#59 McLaren LMGT3 podium - James Cottingham, Sebastien Baud and Gregoire Saucy
United Autosports and McLaren Automotive came out swinging at the opening round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship in Qatar this week. The team topped the timesheets in FP3, added a second front row lock out to their LMGT3 track record - making WEC history in the process – collectively led 108 of 287 laps on race day, and celebrated second place on the podium at Lusail International Circuit with just 0.493 seconds between the #59 crew and victory.
On Thursday afternoon, FIA Bronze-graded drivers Darren Leung (#95) and James Cottingham (#59) posted P1 and P3 respectively in the 12-minute LMGT3 Qualifying session, putting both McLarens through to the first Hyperpole shootout of the year. As per the new regulations, the Silver drivers then took over, with 10 minutes to set the top 10 on the grid. Sean Gelael stormed to pole position in the #95 McLaren, followed by Sebastien Baud (#59) in second place – securing a second consecutive WEC front row lock out for United Autosports and setting history as the first LMGT3 team to do so.
On race day, the McLaren duo led from the front with Cottingham (#59) and Leung (#95) both kicking off proceedings with a triple stint - successfully completing their drive time in one go with the help of an early Safety Car.
Polesitter Sean Gelael and Sebastien Baud - Qatar 1812Km front row lockout
The papaya and black duo largely stayed out of trouble as the race surged on, carefully managing tyres, fuel and energy to bank strategic gains for the final throes. The #95 crew of Leung, Gelael and Marino Sato had a dominant run, leading almost one third of the laps (87 of 286 laps) and looking sure for a strong result. The turning point, sadly, came with little over an hour left on the clock, when a drive through penalty for a pit stop infringement dropped the race leaders down the ranks, ultimately crossing the line P7 – an unrepresentative result, following an impressive weekend.
In the sister #59, Sebastien Baud showed strong pace while managing the tyres, delivering the car to Gregoire Saucy who went hunting for victory in the final hour. The Swiss driver raced nose to tail with the leading #33 LMGT3 in an exhilarating dash to the line. As midnight struck at Lusail International Circuit, Saucy took second place with less than half a second in it, securing his debut WEC podium (the same for co-driver Cottingham), and the team’s best WEC LMGT3 result to date.
Sean Gelael wins Goodyear Wingfoot Award - WEC Driver of the Day
To top it off, Sean Gelael was voted Driver of the Day, taking a landslide victory in the public vote and winning the Goodyear Wingfoot Award – adding another trophy to the Qatar haul.
Round two of the FIA WEC is the 6 Hours of Imola on 20th April – but first, the IMSA LMP2 squad are taking on the 12 Hours of Sebring with the aim of topping last year’s podium finish. Stay up to date on social @unitedautosports.
Gregoire Saucy, James Cottingham and Sebastien Baud - United Autosports and McLaren Automotive WEC racing drivers
#59 MCLAREN GT3 EVO
QUALI P3 | HYPERPOLE P2 | RACE P2 | CHAMP P2
James Cottingham: “I’ve said a number of times since we got to Qatar that I feel like we could hit the ground running. The efforts that have been put in by the United Autosports team over the winter have been translated into a podium that is well-deserved at long last for the #59 car! I couldn’t be happier. Super close to the race win, and we had a teeny bit of bad luck with a gear box malfunction in the race which lost us 40 seconds. Without that, undoubtably we could have been on the top step of the podium. But we have seven more rounds and I am confident that you will see McLaren on the podium at multiple points during the season going forward … which is where the team should be! Very pleased.”
Sebastien Baud: “My first race with the United Autosports team and McLaren, and our first podium of the season! We did a great job to get second place in qualifying and then second place in the race. We had some small mechanical problems but we did not give up – we worked together and hunted down the podium. I can't wait for the second race in Imola and to continue writing this beautiful story.”
Gregoire Saucy: “I am so happy to get my first WEC podium. My two teammates did an amazing job – James and Seb had great pace. We had a little issue with the car at one point - we had to switch it off and on, losing almost 40 seconds … so to finish on the podium is really nice. I am so happy for the mechanics, the engineers and all the team. We have been waiting for that podium result for a long time, since last year! So it is very special to celebrate with James and our new teammate Seb. Now we will continue to work for Imola – I am really looking forward to it!”
Darren Leung, Sean Gelael, Marino Sato and #95 United Autosports team
#95 MCLAREN GT3 EVO
QUALI P1 | HYPERPOLE P1 | RACE P7 | CHAMP P7
Darren Leung: “We showed a lot of promise across the team but unfortunately luck wasn’t on our side this race. We fuel saved from the beginning, used less tyres, and only narrowly missed out on cashing in on the second safety car vs most of the field by around 2 laps. I feel positive about taking forward a strong proposition into the next races!”
Sean Gelael: “I have to say, I am disappointed but huge thanks to the team, congrats to the #59 they did a brilliant job and the result is great motivation for the team who worked so hard through the winter. Obviously, with everything that’s good, there are also things that can be improved. We are very motivated and happy with the progress shown and hopefully we can continue this momentum in Imola, Spa and beyond. I am looking forward to it.”
Marino Sato: “Firstly I want to congratulate #59 crew for their podium finish and coming really close to the win. It’s a hard one to take for us for sure. We were controlling the race for long time, it just wasn’t our day in the end. But both of my co-drivers and the entire team did a phenomenal job. I’m absolutely gutted but I’m sure we will get another shot very soon.”
MANAGEMENT
Richard Dean, United Autosports CEO: “It has been an exceptionally strong season opener in Qatar, and one that we are very proud of. We have two cars that have instantly established themselves as front runners and we’ve secured our first podium of the season - huge congratulations to James, Gregoire, Seb and the #59 crew. Second place in the world championship is a massive achievement. The #95 crew also had a stellar week, with P1 in Qualifying for Darren, pole position for Sean and top work as usual from Marino. Sadly, their race didn’t end the way we had hoped but Imola is just a few weeks away and we will be there with the same race-winning ambitions.”
Ian James, Director of Motorsport, McLaren Automotive: “The last twenty minutes of the race had us all on the edge of our seats as Grégoire pressured the leader and came so close to taking the win. Of course, Darren and Sean did very well to take pole position on their McLaren debut as well, so there’s a lot to celebrate in Qatar. We were quick all weekend. It really is a testament to all the hard work done by the engineering team in Woking and everyone at United Autosports over the winter that we have been able to perform straight away. You must score in every race to win championships, and we are certainly off to a very good start.”