United Autosports WEC drivers - 6 Hours of Monza 2023
It’s been nearly a month since the 24 Hours of Le Mans and we’re ready for more racing – cue round five of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Monza.
United Autosports have a strong track record at this Italian race. In 2021, the #22 car started on the front row and crossed the line victorious. Last year, we started on pole position, battling for the win, before a throttle sensor issue thwarted progress (read more).
This year, in the #22 ORECA 07, Phil Hanson and Frederick Lubin are rejoined by 24 Hours of Daytona winner Ben Hanley – with Filipe Albuquerque fulfilling stateside commitments in the IMSA championship.
The all-British trio drove together for the first time earlier this year at the 6 Hours of Portimão, where they celebrated P2 on the podium. Currently the #22 car is P3 in the championship, so Monza is a key opportunity to take home a crucial haul of points.
In the #23 ORECA 07, Josh Pierson and Oliver Jarvis are teaming up with former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde – with co-driver Tom Blomqvist also racing in IMSA this weekend. The last time Giedo stepped in, the trio took a spectacular victory at the 6 Hours of Portimão, so the #23 crew – currently P4 in the championship - are gearing up for another strong race in Monza.
Today (Friday 7th July), we're on track for FP1 and FP2, followed by FP3 on Saturday morning. LMP2 Qualifying fires up on Saturday at 15:05 local time (14:05 BST) - and on Sunday, it's race day, with the 6 Hours of Monza commencing at 12:30 local time (11:30 BST).
Stay up to date with the team on social @unitedautosports and watch the action live on WEC TV.
United Autosports 6 Hours of Monza - Frederick Lubin, Phil Hanson and Ben Hanley
CAR #22
Frederick Lubin: “Very excited to be here in Monza. Last time I visited I was fighting for pole position and wins in Euroformula, coming away with a podium, so hopefully I can do the same with Ben and Phil this year. We have some points to catch up on so a win here would give us some really good momentum!”
Phil Hanson: “It's nice to be back in Monza ... it's a track we've had strong performances at over the last few years. Last year's race ended quite sadly with a technical issue but ultimately we were leading up to that point, so I'm confident that we can have strong performance again this year and hopefully be challenging for wins, on the back of a Le Mans that slipped away from us.”
Ben Hanley: “It's great to be back with the United Autosports team – last time we raced together was at the 6 Hours of Portimão earlier this year. We had a strong run to second in that race, so in Monza we’re looking to continue that momentum, getting back on the podium and aiming for the top step.”
United Autosports drivers - 6 Hours of Monza - Oliver Jarvis, Giedo van der Garde and Josh Pierson
CAR #23
Giedo van der Garde: “Looking forward to getting back in the car with United Autosports … the last race I had with these guys was in Portimao where we had a win. Monza is a very nice track, I’ve had good results here … so yeah, it's nice to be in Monza, good to be back in the WEC paddock and great to be with Josh and Olly.”
Oliver Jarvis: “Great to be back here in Monza after what was a tough Le Mans for us … hopefully we can go out there, score lots of points and fight for the top step of the podium to revive our championship hopes.”
Josh Pierson: “It was a difficult weekend at Le Mans – we had a tonne of pace in the car but unfortunately some minor issues throughout the race set us back and ultimately that’s why we weren’t fighting for a podium or a win, which I think the car was capable of and I think we deserved. So in Monza, we’re really looking to redeem ourselves and keep up the championship fight. I know we’ve got a really good car underneath us with great drivers, looking back at Portimao. So strong line-up, strong team … just looking forward to getting back on track.”
