Panis Racing ended the next two days of free practice in 5th position before Will Stevens set the 7th fastest time in qualification ahead of the race start on Sunday.

As usual this season, our French driver Julien Canal started the race, for this final ELMS round. From P7 on the grid, he made a very good start and gained one place, just behind our direct competitor for the 2nd place in the 2021 general standings, G-Drive Racing (Roman Rusinov). After half an hour of racing, a big crash at the back of the field brought the safety car out, and then a red flag put the race on hold for more than 20 minutes. After his first pit stop and refueling, Julien was now up to third place. After more than two hours on track, our "hero" handed the car over to James Allen, now in action around the 4.653 km Portimao circuit. Just over an hour left before the end of the race, Will Stevens was facing his final stint of the season. The British driver was once again the fastest guy on track through his stint and crossed the chequered flag in P4 with his #65 Oreca, offering the French team a place on the 2021 podium. A true reward for the team and its drivers, who have regularly been at the front of the field throughout the season, both in the ELMS and in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Olivier Panis - Team Principal :

A new podium in Le Mans, two podiums (in Barcelona and Spa), a victory in Monza in the ELMS and now a 3rd place in the final standings: nothing to do with luck as it was all about the incredible teamwork, around Sarah and Simon (Abadie) and our drivers. Without a puncture in Le Castellet and the unfortunate off-track in Austria, we could have climbed one or even two more steps up. But if ifs...

This 2021 season reflects our true level of performance. We have made great pitstops, and our strategies always paid off thanks to our engineers and our mechanics. We owe them this 3rd place too! With Will Stevens for the 4th consecutive year, we achieved great things thanks to his excellent ability on set-up, his contribution in the team stability, and, of course, his speed and skills track. He was regularly the fastest guy of the field, with most of all the lap record at Le Mans!

James Allen did a great job throughout the season. As for "our" Julien Canal, brilliant during all the starts he did. His pace, traffic and tires management were just mega... Hat off to him!

Sarah, Simon and our partner Stéphane Dilouya want to thank each member of this beautiful Panis Racing family. The involvement and passion of each one in the team make the success of all. A big thanks to our partners for their support. We missed your physical presence on our side in the paddock once again this year. We really hope to share again our common passion next season!"