As Patrice Lafargue, President of IDEC SPORT, points out, “at this level and at this stage of the championship, it’s as if we had taken pole position.”
Indeed, the #18 car driven by Mathys Jaubert is in second place, just 43 thousandths of a second behind the pole position held by the Iron Lynx – Proton team. “I gave it my all. The conditions weren’t easy, especially with a fairly long red flag at the start. We had to stay focused,” said the young driver, before adding, “We’re starting with a slight advantage, being ahead of our main competitors at the start tomorrow. But everything is still to play for tomorrow. The race is still long.”
As for the #28 car, Job Van Uitert also had a very good qualifying session. The LMP2 will start in 4th place. Will its new livery and the good results of the last two races, at Spa and Silverstone, give it the energy it needs to finish the season on a high note?
Who will emerge victorious from this decisive final in Portimao?
Six points behind the leader and one point ahead of third place, IDEC SPORT, currently in second place, is approaching the final round of the ELMS Championship with focus and determination.
The team arrived in Portugal united, determined and with one goal in mind: to give their best and win the crown for the second time. Logically focused on #18 given their position in the overall standings, the team, which is united as one, has not forgotten #28, which has two fourth places to its credit at Spa and Silverstone.
“We set ourselves a top 5 goal at the start of the season and now we’re on track to win the European title. And that suits us just fine!” says Team Principal Nicolas Minassian, before continuing, “We’ve always been competitive, we’ve systematically sought to optimize everything we could, and despite the lows, we’ve remained positive. Today is the result of all the hard work put in by #18/#28, which should pay off. The pressure is there, but it’s positive. It’s not luck that we’re here, it’s because we’ve been doing everything right for over a year. Every detail counts, especially in this particularly competitive championship. The team that wins the title will be the one that has fielded a reliable car, applied the best strategy, made zero mistakes, and performed fast pit stops. There are a lot of factors to consider, but we’ve already done it in Barcelona, Le Castellet, and Silverstone. Winning the race is what we all hope for. I’ve told the drivers to go as fast as possible without crashing the car (laughs) and the staff to enjoy themselves and be proud of what they do. ”
To climb onto the top step of the podium, the #18 crew must finish ahead of VDS Panis Racing (leader) and score at least six points (in the event of a tie, IDEC SPORT has three wins to their credit, compared to two for VDS Panis Racing).
See you tomorrow from 2:30 p.m. (local time, +1 hour in France) for THE grand finale, which promises to be a great show.
