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Qatar is getting ready to face one of the most challenging and esteemed races in the history of motorsport.

Team Qatar has officially revealed its racing car and driver selection in preparation for next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, marking a significant event as Qatar will be represented at the renowned endurance race for the first time ever.

The squad will take part in the LMGT3 class using a Mercedes-AMG vehicle, as a result of a collaboration between the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and the Italian motorsport team Iron Lynx.

The vehicle will feature the race number 62 on the Circuit de la Sarthe, the 13.6-kilometre course located near Le Mans, which has been the venue for the event since 1923.

For Qatari driver Abdulla Al Khelaifi, the significance of the current moment is only now becoming clear. “This will mark a historic achievement for the QMMF and Qatar as well, since this is the first time the country is taking part in the world endurance championship, and I will be the first Qatari individual to do so,” Al Khelaifi stated.

So it’s somewhat of a significant moment for me, and it still doesn’t feel real right now.

Al Khelaifi, aged 35, secured the 2025 24H Series Overall title with QMMF and claimed victory at the 24 Hours of Dubai.

In the 2026 European Le Mans Series campaign, he made history as the first Qatari driver to secure a pole position during the first race in Barcelona, with Team Qatar placing fourth.

A competition unlike anything else

Initiated in 1923, the 24-hour competition is regarded as the peak of long-distance racing.

Drivers switch between day and night conditions with minimal margin for mistakes, as teams handle exhaustion, tactics, weather fluctuations, and mechanical issues over the course of a full day of competition.

German driver Julian Hanses mentions that the preparation begins well before the race week. “Every day I go to the gym, every day I ride a bicycle,” Hanses stated.

This is the preparation required to perform better in the vehicle when it’s 40 degrees inside and you still need to exert physical effort.

French driver Giuliano Alesi mentioned that endurance racing challenges drivers both mentally and physically.

Alesi is the son of Jean Alesi, a former Formula 1 driver who raced for Ferrari during the early 1990s and claimed victory at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix.

“There are many aspects that must be addressed concerning training, fluid intake, and diet,” Alesi stated.

You aren’t operating at your full capacity while driving at night,” he explained, “so there’s a lot of training involved, not only physical but also mental preparation.

Building Qatar’s motorsport future

The Le Mans initiative has taken many years to develop. QMMF President Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai states that the objective extends beyond just a single race outcome.

The federation has invested the past three years in nurturing local talent and establishing a route for young Qatari drivers to participate on a global scale.

“Currently, skilled drivers get the opportunity to take part in Le Mans,” Al Mannai stated.

From our perspective, Qatar, a small nation with grand aspirations to compete at Le Mans and hopefully secure a trophy.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is held in France on June 13 and 14, with Team Qatar joining several major figures in international endurance racing.