Abdulla Al-Khelaifi becomes the championship’s first Qatari winner as Iron Lynx delivers Mercedes-AMG’s maiden LMGT3 triumph
TEAM QATAR by Iron Lynx made European Le Mans Series history at Silverstone as Abdulla Al-Khelaifi became the first Qatari driver to win in the championship.
“We worked out all the issues we had and we got really strong pace. I’m extremely proud of these guys,” Al-Khelaifi said.
Al-Khelaifi shared the No. 62 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 with Julian Hanses and Ralf Aron, with their victory also marking the manufacturer’s first win in the ELMS LMGT3 category.
The result carried the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation-backed team from third to first in the championship with one round remaining.
Pole Sets The Foundation
Al-Khelaifi placed Team Qatar at the front of the LMGT3 grid on Saturday with a lap of 2:00.011, earning his third class pole position of the season.
Blake McDonald initially took the race lead for TF Sport in the No. 33 Corvette on the opening lap and opened a four-second advantage during the first half-hour.
However, the arrival of heavy rain and a succession of caution periods reshuffled the category as teams wrestled with the decision between slick and wet tyres.
Hanses said the patchy rain made the choice between slick and wet tyres difficult, but the team avoided losing significant time during the transition.
Aron brought the Mercedes back into contention as the conditions deteriorated, passing the Corvette at Aintree to regain the class lead.
The Estonian later described the racing as hard but fair as the leading GT crews fought through heavy spray and faster prototype traffic.
Aron admitted he initially left some speed on the table by limiting his risks, but began pushing harder once he realised the cars behind were closing.
Hanses Wins Final Duel
The class lead changed again during the closing hour when Mathys Jaubert moved the No. 57 Kessel Racing Ferrari to the front.
Hanses and TF Sport’s Charlie Eastwood remained close behind before Jaubert ran wide at Luffield, allowing both cars through.
What followed was a tense fight between the Mercedes and Corvette, with the advantage changing hands several times before Hanses gained the upper hand.
He crossed the line just 2.938 seconds ahead of Eastwood, while the No. 77 Proton Competition Porsche claimed the final podium position on the last lap.
Aron described the contest as hard but fair and dedicated the breakthrough victory to the mechanics and everyone involved in the programme.
The victory and the additional point secured for pole moved Team Qatar by Iron Lynx to 73 points, three ahead of TF Sport at the top of the LMGT3 standings.
That leaves Al-Khelaifi, Hanses and their team within one race of adding a championship title to a weekend that already delivered landmark victories for Qatar and Mercedes-AMG.
The 2026 European Le Mans Series concludes with the 4 Hours of Portimão on 10 October.
