Lamborghini's Endurance Racing Ambitions: Charting a Path to Victory

Former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat believes Lamborghini can challenge for victories in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2025 by upgrading the SC63 LMDh. Lamborghini joined the Hypercar class of the WEC this year, and while their results have been modest so far, Kvyat sees a path to the top with the right development and updates to the car.

Unlocking Lamborghini's Endurance Racing Potential

Laying the Groundwork for Success

Lamborghini's entry into the WEC Hypercar class this year has been a learning experience for the Italian marque. With a single car entered by the Iron Lynx team and driven by Kvyat, Mirko Bortolotti, and Edoardo Mortara, the team has achieved a best result of 10th place at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours. While the performance has been respectable, Kvyat believes that Lamborghini needs to bring in new developments to the SC63 in order to fight at the front next year.The race to get the car homologated in time for its debut in the WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in March meant that not all parts that went on the car were optimized for performance. Kvyat revealed that this has resulted in areas that were "quite raw and maybe not performance-optimized." However, he sees this as an opportunity for improvement, stating that "we can do it and I would say [think about] what we can do with improvements."

Targeting Upgrades and Optimization

Kvyat is confident that Lamborghini can make significant strides in the coming year by invoking some of the five evo jokers allowed under the initial five-year lifespan of the SC63. These upgrades and optimizations will be crucial in closing the gap to the frontrunners in the Hypercar class."We have to bring updates and then we can fight for top five and wins. I hope. That's the goal, it's my target," Kvyat said. He emphasized that he is not willing to give any discounts, stating, "I don't give discounts to anyone. I'm demanding in that respect."

Embracing the Challenge of Endurance Racing

The 2024 WEC season will conclude with an eight-hour fixture at the Bahrain International Circuit, a track known for its abrasive nature and high-tire degradation. Kvyat is cautious about Lamborghini's prospects at this event, acknowledging that the team is still in a place where they cannot consistently perform at the front."We will see. Again, we are unfortunately in a place where we cannot say okay we are able to do things consistently, we are able to perform consistently. There are a lot of things that need to be analysed and so on why the performance is there [at Fuji] and so on. So we really need to be very careful with our analysis," Kvyat said.Despite the challenges, Kvyat remains optimistic about Lamborghini's long-term potential in the WEC. The team's recent progress, such as qualifying inside the top 10 at the previous round in Japan, has been encouraging. However, Kvyat is keeping his expectations in check for the Bahrain finale, stating, "Of course, in Bahrain, we cannot have too many expectations. I do not expect anything different in terms of the performance package we have. So zero pressure."