Clemens Schmid (Lexus): “It’s a shame. Victory at Monza was within reach”

It took Clemens Schmid some time to calm down after the retirement at Monza, where he had been battling for the lead in the GT3 class. The final race for the ASP Akkodis team in their somewhat ageing Lexus RC F was brought to an end for the Tyrolean and his team-mates Petru Umbrarescu and José Maria López by a rival. The rear window of the Proton-Ford (Giammarco Levorato) ahead of Schmid shattered, sending debris flying onto the track; one piece struck the radiator of the Lexus, forcing Schmid to pull over.

In the Hyperpole qualifying session, Schmid had missed out on pole position by 0.2 seconds. He commented: “Our Lexuses were running with different tyre pressures as part of the set-up; for me, the rear axle locked up under braking, so we effectively gave the pole away.” Hopes were high for the race, as his car was set up more for dry conditions. “At Monza, it’s always important to survive the first chicane after the start. If you’ve been watching the GTWC or other series this year, you know you have to get through those corners,” said Schmid, though his team-mate Umbrarescu managed the start well.

Schmid summed up that the season had been difficult overall. “With this year’s softer tyres, it wasn’t as good for us as last year with the harder ones. On top of that, there were circuits like Barcelona, which were much worse for the Lexus RC F GT3. Le Mans went well for us; finishing fourth, we were just 1.5 seconds off the podium. That wasn’t bad, because six hours before the end we were a lap down in tenth place. With races in Qatar and Bahrain, we would have fared better.”

But 2027 marks the start of a new phase for the French team: “It’s a shame the new car has been delayed. We could have achieved more this year with it. Homologation is complete. So Monza was the last race with the Lexus. The new car won’t be called either Lexus or Toyota (apparently just GR GT3, note). I’m staying with ASP Akkodis, and so is López. But the line-up for the two cars is still to be decided. The atmosphere in the team is good; the lads are doing a great job.”

An extensive testing programme is still to come in December: Le Castellet, Barcelona and one more circuit. “We’ll be testing right up until just before Christmas. In January, we’ll have to wait for the tyres to become available. And we don’t yet know whether Qatar will take place in 2027. If so, we’ll be testing there beforehand as well,” confirmed the 36-year-old. Under certain circumstances, GTWC entries for ASP might also be possible, but these haven’t been funded yet: “And the new car is rather expensive. It depends on the support that ASP is trying to secure.”

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