Team Qatar by Iron Lynx’s Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses and Maxime Martin have reflected on their remarkable victory in the opening round of the 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Circuit Paul Ricard. The trio overcame a difficult start to the weekend, recovering from the back of the 28-car GT3 grid to secure victory in challenging wet conditions.
The #62 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo had missed Friday’s qualifying sessions following an accident during Free Practice 2, leaving the team facing a significant disadvantage. However, a carefully executed strategy, consistent driving and a decisive final stint from Martin transformed its race.
The Belgian crossed the finish line approximately 1.9 seconds ahead of GetSpeed’s Fabian Schiller, securing the team’s first ALMS victory. A subsequent penalty for GetSpeed promoted Craft-Bamboo Iron Lynx into second and 2 Seas Motorsport into third, completing a Mercedes-AMG podium sweep.
Following the race, all three drivers praised the team’s collective performance, with Al-Khelaifi highlighting the engineers’ contributions, Hanses reflecting on his challenging middle stint and Martin explaining how the final Safety Car influenced the outcome.
Al-Khelaifi credits careful driving and team strategy for victory
Al-Khelaifi faced a particularly difficult challenge when the four-hour race began, with Team Qatar starting from the back of the GT3 field. Heavy rain had already complicated preparations, while several incidents during the opening laps demonstrated the risks of attempting aggressive overtakes in the slippery conditions.
Rather than immediately pursuing positions, the Qatari concentrated on keeping the Mercedes-AMG out of trouble. His approach allowed the team to preserve the car while its engineers adjusted their strategy to accommodate the changing weather.
Following the victory, Al-Khelaifi praised his teammates and the pit wall for their contributions to the recovery.
“I’m super happy about this win, it was very special for us. Starting from the back, we took it really easy and safe; kept it clean. I’m impressed by my teammates and also by our engineers coming up with this tight, tight strategy. Considering all the changes in the weather and how everyone was confused and maybe exceeded the driving time. So, thank you. It was it was pretty hard for the engineers, and congrats to them for getting this win.”
His comments highlighted the importance of avoiding mistakes while remaining flexible with strategic decisions, particularly as the changing conditions complicated fuel calculations and driving-time requirements.
Missed qualifying compounds Team Qatar’s difficult preparations
The victory represented a significant turnaround following a challenging start to the weekend. During Friday’s FP2 session, the #62 Mercedes-AMG and #68 Car Blanche by RSL Aston Martin both went off at Turn 7, with their incidents damaging the safety barriers.
Although both drivers escaped injury, officials ended the session prematurely while marshals carried out repairs. The damage also prevented Team Qatar from participating in qualifying, leaving the crew without a recorded time for either race.
The official ALMS FP2 report documented the incidents, which followed the cancellation of Thursday’s official test because of heavy rain and dense fog.
Consequently, Al-Khelaifi and his teammates entered Saturday’s race with limited preparation and little opportunity to assess their competitiveness against the other GT3 entries.
“I’m very happy with the win because we missed qualifying yesterday and we missed a full day of testing. So, we really were nowhere to be found pace-wise, but we pulled it together when it matters most.”
Despite those setbacks, the team successfully adapted to the difficult conditions, transforming what initially appeared to be a compromised weekend into a championship-leading result.
Hanses describes challenging middle stint after Safety Car restart
Hanses took over the #62 Mercedes-AMG during a complicated phase of the race, with the field regrouped following a Safety Car period. The German faced the challenge of finding a competitive rhythm while navigating traffic and managing the changing track conditions.
With several GT3 competitors running closely together, overtaking required careful judgement. Nevertheless, Hanses maintained consistent lap times and avoided costly mistakes, allowing Team Qatar to continue its recovery through the field.
His performance helped establish the position from which Martin would eventually challenge for victory during the final stint.
“Yes, jumped in the stint which started with the safety car when it went directly to green flag. It was quite difficult to find a rhythm, especially with so many cars around you after the safety car. I somehow found my pace and was driving decent lap times, I would say, consistent, no mistakes, and handed the car over to Maxime, who did an awesome job. The pace he had in the car was insane, and also Abdullah, he did a great job today, as did the whole team with the strategy. With missing qualifying and starting from last and finishing with the victory, it’s something that you have probably just once in your life.”
Hanses’s assessment reinforced the importance of teamwork throughout the four-hour race, with each driver contributing to the eventual result.
Martin explains importance of final Safety Car
Martin completed the final stint as conditions deteriorated, with heavy rain and substantial standing water creating increasingly dangerous conditions around Circuit Paul Ricard.
The Belgian acknowledged that the worsening weather justified Race Control’s decision to deploy the Safety Car. Heavy spray reduced visibility, while aquaplaning became an increasing concern as drivers struggled to maintain grip.
The extended neutralisation also influenced the GT3 battle, with several teams gaining or losing strategic advantages while the field circulated behind the Safety Car.
Martin recognised that the interruption benefited Team Qatar, although he emphasised that the difficult conditions made the decision necessary.
“I think the final safety car was needed at that point as it was starting to be quite dangerous with a lot of aquaplaning everywhere. So it was the right call at that time. For sure, it helped us a little bit. But we had to have a bit of luck, you know. It’s always like this in racing. We started from the back of the grid and we came through to P1. So a great team effort, it’s amazing.”
His comments reflected the combination of preparation, execution and changing circumstances behind the victory, with the team capitalising on opportunities without compromising its race.
Martin completes recovery during dramatic final sprint
The closing stages produced a rapidly changing GT3 classification after Race Control allowed racing to resume with approximately 15 minutes remaining.
Zacharie Robichon initially led in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, but Frederik Schandorff soon moved ahead in the #7 Petrolife Racing Team Mercedes-AMG. The Dane’s advantage proved short-lived, however, as Martin began closing rapidly in the #62 Team Qatar entry.
The Belgian caught the leading competitors before completing the decisive overtakes to move into first place. His performance transformed the team’s recovery into a potential victory, with Martin maintaining the advantage throughout the remaining laps.
As the official ALMS Race 1 report detailed, Martin eventually crossed the finish line approximately 1.9 seconds ahead of GetSpeed’s Schiller.
The result represented a remarkable turnaround for the team, particularly after missing qualifying and beginning the race from the back of the grid. It also demonstrated the value of Martin’s experience with Mercedes-AMG machinery and his established relationship with Iron Lynx.
GetSpeed penalty promotes Craft-Bamboo Iron Lynx to second
Although GetSpeed initially finished second, its result changed following a post-race investigation into the team’s compliance with the championship’s driving-time requirements.
The stewards imposed a 126-second penalty on the #9 Mercedes-AMG, dropping the car from second on the road to 15th in the amended GT3 classification.
The decision promoted the #88 Craft-Bamboo Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG into second place, while 2 Seas Motorsport inherited third with its #46 entry.
Despite the penalty, Mercedes-AMG retained all three podium positions, securing an impressive result in the opening race against a field featuring seven other manufacturers.
For Iron Lynx, the amended classification produced an even stronger outcome, with both its Team Qatar and Craft-Bamboo partnerships finishing first and second.
The organisation had confirmed its expanded two-car ALMS programme ahead of the season, bringing together its established Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation partnership and a new collaboration with Craft-Bamboo Racing.
The opening result provided an encouraging return on that investment, particularly as both entries had encountered qualifying difficulties on Friday.
Team Qatar builds on successful European endurance campaign
The victory continued a successful period for Team Qatar by Iron Lynx, which entered the ALMS season following its competitive 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) campaign.
Al-Khelaifi had already established himself as an increasingly competitive Bronze-rated driver, securing multiple qualifying achievements before claiming victory at Silverstone alongside Hanses and Ralf Aron.
That result marked an important milestone for the Qatari driver and the team’s Mercedes-AMG programme, demonstrating their ability to challenge established GT3 organisations.
The official ALMS announcement of Iron Lynx’s championship entry confirmed Al-Khelaifi, Hanses and Martin as the #62 crew, combining continuity from the team’s European campaign with Martin’s extensive international endurance racing experience.
Their performance at Le Castellet highlighted the strengths of that combination. Al-Khelaifi concentrated on maintaining consistency during the opening stages, Hanses continued the recovery through the midfield and Martin completed the decisive overtakes when racing resumed.
Together, the three drivers converted a difficult weekend into an important opening championship victory.
Mercedes-AMG sweeps GT3 podium as Team Qatar takes early championship lead
The final classification confirmed Team Qatar by Iron Lynx as the GT3 winner, with Craft-Bamboo Iron Lynx finishing second, 9.279 seconds behind, and 2 Seas Motorsport completing the podium a further 4.349 seconds back.
Proton Competition secured fourth with its #77 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, finishing just 0.464 seconds behind the final podium position, while AF Corse completed the top five with the #50 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo.
For Team Qatar, the result carried particular significance given the difficulties encountered during preparations. Having missed the official test and qualifying sessions, the crew entered the race with limited running and faced the additional challenge of recovering from the back of the 28-car GT3 field.
Nevertheless, the drivers and engineers combined consistent performances with an effective strategy, avoiding the mistakes and infringements that compromised several competitors.
The victory gives Al-Khelaifi, Hanses and Martin an early advantage in the GT3 championship ahead of Sunday’s second four-hour race at Circuit Paul Ricard.
With another five races remaining in the 2026/27 ALMS campaign, Team Qatar will now aim to build on its opening success as it pursues further championship honours.
GT3 | 2026/27 ALMS Le Castellet Race 1 full results
- #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 90 laps — Winner
- #88 Craft-Bamboo Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 90 laps — +9.279s
- #46 2 Seas Motorsport — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 90 laps — +13.628s
- #77 Proton Competition — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 90 laps — +14.092s
- #50 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 90 laps — +19.492s
- #7 Petrolife Racing Team — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 90 laps — +19.560s
- #68 Car Blanche by RSL — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 90 laps — +20.683s
- #87 Winward Racing — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 90 laps — +21.379s
- #26 Heart of Racing Team — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 90 laps — +22.947s
- #92 Manthey — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 90 laps — +28.398s
- #91 Manthey — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 90 laps — +34.145s
- #54 High Class Racing — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 90 laps — +34.249s
- #27 Heart of Racing Team — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 90 laps — +43.228s
- #93 DFYNE Racing Team — Lamborghini Temerario GT3 — 90 laps — +57.237s
- #9 GetSpeed — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 90 laps — +2:07.926
- #69 Team WRT — BMW M4 GT3 Evo — 89 laps — +1 lap
- #65 Haupt Racing Team — Ford Mustang GT3 Evo — 89 laps — +1 lap
- #58 Garage 59 — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — 89 laps — +1 lap
- #21 Herberth Motorsport — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 89 laps — +1 lap
- #99 Proton Competition — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 89 laps — +1 lap
- #51 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 88 laps — +2 laps
- #60 Garage 59 — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — 87 laps — +3 laps
- #45 Ponos Racing — Ferrari 296 GT3 — 76 laps — +14 laps
- #70 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 31 laps — Not classified
- #33 2 Seas Motorsport — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 29 laps — Not classified
- #63 Leipert Motorsport — Lamborghini Temerario GT3 — 61 laps — Not classified
- #57 Car Guy Racing — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 41 laps — Not classified
- #64 Haupt Racing Team — Ford Mustang GT3 Evo — 0 laps — Not classified
