WEC Barcelona: Genesis takes first pole with Jaubert

Genesis will start from the front in Sunday's 6 Hours of Barcelona. The Korean manufacturer, new to the WEC in 2026, has taken the first pole position in its history in Hypercar with Mathys Jaubert in the No. 17 Genesis GMR-001, who set 1'30"166 in Hyperpole, according to Motorsport Week.

A surprise pole for Genesis

Genesis sits last in the manufacturers' standings with two rounds left in the season, which made this pole unexpected, notes Mundo Deportivo. Jaubert beat the No. 8 Toyota of Ryo Hirakawa by almost two tenths of a second; Hirakawa is second, 174 thousandths back. The second Genesis, the No. 19, shared among others by Spain's Daniel Juncadella, starts third.

According to FormulaPassion, it is also the first pole for a Korean manufacturer in the discipline. In the first qualifying phase, the two Genesis cars had already taken places 1 and 3, split by the No. 8 Toyota. The driver explained that the car was perfectly in its setup window and that the pole matters above all for the race, on a track where track position is decisive.

Alpine, Cadillac and Ferrari in the top 10

The No. 35 Alpine is fourth and the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz JOTA fifth. At Ferrari, the best car is the AF Corse No. 83 of Robert Kubica, sixth. Antonio Fuoco's No. 50, whose best lap was cancelled for exceeding track limits, starts only eighth. Antonio Giovinazzi's No. 51, eliminated in the first phase, starts 13th.

BMW and Aston Martin struggle

The negative surprise is BMW, the closest rival to championship leader Toyota: both cars stayed out of the Hyperpole and start 14th and 16th. BMW says it is surprised by the gap but knows qualifying has never been its car's strong point, and is counting on a wet race and a strategy to shuffle the deck. Both Aston Martin Valkyries were also eliminated; Alex Riberas's No. 009 missed the Hyperpole by 32 thousandths and starts 11th. The Peugeots are 15th and 17th.

Rain as the decider

Qualifying began 15 minutes late because of an emergency asphalt repair at the final corner. The margins were tiny: 12 cars were within one second in the first phase. Rain is forecast throughout Sunday's race, which would erase the tyre-wear problem, particularly severe here, and open the door to surprises.

Key takeaway

In its first WEC season, Genesis starts from pole in Barcelona, ahead of Toyota. BMW must climb from the back, with rain as its main hope.