GP COULEURS ET LUMIERES · Finale Race⏱ 55 min

The 55-minute endurance final at Sologne Karting (Piste Nord, 980 m, Salbris) on 8 August 2026 brought together 15 starters in a demanding race that rewarded strategic discipline as much as outright pace.

RED BULL (kart #8) took the victory with 60 laps completed and 5 pit stops, finishing ahead of AUDI (#6, +34.290 s) and HONDA (#14, +2 laps). FERRARI (#16) crossed the line fourth at +3 laps, while PORSCHE (#5) rounded out the top five at +43.762 s. WILLIAMS (#1), BUGATTI (#17), MERCEDES (#2), LOTUS (#10) and BMW (#20) completed the top ten.

The absolute fastest lap of the race was set by LOTUS (kart #10) in 32.328 s, a remarkable single-lap performance that underlines just how wide the pace gaps were across the field.

From a pure-pace perspective, the race analysis tells a different story. LOTUS posted the best median race pace (32.535 s, 1st in pure pace) but finished only 9th, reflecting the cost of its 6 pit stops and a high lap-time variability (σ = 1.98 s — the least consistent of the analysed runners). FERRARI was the most consistent team of the race (σ = 1.01 s), combining a 2nd-best median pace of 51.336 s with exemplary regularity across four stints, including a 16-lap middle stint that remained almost perfectly flat.

RED BULL's victory is above all a strategic achievement. The winning team's median pace of 51.609 s ranked only 3rd among analysed teams, yet their five-stop plan and lap-count management delivered the win. Their third stint (10 laps) was their most troubled, shedding 0.35 s per lap, but they recovered with a solid 12-lap fourth stint (median 51.588 s, σ = 0.68 s). The final abbreviated stint also showed a gentle decline of 0.21 s per lap — a sign of managed, rather than uncontrolled, degradation.

FERRARI is the race's defining what-if story. Their 2nd-best pace and best consistency (σ = 1.01 s) should have translated into a higher finishing position, but they ended 4th — one lap down. Their four stints (12, 15, 16, 12 laps) were textbook in regularity; only the final stint drifted by 0.25 s per lap. On raw numbers, FERRARI had the tools to challenge at the front.

BUGATTI (#17) deserves a mention for exemplary pace management: four stints, all rated stable, with a median improving from 53.855 s in stint 1 to 52.353 s in the final 18-lap run — a quiet, progressive build that secured 7th place ahead of stronger-on-paper competitors.

PORSCHE (#5) showed an inconsistent profile (σ = 1.51 s overall), with median pace swinging between 50.504 s and 53.686 s across six stints. Their last two stints were their quickest, which might point to a reversed strategy.

Key takeaways for teams at Sologne Karting: pure pace without pit-stop discipline costs positions — as LOTUS's 9th-place finish with the fastest lap in the race demonstrates. On the Piste Nord, consistency (σ below 1.05 s) appears to be worth at least two to three positions over the course of a 55-minute race. Shortening long stints to limit end-of-stint degradation — RED BULL kept only one stint above 10 laps in their last three — is a pattern worth replicating.