It was a difficult race in Emilia Romagna for the Signes-based team. Touted as one of the most challenging circuits of the season, it was the weather that played spoilsport in qualifying and the race.
In the third race of the season, Imola saw the #28 car driven by Paul Lafargue, Job Van Uitert, and Paul-Loup Chatin retire after around 30 minutes of racing following a collision just ahead. Paul (Lafargue), who had been driving very well in his first stint, was unable to avoid the collision but escaped unharmed.
As for the #18 car, which started ninth on the grid, Jamie Chadwick handed over to Dani Juncadella after two stints. The Spaniard, who had gone off the track, managed to get back on thanks to the work of the marshals. Starting far down the rankings, he handed over to his teammate, Mathys Jaubert, who crossed the finish line in 11th place in the LMP2 category.
Nicolas Minassian, Team Principal: ” It’s a shame because it was a good week of racing, even if the race itself didn’t go as we had imagined. The whole team worked well and we had made progress with the cars, as we demonstrated during the free practice sessions. It’s true that we didn’t have the best qualifying session. Nevertheless, we had what it took to fight. I’m disappointed for Paul, who had a fantastic start to the race but unfortunately couldn’t avoid the collision. It’s frustrating for the whole team and crew. In the #18 car, we made a good move during Jamie’s stint, which even put us in the lead at one point. But the Imola circuit does not forgive any mistakes. Dani was caught out, which immediately dropped us down the standings. That’s racing, but it’s up to us to come back stronger. We’re not going to give up.“
See you in Spa on August 23 and 24, 2025.
Written by : Stéphanie VAL.
