Proton Competition open ELMS challenge with podium in Barcelona

Proton Competition began their 2025 European Le Mans Series season with a third-place finish at the 4 Hours of Barcelona (6 April). In a chaotic first round of the season featuring numerous safety-car interruptions, smart strategy and consistent driving proved to be the key as the team finished on the podium in the LMGT3 class.

The stars of Proton Competition’s weekend at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya were undoubtedly Claudio Schiavoni, Matteo Cressoni and Alessio Picariello in their #60 Porsche 911 GT3 R. Despite starting from right at the back of the grid, the trio successfully navigated multiple disruptions to bring the car home in third place.

Schiavoni and Cressoni combined in the first half of the four-hour race, and put the car in a great position ahead of the final push to the line. Tasked with taking the final stint, Picariello emerged from the final round of pit stops in fourth and managed to catch and pass the third-placed Ferrari for a well-earned podium.

“It was a good result for us, and a really productive week,” said Picariello after the race. “We improved every day, and I think we have a great package for the full season. Claudio and Matteo did a really great job and the strategy from the team was very strong, putting us in a position to fight for the podium.”

Giorgio Roda, René Binder and Bent Viscaal made a promising start to their ELMS season in the #77 Oreca 07. Roda secured pole position and built on his qualifying performance with an excellent opening stint. Despite some unfortunately timed safety car interventions, Binder and Viscaal kept cool heads to bring the car home in fourth position in the LMP2 Pro/Am category, only just missing out on a podium.

In the LMP2 class, the #9 Oreca 07 of Jonas Ried, Matteo Cairoli and Macéo Capietto made an excellent start to the race from the front row. However, a technical issue at the first pit stop put paid to the team’s hopes of finishing at the sharp end of the field.

The pit crew worked hard to resolve the problem, and the car returned to the track to gather some valuable data for the team, ultimately finishing eleventh in class. “It was a great first stint, the car was amazing,” said Ried. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t start the car after refuelling, which was a real shame. The team did a great job this weekend and we hope to repeat that at the next round in Le Castellet.”

The European Le Mans Series will visit Circuit Paul Ricard in France for the second round of the season on the weekend of 3 and 4 May. The next race on Proton Competition’s calendar is the 6 Hours of Imola in the FIA World Endurance Championship on 20 April.

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Copyright: Proton Competition (Paola Depalmas)