2024 By the Numbers - GTP

109 Prototype races

2024 Stats:

Podiums - 26 drivers. Most - Cameron/Nasr 7 (88%)  Jaminet/Tandy RvdZ/Bourdais 5 (63%) Campbell every start (3/3)

Wins - 

                            Porsche: Daytona, Laguna Seca, Watkins, Road America

                              Acura: Sebring, Detroit

                              BMW: Indy

                              Cadillac: Long Beach, Petit

Champions and MEC Champions – Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr. Porsche Penske Motorsport. Porsche.

6997.68 miles, only 42 miles more than 2023 despite adding a race.

11 cars entered, 10 full season. Only full season car no podium 5.

BoP:

Qualifying:

Qualifying – Poles –  Derani (Daytona, Sebring, and Long Beach), Bourdais (Laguna Seca and Indy), Tandy (Detroit), Aitken (Petit), Deletraz (Watkins Glen), Albuquerque (Road America)

Most Positions Gained Q to F: 17 for 5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling

Most Positions Lost Q to F: 20 for 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing

Most Points Gained in Q: 284 for 01 Cadillac Racing

Fewest Points Gained in Q: 182 for 5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling

               Bruni would’ve gained a spot in the championship with 20 more points.

 

Team by Team:

01 – Cadillac Racing

Drivers: Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon (Daytona, Sebring, and Petit), Alex Palou (Daytona)

PIC – 3^rd, -5pts to 2^nd, -118 to Champions

18 positions lost Q vs F

Avg Q – 2

Avg Finish – 4

FL – Long Beach (Bourdais), Laguna Seca (Bourdais),

2 wins (Long Beach and Petit Le Mans), 5 podiums (Sebring, Long Beach, Detroit, Watkins Glen, Petit Le Mans), 2 poles (Laguna Seca and Indy), 1 DNF (Daytona).

 

5 – Proton Competition Mustang Sampling

Drivers: Gianmaria Bruni (all), Julian Andlauer (Sebring), Neel Jani (Daytona), Alessio Picariello (Daytona, Sebring, Indy, Petit Le Mans), Romain Dumas (Daytona), Mike Rockenfeller (Long Beach), Bent Viscaal (Laguna Seca, Detroit, Watkins Glen, Road America, Indy, Petit Le Mans).

PIC – 9^th, -20 to 8^th, -610 to Champions

17 positions gained Q vs F

Avg Q – 8.6

Avg Finish – 7

Best Q – 4^th Road America (Bruni)

FL – Indy (Bruni)

Best finish 5^th (Daytona, Long Beach, Road America, Indy), 1 DNF (Detroit).

 

6 – Porsche Penske Motorsport

Drivers: Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet, Kevin Estre (Daytona and Petit), Laurens Vanthoor (Daytona), Fred Makowiecki (Sebring)

PIC – 2^nd, -113 to Champions

13 positions gained Q vs F

Avg. Q – 5

Avg Finish – 4

FL – Detroit (Tandy), Watkins Glen (Jaminet)

2 wins (Laguna Seca and Road America), 5 podiums (Laguna Seca, Detroit, Watkins Glen, Road America, Petit), 1 pole (Detroit), 1 disqualification (Indy).

 

7 – Porsche Penske Motorsport

Drivers: Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr, Matt Campbell (Daytona, Sebring, Petit), Josef Newgarden (Daytona)

PIC – Champions, MEC Champions

16 positions gained Q vs F

Avg. Q – 5

Best Q – 2^nd DTW (Cameron) Petit (Campbell)

Avg Finish – 3

2 wins (Daytona, Watkins Glen), 7 podiums (Daytona, Sebring, Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Road America, Petit Le Mans).

 

10 – Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti

Drivers: Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque, Brendon Hartley (Daytona, Sebring, and Petit), Marcus Ericsson (Daytona)

PIC – 6^th, -53 to 5^th,  -432 to Champions

0 positions gained Q vs F

Avg. Q – 6

Avg. Finish – 6

FL – Road America (R. Taylor)

1 win (Detroit), 2 podiums (Detroit and Road America), 1 pole (Road America), 3 DNFs (Daytona, Watkins Glen, and Petit Le Mans).

 

24 – BMW M Team RLL

Drivers: Philipp Eng and Jesse Krohn, Augusto Farfus (Daytona, Sebring, Petit), Dries Vanthoor (Daytona)

PIC – 7^th, -13 to 6^th, -445 to Champions

3 positions lost Q vs F

Avg. Q – 6

Best Q – 3^rd Laguna Seca (Eng)

Avg. Finish – 6

1 win (Indy), 1 podium (Indy)

 

25 – BMW M Team RLL

Drivers: Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly, Maxime Martin (Daytona, Sebring, Petit), Rene Rast (Daytona)

PIC – 8^th, -145 to 7^th, -590 to Champions

17 positions lost Q vs F

Avg Q – 7

Best Q – 2 Long Beach (Yelloly)

Avg Finish – 6

1 podium (Indy), 4 DNFs (Long Beach, Detroit, Road America, Petit Le Mans)

 

31 – Whelen Cadillac Racing

Drivers: Jack Aitken and Pipo Derani, Tom Blomqvist (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indy, and Petit Le Mans)

PIC – 4^th, -177 to 3^rd, -295 to Champions

20 positions lost Q vs F

Avg Q – 6

Avg Finish – 7

FL – Daytona (Blomqvist)

3 podiums (Daytona, Long Beach, Laguna Seca), 4 poles (Daytona Sebring Long Beach Derani, Petit Le Mans Aitken), 2 DNFs (Sebring and Indy).

 

40 – Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti 

Drivers: Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz, Colton Herta (Daytona, Sebring, Petit Le Mans), Jenson Button (Daytona)

PIC – 5^th, -84 to 4^th, -379 to Champions

14 positions lost Q vs F

Avg Q – 3

Avg Finish – 5

FL – Sebring (Deletraz)

1 win (Sebring), 2 podiums (Daytona and Sebring), 1 pole (Watkins Glen Deletraz), 1 DNF (Long Beach), 1 DSQ (Indy)

 

63 – Lamborghini Iron Lynx

Drivers: Andrea Caldarelli and Matteo Cairoli (Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indy, Petit Le Mans), Romain Grosjean (Sebring, Indy, Petit Le Mans).

1 position lost Q vs F

Avg Q – 10

Best Q – 8^th Sebring (Cairoli)

Avg Finish - 9

Best Finish – 7^th Sebring. 1 DNF (Watkins Glen)

FL – Petit Le Mans (Grosjean)

 

85 – JDC-Miller MotorSports

Drivers: Tijmen van der Helm and Richard Westbrook, Phillip Hanson (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indy, Petit Le Mans), Ben Keating (Daytona).

PIC – 10^th, -41 to Bruni, -651 to Champions

0 positions lost Q vs F

Avg Q – 10

Best Q – 4 Watkins Glen (Hanson)

Avg Finish – 9

Best Finish – 3^rd Indy, 2 DNFs (Sebring, Petit Le Mans)

 

Individual Performances:

Last year, Mathieu Jaminet was very upset by my analysis of the numbers. He felt as though they hadn’t properly shown the speed he’d displayed over the 2023 season. I told him I don’t make up the numbers. The numbers don’t lie, but they also don’t tell the whole story. We have drivers this year, for example, whose averages were demolished by only driving in wet conditions at Indy where their co-drivers set substantially faster times in the dry. We have drivers who didn’t get new tires during their races while their teammates did. There are always asterisks in the stories that we can never read completely, but we can analyze what we know, and compare like to like.

And I think this year, Mathieu will be much happier with the results. He took my numbers to heart and quite frankly rose to the task.

As always, I analyze most closely two aspects of performance: average Time off Pace (the overall Fastest Lap of a race) and the Fast Lap position (where an individual driver’s Fast Lap compares to the rest of the field). Last year the best average Time off Pace was 0.417 and the best position was 4.78, both set by Filipe Albuquerque. This year the best average position was 7.56 (Aitken) and the best average Time off Pace was 0.581 (Jaminet). That tells me that this year we had a lot more variety at the sharp end of the field, but we still had some distinction.

For average position, 3 drivers were separated from the rest. Aitken (7.56), Jaminet (8.11), and Bourdais (8.44) were the only ones who averaged in the top 10 every round. Last year we had 9 drivers below that mark.

Time off Pace is interesting, because the BoP varied more this year than last. Last year, only 5 drivers averaged more than a second off. This year, only 13 got below the mark. Jaminet led the way, clearly scorned by my numbers last year, with an average that was clear of his fellow drivers. Yelloly, Nasr, and Aitken were all within a blink of each other. All the way through Bourdais in 8^th, the top drivers were only separated by less than a tenth and a half, the same difference between Albuquerque’s average ’23 and Jaminet’s average ’24!

Pace off Co-Driver is something new to publish for me. Jack Aitken led the way at 0.14, something that surprised me not at all given his speed and stints all season long, but second was a big surprise! Tijmen van der Helm was the fastest driver in the 85 six out of nine races, and was only 0.215 off his teammates. Yelloly was the strongest of all BMW drivers at 0.223, and Bourdais and Jaminet were also less than a quarter of a second off teammates all year long.

 

Driver of the Year – Mathieu Jaminet

Statistically, this should go to Jack Aitken. He had the best Average Position and Average Time off Codrivers. So why am I awarding it to Jaminet instead? Mathieu had a harder fight. He had more superstar teammates than Aitken, who only ever had to measure up against 2 other drivers at most all year. Jaminet had to contend with Nasr, Tandy, Cameron, Vanthoor, Estre, Newgarden, and Campbell. He was the fastest Penske driver 5 out of 9 race weekends. Let that sink in.

2^nd for Average Position. 1^st for Average Pace. Less than a quarter of a second off co-drivers on average. Chapeau, Mathieu.

 

Honorable Mention – Jack Aitken (Fastest 6x in car, best Avg. Pos & Time off Co drivers, 1 pole), Sebastien Bourdais (3^rd best Avg. Pos, 2 FL, 2 poles & best avg. qualifying), Nick Yelloly (2^nd best Time off Pace, 3^rd best Avg. Co drivers, Fastest BMW 3/9 races), Acura drivers consistency (each driver fastest of group 2x Jordan 3x, very well matched, Ricky and Filipe’s numbers nearly identical).

 

What does it mean? Well, last year was the story of what could’ve been. Unexpected reliability led to a lot of variety. This year demonstrated a sort of honing and perfecting. Penske, who clearly has a great understanding of the potential of the 963, won 4 of the 9 races, including two of the five endurances contests. They were on the podium for all but one of the results. It led the team, drivers, and the manufacturer to championships. Cadillac also flexed muscle, with the manufacturer getting trophies at 7 of the 9 rounds, with poles at 6 of the weekends. The wins at Long Beach and Petit capped a season that, on paper, looked like a lot of success. I wanted more for them though. Despite getting 4 poles this year, Action Express didn’t win a race, and hasn’t since Sebring 2023. Cadillac Racing, the Chip Ganassi run organization, got the two victories for the brand, but isn’t coming back next year. The mantle for success will fall now to Wayne Taylor Racing, and now’s as good a time as any to look at them! WTRAndretti had a really good year. The win on streets of Detroit in both Penske’s and GM’s backyards was probably the sweetest victory for the Acura team, but it’s hard to overlook Sebring and Deletraz’s drive at the end. For the second year in a row, Albuquerque was the most impressive Acura driver in terms of Average Position and Average Time off Pace. 2 Fast Laps, 2 poles, 2 wins, but 4 podiums between the two cars all year feels lacking. They’ll be looking to do much better in ’25. BMW will be doing the same, as their 2024 saw only 2 visits to the podium, coming for the team’s 1-2 at Indy. No Fast Laps, no poles, and a 13% podium rate. JDC-Miller got their first podium of the GTP era with the 3^rd at Indy, while both Proton and Iron Lynx failed to collect any hardware this year. The biggest lesson for 2025? Trophies in GTP shouldn’t be expected; they are earned.