Kvyat believes he and the Iron Lynx-run Lamborghini team must keep their expectations in check after concluding the first competitive outing for the new SC63 LMDh prototype at the Losail International Circuit in 14th place, five laps off the lead.
“We need to apply what we learned here,” former Formula 1 driver Kvyat told Autosport. “Of course, we don't expect to make a huge step. We have to be realistic but we need to start applying what we learned here.
“I don't think we will see everything in the next round but for future events, there are a lot of things. We compared ourselves in race conditions with everyone today and we will learn a lot.”
The #63 Lamborghini LMDh raced by factory trio Kvyat, Mirko Bortolotti and Edoardo Mortara ran reliably enough on its debut to see the chequered flag, only losing time with a front-suspension issue that forced Kvyat to slow down with three hours to go.
While the car lacked the pace to mix with other newcomers BMW and Alpine on speed alone, there were some promising signs as well, with Mortara giving a tough fight to Ferrari rival Alessandro Pier Guidi in the third hour after the #51 499P dropped the order following contact with a McLaren GT car.
Kvyat believes the fact that Lamborghini was able to reach the finish on its debut was an achievement in itself, even so much because it is only running a single car in the WEC.
“I think it was important to see the chequered flag,” he explained. “It was a solid foundation this weekend. we did our first-ever qualifying simulation session and our first race, so it's very important to get as much data as we can.
Source: Autosport