Strategy sours with Safety Car
The United Autosports team and drivers performed well in qualifying to set the fourth and fifth fastest times and head into Hyperpole top ten shoot-out session. Despite drivers Sean Gelael and Seb Baud improving their times, the McLaren GT3 EVO cars lined up eighth and ninth on the grid for the six-hour race.
Working to a fuel-saving strategy to minimize time spent in the pits, the drivers dropped back from their initial starting positions but were able to conserve fuel in the opening 90 minutes of the race. Unfortunately, this advantage was later nullified with a Safety Car intervention.
Nevertheless, both crews drove well, with the 95 car coming home to earn two important championship points. The two McLaren GT3 EVO cars now sit third and ninth in the standings, ahead of next round at Spa-Francorchamps, where the United Autosports McLarens came tantalizingly close to victory last year.
Richard Dean, CEO, United Autosports
“This weekend was tougher than expected, but we came to Imola with realistic goals as this circuit doesn’t play to the strengths of the McLaren GT3 EVO. James Cottingham and Darren Leung were particularly impressive this weekend – their qualifying performances were top tier. Thank you to the team as always, I’m looking forward to what we can achieve in Spa.”
Ian James, Director of Motorsport, McLaren Automotive
“Having shown race-winning pace in Qatar, we knew the Imola circuit would be a trickier prospect for the McLaren GT3 EVO. Fighting for a championship is all about taking points when you can, and that’s exactly what the drivers of the 95 car did. It’s Spa next and we came close to winning last year, so we’re optimistic it will suit us better and we can challenge at the front again.”
Race Highlights
Above content © 2025 McLaren Automotive, reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee
