BMW M Hybrid V8 claims third pole position and earns first podium of the season at Long Beach, according to IMSA.
The 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship has seen the BMW M Hybrid V8 demonstrate remarkable qualifying speed, setting the pace in the series for this measure across the first three races. BMW M Motorsport, the team behind the M Hybrid V8, has emphasised the consistency of their cars' qualifying performances [4].
However, the team's race results have not mirrored their qualifying success. Despite taking pole positions at the first four races, BMW's race finishes have not been as impressive. By the sixth race, the team had only two podiums to their name and had slipped to fourth in the manufacturers’ standings, a reflection of the challenges they face in converting strong qualifying into consistent race results [1].
In the early season, this pattern is already evident. At the Long Beach street circuit, Dries Vanthoor (BEL) claimed a pole position hat-trick, securing the top spot for the third consecutive race. Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Vanthoor's teammate, finished second, but it was Vanthoor who set an impressive lap time to secure the pole position [1]. However, the race results did not match the promise of qualifying.
In the GTD class, the #96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, driven by Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher (both USA), finished in fifth place. Despite this, driver Marco Wittmann (GER) had to fight hard to move up from tenth to fifth place after taking over the number 25 car from van der Linde [2]. Wittmann attributes the fifth place finish to a strategic mistake with the timing of their pit stop during the yellow phase [3].
Philipp Eng (AUT), Vanthoor's other teammate, secured the first podium for BMW M Team RLL this season, finishing in third place at Long Beach. Eng only had to let the two Porsches at the front go to claim the position [2]. However, Eng expressed disappointment with the third place finish, as they had hoped for more due to starting from the first and second positions [3].
Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, acknowledged the third pole position for Dries Vanthoor and the front row for BMW M Team RLL. Roos considered the first podium of the season for Vanthoor and Eng a success. However, he also acknowledged that the team had speed but made errors during the race, losing the chance of winning [3].
In a statement, Roos said, "We had the speed, but we made mistakes during the race. We need to learn from these errors and ensure that we can convert our qualifying speed into consistent race results."
As the season progresses, the BMW M Hybrid V8 continues to showcase its qualifying prowess, but the team faces the challenge of translating this speed into race wins and championship points. With the fourth race of the season fast approaching, the team will be aiming to improve their race performance and climb the manufacturers’ standings.
- The 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season shows a stark contrast between BMW's qualifying dominance and their race performance, with the team having only two podiums despite setting numerous pole positions.
- As the fourth race of the season approaches, the BMW M Hybrid V8 continues to impress in qualifying, but the team faces the challenge of converting this speed into consistent race victories and climbing the manufacturers' standings.
