WEC account opened with P4 finish in Qatar

Ben Barnicoat got his 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship effort off to a strong and positive start, helping the Akkodis ASP Team score the best ever result for Lexus. Alongside teammates Arnold Robin and Finn Gehrsitz, Ben led the 10-hour Qatar 1812km at multiple points, before opening his championship account with a P4 finish.

The season had officially commenced a week earlier with the Prologue at Losail International Circuit, Qatar. The testing sessions gave Ben and the team the opportunity to trial and fine tune the #78 Lexus RC F GT3, ahead of the first race weekend. Pace and overall setup looked promising, and this speed transferred to the opening official practice sessions ahead of qualifying. For the opening qualifying run, Ben’s teammate Arnold ended P2, progressing through to the season’s opening Hyperpole top-10 shootout. The new regulations then saw the silver-rated drivers compete for the final session, with Finn securing a second row gridslot for the season opener.

Outright race pace looked strong from the off as the #78 gained a position on the opening lap, and Arnold took the lead a couple of laps later. From here, as pitstops played out with a switch to Finn, the Akkodis ASP Team entry continued to fight at the front of the field, looking strong to lead on multiple occasions. Ben turned his first race laps as the race entered its second half, leading the race on his first LM GT3 outing in a Lexus.

Heading into the final hours, Ben and his teammates continued to challenge at the head of the field, holding a firm grip on a podium position. However, a late penalty for an infringement during one of the final routine stops, dropped the trio down the order and out of the hunt for the overall win. Undeterred, Ben remained focused on the job in hand, and was quick to work on a recovery. Within a handful of laps, he was on the tail of a battling group fighting for the top-4, making moves to climb back up the standings. Moving into P5 with 20 minutes to go, the gap quickly reduced to car ahead, and a well calculated move on the last lap saw Ben secure P4 at the line. The result was a strong opening to Ben’s first FIA World Endurance Championship effort with Lexus, showing pace and determination by the whole team and drivers. It also marked the brand’s best result in the series to-date.

With the Qatar 1812km completed, Ben explained:

“First race weekend with Lexus in WEC completed and, overall, a really positive result for our opening event. It was slightly bittersweet with the penalty taking away a chance of fighting for the win in the closing stages, but we really did show our intentions throughout the Prologue and the race itself. The team has made some big steps over the winter, and it was a great effort by everyone in the garage to bring home the best ever result for Lexus. I’d like to say a big thank you to the whole Akkodis ASP Team, and to Arnold and Finn, who really delivered at every step of the weekend. We already feel like a proper unit, all working well together, and hopefully we can keep this momentum going, to build on the strong foundation as we head back to Europe for round 2 in Imola.”

Ben will be back in action with Akkodis ASP Team for the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, 18-20 April, for the 6 Hours of Imola. Focus now switches Stateside for the next IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Challenge action, with the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, 12-15 March.