This weekend, the McLaren duo took P4 (#59) and P7 (#95) in the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans – round six of the FIA World Endurance Championship - battling 34-degree heat in front of 65 thousand fans at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
United Autosports and McLaren Automotive at Lone Star Le Mans
For the #59 crew of James Cottingham, Nicolas Costa and Gregoire Saucy, the P4 result put them – once again – within touching distance of the podium, having secured the same result in Spa and Sao Paulo earlier in the season.
The #59 McLaren LMGT3 EVO had a steady climb from their starting position of P7, keeping it clean throughout the six-hour race with solid drives stint after stint. With 40 minutes on the clock, the crew were running P5 – upgrading to P4 when a penalty dropped one of the leading cars down the order.
After the final FCY, Gregoire Saucy went on the hunt, closing the 16 second gap to just 7 seconds in the last 15 minutes. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to challenge for P3, but the team do take another haul of championship points.
For the #95 crew of Josh Caygill, Nico Pino and Marino Sato it was a more challenging start from P11 – however, the trio worked their way through the traffic to P7, with all three powering through double stints in the intense heat. In the final hour, a couple of issues, including a drive through penalty, held back further progress but the team successfully maintained P7, claiming deserved points at the line.
The next race is round seven of the FIA World Endurance Championship – the 6 Hours of Fuji – on Sunday 15th September 2024. Stay up to date with the team on social @unitedautosports.
James Cottingham, Nicolas Costa and Gregoire Saucy
#59 LMGT3
QUALI P7 | RACE P4 | CHAMP P10
James Cottingham: “I think we made great progress over the week, as we have done all year. Qualifying probably showed where we were on the day but we took another step forward on race day. I personally felt I had a great first stint but by the end of it, I was suffering from the heat and I was very glad to have a break. And it meant that when I went out for my second stint, I was absolutely mint and on it! I really enjoyed the second stint and felt like I gave it my best. I think all three of us did a great job all race … no penalties, nothing like that. It looked like a podium was on the cards but at the end, the tyre strategy - our last stop for Gregoire when we took a new set – dropped us behind the two in front. Then we inherited fourth. For us, it’s been three rounds on the trot – except Le Mans – where we’ve finished P4, which is just so close to the podium. And if we hadn’t had some challenges at the start of the year, we would be doing a lot better in the championship. But it’s another really strong result, a great effort by the whole team and all the drivers. Luckily, we’re racing again in two weeks’ time so we can put it right there in Japan!”
Nicolas Costa: “It was a very hot race, very physical. I did three stints and I felt really tired. Overall, I’m really happy with the result. We kept our nose clean. I did three good stints and gained a bit of ground. And then we were fighting for the podium again! In a six-hour race, it came down to seven seconds for the podium. Obviously, it’s bittersweet because this is the third time we have finished fourth this season. But on the other hand, it means we are consistently there. And to be consistently fighting for it in a championship this competitive … that’s a great thing. So I think there’s only positives to take. And it was great to come to Texas! I love the track and the BBQ… I don’t love the weather so much, but what a place.”
Gregoire Saucy: “Another good result for the team this weekend. This is the third time we have done P4 this season and I am happy for the crew – James, Nicolas, me and all the team. It’s a great effort. Again, we are close to the podium. And we will go for it again … for the rest of the season. We need to push hard in Fuji!”
Josh Caygill, Nico Pino and Marino Sato
#95 LMGT3
QUALI P11 | RACE P7 | CHAMP P11
Josh Caygill: “This weekend, I don’t feel like we got the opportunity to show our potential. Quali was tough to take. I made a small mistake and got done for track limits which means we lost our lap. That set the tone, which was a shame. I feel like we should have been starting higher up the order which would have given us better opportunity in the race. We had good pace … but it’s just so tough when you’re sat in traffic. Thank you to everyone in the team. We will have another go in Fuji!”
Nico Pino: “That was one of hottest races I have ever done in my life. It was very challenging physically. In the end, pace-wise we were really strong. We could have aimed for a podium based on that. We need to tidy up some details but overall it was a positive race outcome. Now onto Fuji in a few weeks where I am sure we will be very competitive.”
Marino Sato: “Not ideal. I made some mistakes and we made some as a team. We will sort that out. In terms of pure pace, we were up there. Next, it’s going to be my home race! I’m really looking forward to seeing the crowds.”
MANAGEMENT
Richard Dean, United Autosports CEO: “James, Gregoire, Nicolas and the #59 crew delivered another solid result with P4. And while it feels frustrating to be so close to the podium again, everybody should be really proud. We are fighting for LMGT3 podiums, we have the pace for LMGT3 podiums, and we are taking on world-class teams and drivers. We’re at that level – and we have two more races to get the result that is so deserved. For the #95 crew, it wasn’t their weekend with a mid-field start, traffic and a couple of issues which will be ironed out before Fuji. But that doesn’t take away from the phenomenal effort that everyone has put in this weekend. I think we’re all praying for cooler temperatures in the final two races!”
Mick McDonagh, Director of MSO Motorsport, McLaren Automotive: “Another strong performance from the United Autosports team and the McLaren GT3 EVOs. A fourth and seventh place finish demonstrates our consistency and earns more championship points, providing us with another positive weekend of racing. We celebrated our first WEC podium finish in Brazil and we came close here in Austin. The team now move on to the penultimate round of the season in Japan, where we will continue to move forward and push for those podium places.”