A dramatic opening round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya delivered edge-of-your-seat action, with FCYs, multiple incidents, and a red flag restart disrupting the field. Just 41 of the 47 starters made the restart – only 10 minutes after the initial green flag – setting the tone for a chaotic and relentless four hours of racing.
The #22 ORECA 07-Gibson, driven by newly announced McLaren Development Driver Grégoire Saucy, Ben Hanley and 18-year-old United Autosports debutant Griffin Peebles, delivered an impressive recovery drive, following a challenging Prologue, where the #22 LMP2 entry was affected by test session trouble, the team worked tirelessly to rebuild the car in time for the race weekend – a turnaround that proved pivotal to the result.
Starting from P6, Peebles soared through the field to take control of the race, building a commanding 20-second lead in the opening hour, leading the race by 22 laps – before a safety car and subsequent pit stop penalty shook up the pack and erased the team’s 20 second advantage. The #22 remained firmly in the fight with Saucy and Hanley delivering a strong, composed finish to secure third place and a well-earned first podium of the season.
Reflecting on his debut, Griffin Peebles said:
“It’s been a really positive start to the season. We had strong pace from the beginning, moving into the lead during my stint and building a solid gap. Unfortunately, the safety car and penalty set us back, but to come away with a podium after everything the team went through this week is a fantastic result. Huge thanks to everyone involved – I’m looking forward to Paul Ricard.”
United Autosports CEO Richard Dean added:
“It’s a great way to start the season with a double podium, especially after our recent success in IMSA. Barcelona hasn’t traditionally been one of our strongest circuits, so to have two of our three cars on the podium is a very strong result. Griffin delivered an outstanding performance to take the lead and build a significant gap – it’s just a shame that circumstances took that away from us.”
Richard Dean
In LMP2 Pro/Am, the #21 entry of Daniel Schneider, Marino Sato and Oliver Jarvis showed strong race pace despite starting P12. A clean opening stint from Schneider saw the team avoid early incidents and gain positions, before Jarvis and Sato continued the charge through the field. Sato set competitive lap times in the closing stages, with the trio ultimately finishing P8 and securing valuable championship points.
In LMGT3, the #23 McLaren of Michael Birch, Wayne Boyd and Garnet Patterson delivered an outstanding performance to secure P2 in class – despite starting from P12 on the grid.
A bold strategic call proved decisive, as the team opted for an alternative approach during a Virtual Safety Car period – pitting early to switch out the bronze driver while the rest of the grid stayed out. This put gold-rated Wayne Boyd into the car for the middle stint, a departure from the conventional strategy and a calculated risk in limiting the fastest driver’s time behind the wheel.
Boyd delivered a rapid, impressive stint on clear track, making significant gains before a well-timed safety car brought the #23 back into alignment with the leading strategy. Patterson then took over for the final stint, charging through the field in the closing stages to secure a superb second-place finish for the #23 crew.
Race engineer Xavi Ramon explained:
“We took a different strategic approach to the rest of the grid and committed to an aggressive plan. The drivers executed it perfectly – Michael stayed out the way of the early on collision, Wayne delivered a very strong stint, and Garnet did an excellent job to bring the car home in P2. The pit crew also performed flawlessly at a critical moment. It was a complete team effort.”
The result marks a second consecutive LMGT3 podium for Michael Birch, following his podium finish at Portimão to close out the 2025 season, and a strong start to his second year in the category. The #23 crew delivered a faultless race, with strategy, pit stops and pace executed to perfection — leaving the trio well placed in second in the championship standings.
After the setbacks earlier in the week, the entire team came together, showing resilience and determination to secure a result that was richly deserved – a fitting reward for the collective effort across the garage.
| Standings | Category | Entry | Drivers | Current Team Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | LMP2 | #22 | Saucy / Peebles / Hanley | 15 |
| 7th | LMP2 ProAm | #21 | Schneider / Jarvis / Sato | 6 |
| 2nd | LMGT3 | #23 | Birch / Boyd / Patterson | 18 |
With a double podium to open the season, United Autosports leaves Barcelona firmly in the championship fight. The team now looks ahead to Round Two of the European Le Mans Series – the 4 Hours of Le Castellet at Circuit Paul Ricard on 3 May 2026. Stay up to date with the team in the meantime on social @unitedautosports.
