Doha: Team Qatar GT made a confident start to its 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) campaign by claiming pole position in the GT category during qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday.
Competing in collaboration with Iron Lynx and running the Mercedes-AMG LMGT3, Team Qatar GT features a strong driver lineup comprising Abdulla Al Khelaifi, Julian Hanses, and Adam Christodoulou. Qatari driver Al Khelaifi took charge of the qualifying session and delivered an impressive performance to secure the top spot.
Al Khelaifi set the fastest lap time of 1:42.289 over eight laps, achieving an average speed of 163.9 km/h, to clinch pole position for Team Qatar by Iron Lynx ahead of Saturday’s season-opening race.
TF Sport qualified second, narrowly missing out by just 0.063 seconds, while Proton Competition took third place, 0.485 seconds off the pace. Racing Spirit of Leman and Kessel Racing completed the top five, finishing 0.662 and 0.863 seconds behind respectively.
The strong qualifying result hands Team Qatar GT an early advantage as the team looks to kick off the new season with a competitive performance in the opening round.
The 2026 ELMS calendar consists of six rounds across Europe, beginning with this weekend’s event in Barcelona (April 10-12), followed by Paul Ricard on May 3, Imola on July 5, Spa-Francorchamps on August 23, Silverstone on September 13, and concluding at Portimao on October 10.
The Peninsula understands that the pole position achievement reflects the growing momentum of Qatari motorsport talent on the international stage and underscores Team Qatar GT’s ambitions in one of Europe’s premier endurance racing series.
