LAMBORGHINI IRON LYNX MAKES PROGRESS DESPITE SPA DNF

Lamborghini Iron Lynx suffered its first DNF of the year at Spa-Francorchamps, as the FIA World Endurance Championship went underway for round 3 at the famed Belgian venue.

Not having been there for testing or racing before, the team had to face the challenges of one of the world’s most extreme and car-intensive circuits, making progress and advancements since practice despite facing a few obstacles on the way.

The trio of Mirko Bortolotti, Andrea Caldarelli, and Daniil Kvyat completed a remarkable amount of work in terms of widening the car’s operating window as the team made steps forward and, especially in the race, began collecting the dividends.

After making a positive start, Kvyat showcased the weekend’s improvement, staying close to the pack. Caldarelli was the next in line, but his early run was conditioned by a lengthy safety car. When the race resumed, a right rear suspension issue forced him to come back slowly to the pits and there was no other option for the team other than retiring halfway into the six-hour distance.
 
The team will now regroup and prepare for next June’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

It was a tough weekend. We came to Spa-Francorchamps for the very first time with our car, and it was certainly a challenge to adapt it to such a challenging circuit. Some early issues prevented us from achieving a good position in qualifying, and there were obstacles we had to overcome at the beginning of the weekend. We had to put in our very best effort, and we actually made some progress, relying on the outstanding skills of our drivers. In the race, we were in the mix and still learning, when we had an issue on the rear axle and had to retire. Still, everything we learned here will be useful for the rest of the season, and especially for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We have to move forward and rebuild the momentum.

Emmanuel Esnault, Racing Director

For sure, not the race or weekend we wanted. Unfortunately, we had to retire the car with an issue, but I think we can take some positives from the practice sessions. We just need to investigate the issue and what caused it, and we’ll come back stronger next time.

Mirko Bortolotti

I definitely think we can take some positives from this weekend. It was the first time for us in Spa and we knew it was going to be difficult compared to our competitors who had raced and tested before. It’s a very particular track with high forces. It’s a quite demanding track for a race car and it was positive to come here. We tried new things and they were quite positive. In the race, we had to retire for an issue that we are investigating, but we made a couple of changes that can be very helpful, especially for Le Mans. We are going to get home, analyse and get ready for the 24.

Andrea Caldarelli

We came for the first time with this car to Spa and it is a track with a few challenges. However, we made a lot of progress during the weekend and made positive steps forward. We keep going, we found other areas where we could work on during the race, and even though we had to retire the car we saw encouraging signs and the pace was in the mix. I think if we bring more improvements here and there, we will be able to start fighting closer to the points. To do that, we need to stay united and every single team member needs to bring the best to the table. Like this, we will achieve improvements.

Daniil Kvyat