in the tire barriers. He had to wait for track marshals to free the car. The front end was heavily damaged. Still, Job Van Uitert managed to bring the car back to the pits. The mechanics got the #28 going again, but a 3-minute penalty (for pitting under safety car conditions) effectively ended what had already been a tough race.
Meanwhile, Mathys Jaubert led the race solo. The young IDEC SPORT driver delivered a flawless performance and crossed the finish line in first place. The #18 crew thus claimed their second victory in two races and already hold a 23-point lead in the championship over their closest rivals (a win being worth 25 points).
The three drivers of the #18 all praised today’s performance:
Jamie Chadwick
“I think the main thing today was just staying on the track — which was actually quite difficult for me. The start was tricky with slicks in damp conditions. We had to fall back through the field to switch to wet tires and then try to come back. From then on, the strategy was flawless and my teammates were incredible. First, we’ll enjoy this well-earned victory, but right after that we’ll start preparing for Le Mans. There’s a lot to look at.”
Dani Juncadella
“Incredible race at Paul Ricard! That’s two in a row. I’d say we benefited from good strategy in Barcelona, but here we were really competitive and went out to get it. Jamie was solid at the start. She handled the tricky conditions well. Then I took my stint, and it was my first time in the rain in an LMP2. The car handled very well. Mathys was perfect after that. It’s great to have a race without any mistakes or issues. We’re obviously leading the championship now. Things are looking good for the rest of the season. We’ll try to get more wins.”
Mathys Jaubert
“This is just crazy. We win our home race, on IDEC SPORT’s turf, and in the team’s 10th anniversary year. It’s our first victory here. The whole team was incredible — from the mechanics and engineers who gave us a competitive car, to my teammates who put me in a comfortable position for my stint. Conditions were quite favorable for me. I just had to finish the job and bring the car home. What’s awesome is that after this win, the next race is Le Mans.”
Patrice Lafargue, President of IDEC SPORT
“We had tough race conditions due to the weather. We had to make decisions, and that spiced up the race. Of course, we’re very happy to have won with the #18. We don’t forget that we have two cars and that the #28 had a rough race. The race incidents weren’t in our favor — quite the opposite. Problems dictated our race. That’s how it goes. We’ll take away the beautiful win of the #18 and the overall performance of both cars. Now I want to focus on Le Mans. That’s the race of the year, we know it, and we’ll start preparing on Tuesday.”
Nicolas Minassian, Team Principal of IDEC SPORT
“We’ve just had a great week, though tough at times. We had a lot of work to do on the #28 with a few issues, but I saw a united team. A team that worked quickly, efficiently, and a car that was very fast in qualifying. We didn’t fully get to see the #28’s potential, but during the race, we saw it had top-end speed among the best. Paul, Paul-Loup, and Job did a great job. It’s just unfortunate to be hit by race incidents that put you in difficult situations. Paul got hit by Maldonado in the United car and was immediately dropped to the back in tough track conditions, and that dictated the race scenario. After that, we were always trying to climb back and had to take more risks.
But the positive is that the car was competitive. The drivers gave it their all. Just a bit more luck and the #28 will get strong results. As for the #18, they ran a perfect race. Zero incidents. Jamie nailed her first two stints. She handled the tough conditions well. Dani did the same — two strong stints, moved the car up the field, and Mathys finished the job cleanly. He managed traffic well. Winning overall is even better than what we did in Barcelona, so I’m very happy for the whole team, for the drivers, and for our partner. First year together and we’re showing we can run two cars. We know how to grow, how to execute properly. The next step is a perfect weekend with both cars up front, and I’m sure it’ll come sooner or later. So we’re leading the championship, 23 points ahead. We’ll keep this momentum going, stay focused, and prepare well for Le Mans. Sebastian Alvarez is joining us for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as is André Lotterer, so we’re starting testing in two days. We’ll prepare the drivers, the team, the cars, and arrive at Le Mans as strong as possible.”
