Genesis has its first FIA World Endurance Championship pole. On Saturday, October 17, Mathys Jaubert put the No. 17 Genesis GMR-001 on top of Hyperpole in Barcelona. That came in the brand’s first season in the Hypercar class, and Jaubert is just 21.
In fact, his age is part of the story. The ACO, which co-organizes the series, says Jaubert is now the youngest outright pole-sitter in WEC history. He shares the car with André Lotterer and Pipo Derani, so the trio will start the 6 Hours of Barcelona from the front.
The six-hour race starts at noon local time on Sunday, October 18. That is 6 a.m. Eastern. Qualifying is only half the job, but for a brand still learning the class, a pole is a real marker.
How the Genesis GMR-001 took pole
Jaubert did not lead the first part of qualifying. According to the ACO’s official report, Mathieu Jaminet topped that session in the sister No. 19 Genesis. Meanwhile, Jaubert was third. Then the top 10 went into Hyperpole, the short shootout that sets the front of the grid.
His first push lap was a 1:30.329. After that, he improved to a 1:30.166 with two purple sectors, RACER reported. That beat Ryo Hirakawa’s No. 8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid by 0.170 seconds. As a result, Hirakawa’s 1:30.336 left him second.
Jaminet put the No. 19 car third, so both Genesis GMR-001 entries start in the top three. Behind them, Motorsport.com’s report has Charles Milesi’s No. 35 Alpine in fourth. Will Stevens put the Jota-run No. 12 Cadillac fifth.
Who is Mathys Jaubert?
Jaubert was born on March 3, 2005, in Salon-de-Provence, France. That date comes from Genesis’s announcement of his signing. In the paddock, his nickname is “Baby Driver,” the ACO notes. “It’s an incredible feeling!” he said after the session.
Genesis signed him and Dani Juncadella in September 2025 for its debut WEC season. Both came through the Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program. They also raced LMP2 cars in the European Le Mans Series with IDEC Sport. Before that, Jaubert came up through Porsche one-make racing.
For example, he finished second in Porsche Carrera Cup France in 2024, according to Genesis. He also placed eighth in the 2025 Porsche Supercup. Barcelona is familiar ground, too. In 2025, Jaubert, Juncadella and Jamie Chadwick won the LMP2 class at the opening ELMS round on this circuit.
A first season for Genesis
Genesis, the Korean luxury brand, is in its debut WEC season. Its racing car, the GMR-001, runs a 3.2-liter V8 that the team calls the G8MR. That detail comes from the team’s Barcelona preview. Cyril Abiteboul is team principal, and Gabriele Tarquini is sporting director.
Results have come in steps. The No. 17 car finished eighth at Spa-Francorchamps in May. Then, in September, Derani, Jaubert and Lotterer brought it home seventh at the Lone Star Le Mans in Austin, Texas. Genesis called that its best WEC result so far.
At Fuji, the No. 19 car ran in the top five for much of the race. However, it dropped out of the points in the final hour. Still, the team knows this track well. It tested at Barcelona in December 2025 and again in August 2026. During that work, it completed 8,000 kilometers on a single G8MR engine, the team says.
Who missed out in Barcelona
Meanwhile, several big names did not reach the shootout. Both Aston Martin Valkyries qualified 11th and 12th, RACER reported. Neither BMW nor Peugeot made the top 10 either. That stands out because BMW sits second in the Hypercar manufacturers’ standings, according to Motorsport.com.
Ferrari had a scrappy session. Robert Kubica’s AF Corse 499P was the best Ferrari, in sixth. By contrast, Antonio Fuoco lost his quicker lap to a track-limits violation and qualified eighth in the factory No. 50 car. Finally, Toyota’s No. 7 and Cadillac’s No. 38 completed the top 10.
In LMGT3, Tom Fleming took pole in the Garage 59 McLaren with a 1:40.993. It was his second pole of his rookie WEC season, following Imola in April.
The race ahead
The ACO lists Barcelona as the second-to-last round of the 2026 season. It is also the first 6 Hours of Barcelona, so no team has race data from a WEC event here. Rain is “highly likely” on Sunday, RACER reports, which could shuffle a grid this tight at the front.
Whatever Sunday brings, Saturday’s record stands. A 21-year-old ran a 1:30.166, and the Genesis GMR-001 took its first pole position in the World Endurance Championship.
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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.
