The race to the 2025 European Le Mans Series title is coming to a climax in Portugal this weekend with three teams going head-to-head to take the coveted title of European Champion.
The no48 VDS Panis Racing crew of Charles Milesi, Oliver Gray and Esteban Masson saw their championship lead cut from twenty points to just six when the Anglo-French trio finished 8that Silverstone behind the no18 IDEC SPORT crew of Daniel Juncadella, Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert, which was their third win of the season.
The crew of the 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 winning no43 Inter Europol Competition, Nick Yelloly, Jakub Smiechowski and Tom Dillmann head to Portimão just 1-point further behind, so it will be a case of winner takes all in the final race of the 2025 season.
Oliver Gray, Esteban Masson and Charles Milesi lead the title race on 81-points from five races
Q1: So, what have been the high and low points of the season so far?
Charles Milesi:“The high points would be the two victories we’ve got in Imola and Spa-Francorchamps, which was followed by the low point, the race in Silverstone where we lost a big part of our advantage.”
Daniel Juncadella:“I think there's been a lot of highs. I would say the whole season has been pretty much on a high, beginning with the first two races, with two wins. This was an incredible start.
“Our last race in Silverstone produced another win, so three wins out of five races. That's pretty impressive for three rookies!
“The low point was Imola. I made a small mistake with a big consequence. It was a shame, because we lost some valuable points.”
Nick Yelloly: “I would say the low point was the race in Barcelona for sure. We had great pace all weekend, but unfortunately, a small issue in the race made us have to stop in the pits and lose laps. The highlight of the course has to be the win in Le Mans!”
Three wins from five races has put Daniel Juncadella, Mathys Jaubert and Jamie Chadwick on 75 points
Q2: With the championship at stake, what is the strategy for this race? Will you approach it any differently to the previous five events?
Charles Milesi: "The strategy is we’re just going to finish in front of the other cars.”
Daniel Juncadella: “We’re not sure what the strategy is going to be. I think would depend a lot on many things, like what the weather does, what happens during the event, how quick we are in practice and where do we start in the race after qualifying.
“I'm still very confident that we can have a great race and a great end to the season. We're obviously going to fight for the win, that's our dream, and hopefully we can make it happen.”
Nick Yelloly: “The strategy for the final race is simple: we have to go out and execute like we have done all year and get that top spot, then the rest is out of our control!
Four second place finishes in the last four races has put Nick Yelloly, Jakub Smiechowski and Tom Dillmann on 74 points
Q3: Finally, what are your thoughts on the very unique track at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve?
Charles Milesi: “It’s a difficult track for traffic management and, for me, the best part is the last sector.”
Daniel Juncadella: "Portimão is a very, very technical track with a lot of fast corners and also some slow, slow corner. So, it’s going to be tricky to set up the car perfectly, but it's a really good track to go racing.”
Nick Yelloly: “Portimão is a cool circuit, which allows for a lot of overtaking and opportunities, which will make it all a bit tense and exciting in the last few hours!”
Roy Nissany gears up for European Le Mans Series season finale in Portimao
The Israeli driver is gearing up to finish his first ever campaign in prototype racing, and he is looking to score points for the fourth time in 2025 after narrowly missing out on the top-10 in Silverstone last time out. To do so, he is once again partnering with Duqueine Team, driving their #30 Oreca 07 together with teammates Reshad de Gerus and Benjamin Pedersen in the LMP2 class.
This will be a new challenge for Roy, as he has never competed in an official race around the Portuguese racetrack; however, he has recently picked up some prior experience in Portimao, as he partook in last year’s ELMS rookie test in the LMGT3 category.
The programme for the 4 Hours of Portimao sees drivers begin their duties a day earlier than usual, with the first free practice session scheduled on Thursday 16th October at 11:00 local time, before the collective test session for bronze drivers at 14:40 local time. FP2 will take place on Friday 17th October at 10:10 local time, before qualifying for the LMP2 class kicks off at 16:30 local time. The 4 Hours of Portimao will begin on Saturday 18th October at 14:30 local time.
Roy Nissany
“I’m excited to partake in the season finale of the European Le Mans Series this weekend: Portimao is a great track, I’ve driven here in the rookie test last year and I can’t wait to race on it. I have learned a lot in my first year of prototype racing, and I’m positive that we can make this our best weekend yet here in Portugal.”
