CÉLIA MARTIN, RAHEL FREY & MICHELLE GATTING Lead From 17th But Denied Points

September 29, 2025

by RACERS // from www.racers-behindthehelmet.com

GRRL! SUMMARY:

The Iron Dames pulled off one of the drives of the season at Fuji, with CÉLIA MARTIN charging from 17th on the grid to 7th before handing over to RAHEL FREY. The Swiss driver delivered a masterclass double stint, climbing to second and then executing a brilliant pass on Sébastien Baud to take the lead with 2h50m remaining. It was exactly the kind of recovery drive that shows why this all-female squad belongs at the front of the LMGT3 field.
RAHEL FREY’s performance was the highlight of the weekend – her 1:41.646 lap time showed she had genuine pace to challenge for the win, not just survive in traffic. She stretched the lead to three seconds over the sister Manthey Porsche before an ill-timed safety car between pit cycles completely destroyed their strategy. It’s frustrating because the speed was clearly there; Frey proved she could fight wheel-to-wheel with the best platinum-rated drivers in the class.
MICHELLE GATTING inherited an impossible situation, rejoining 16th after the final driver change when safety car timing forced rivals to switch to their top-rated drivers earlier. She managed consistent 1:41.9s and picked up three positions to finish P13, but the damage was done. The Dane showed her racecraft by immediately passing Hasse-Clot at Turn 1 and making the most of late fuel strategy shuffles, though it wasn’t enough to salvage points from what should have been a podium fight.
This was another case of Iron Dames having the pace but not the luck – they’ve been consistently fighting at the front since São Paulo but keep getting hit by circumstances beyond their control. The team has clearly unlocked genuine speed since their breakthrough at Le Mans, and with both WEC finale at Bahrain and their ELMS title fight in Portimão coming up, they’re proving they belong in victory contention rather than just hoping for points.