Iron Lynx faced a tough outcome in the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team was forced to retire two of its three cars before the halfway mark, while the surviving Team Qatar by Iron Lynx 62 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 ended up in P16 after a faulty fastener led to a lengthy stop in the garage for repairs. The 2026 edition of the legendary event is still to be considered a milestone for the team and the whole Team Qatar by Iron Lynx operation, marking the first step of the renowned institution at the highest level of endurance racing.
Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses and Giuliano Alesi all proved they belong among the world’s toughest and most renowned long-distance races. Al-Khelaifi was able to fight with the most experienced rivals from the get-go, earning his place at the top of the pack, while Hanses and Alesi kept a stellar pace, putting themselves in potential top-5 contention.
Overall, the team had a good start and was set for solid runs in the top-10 or top-5, but it was soon hampered by incidents and attrition.
After a strong stint by Maxime Martin, who took off in the 61 car, Martin Berry had a spin earlier in his opening stint and clipped the barriers at the second chicane. The Australian continued with his scheduled run. However, with Rui Andrade behind the wheel, repairs resulting from the contact were needed. Unfortunately, a left-rear suspension failure put an end to the race for the car for good.
The 79 car had a smooth start, with Lin Hodenius making up ground early and Johannes Zelger delivering consistent stints. The team set a steady pace with Zelger, Hodenius and Matteo Cressoni throughout the night. Unfortunately, early in the morning Hodenius accidentally hit a kerb at the Goodyear Chicane, which damaged the engine and caused an oil leak. At that point, retirement was inevitable.
Iron Lynx and Team Qatar will be back in two weeks for round 3 of the European Le Mans Series at Imola, before heading off to Brazil at Interlagos.
Andrea Piccini – Team Principal & CEO, Iron Lynx: “It has been a tough Le Mans 24 Hours. This race really showed us the highs, the potential we could achieve and the lows, having to deal with racing situations. Unfortunately, we had two cars already out of contention quite early, and another issue took the 62 car to the garage when it was fighting at the front. We are proud of the effort from our mechanics, engineers drivers and everyone in the team and in Team Qatar. We must take the positives. We proved that we belong at the front and we are aware we can achieve some solid results from now to the end of the season.”
Maxime Martin – Driver, car 61: “Not what we were hoping for. We started the race in a good mood, and we had great preparation but for us, it ended up quite early, with some contacts and a technical issue. It’s racing, we know where we start but we don’t know where we finish, but this time it was very early. We will come back stronger next year.”
Julian Hanses – Driver, car 62: “Unbelievable, so overwhelming, the whole race. I learned so much about everything: about myself, race strategy, managing tyres, working with the team. It was an unbelievable feeling. The beginning was especially great. I enjoyed every lap of this and every fight for position. After that we had the issue and dropped back, but for us it was important to get back on track and collect as much data and as many laps as possible to gain experience and learn from this. This was key for us, and that’s what we managed to do. In the end, still a successful race for us. Thanks to the whole team, Team Qatar, Iron Lynx, and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport for the great support. Looking forward to what’s next.”
Abdulla Al-Khelaifi – Driver, car 62: “It was an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end. I was very happy that we stuck with the race and made it to the finish. I’m really proud of my teammates and everyone at Team Qatar and Iron Lynx. Hopefully next time we’ll be in a different position — not only as finishers.”
Giuliano Alesi – Driver, car 62: “We’re really happy we crossed the chequered flag, which was our goal. Obviously, as rookies, we said: OK, we want to finish with no issues, no penalties. Unfortunately, we had one issue, but the rest was fine. Each of us played our part, which was important. The team did a great job supporting us, and we’re super, super happy to have crossed the finish line. Thank you very much, guys.”
Matteo Cressoni – Driver, car 79: “Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish due to a small mistake that happened during the night and compromised our race. We were there and the team did an amazing job placing our car in the best possible situation and conditions. We have to look ahead, to the next race, and we are determined to come back here s stronger.
RACE DETAILS
Drivers car 61 LMGT3: Martin Berry (B) – Rui Andrade (S) – Maxime Martin (P)
Drivers car 62 LMGT3: Abdulla Al-Khelaifi (B) – Julian Hanses (S) – Giuliano Alesi (G)
Drivers car 79 LMGT3: Johannes Zelger (B) – Matteo Cressoni (S) – Lin Hodenus (S)