The curtain fell on the 2025 European Le Mans Series this weekend, as the championship headed south to the Algarve for the sixth and final round of the season. The rollercoaster circuit proved to be a fitting stage for the team’s rollercoaster race day experience, from early heartbreak with a DNF for the #22 ORECA 07, and P7 for the #21 LMP2 Pro/Am ... to our first LMGT3 podium in the ELMS with P2 for the #23 McLaren crew!
Michael Birch, Garnet Patterson, Wayne Boyd - 4 Hours of Portimao ELMS LMGT3 podium placers - United Autosports
#23 McLaren LMGT3
QUALI P3 | RACE P2 | CHAMP P12
The final round of the season delivered the first podium finish of the season for the #23 McLaren LMGT3 crew. Starting P3 on the grid courtesy of ELMS rookie Michael Birch – his best ELMS Qualifying performance to date - the British driver made a clean getaway, holding position through the opening-lap drama and matching the leaders for pace.
Thirty minutes in, the first Virtual Safety Car (VSC) shuffled the field. Birch pitted for tyres and fuel, dropping some positions on cold tyres but quickly finding his rhythm again and maintaining strong pace against the leading pack.
During the second VSC, the team called Birch in for a full service one hour and twenty minutes into the race - putting him slightly out of sequence but setting him up for a longer second stint. By the two-hour mark, it was time to hand over to Australian driver Garnet Patterson, who stayed on used tyres and vaulted up the order to P2 as rivals pitted. Despite the disadvantage on older tyres, the #23 remained firmly in podium contention.
As soon as the pit window opened, Wayne Boyd took over for the final-hour push with sights set on the podium. Armed with new tyres, the Northern Irishman stormed through the field, pulling off a superb move to reclaim second place and then closing the 10-second gap to the leader. After a nail biting, 12-lap dash to the line, Boyd brought the McLaren home in second place just 0.3 seconds behind the LMGT3 championship winners – finishing Birch, Patterson and Boyd’s first season together on a champagne-soaked high.
Michael Birch: “The United Autosports team and my co-drivers Wayne and Garnet have been fantastic all season, and this weekend was a well-deserved podium in recognition of their commitment and hard work. It’s been a real privilege for me to be part of the team, and I’d like to thank each and every one of them for supporting me through my first season with them.”
Garnet Patterson: “Great way to end the season here in Portimão. All three of us had strong pace all weekend, and Michael should be really proud of how far he’s come this year. It’s his first season in modern GT machinery, and the progress he’s made has been great to see. My stint was challenging, running off strategy with the cars around me, but double-stinting tyres and saving energy put us in a great position for Wayne to push flat out at the end. We were so close to the win, it really shows the progress we’ve made. Massive thanks to everyone at United Autosports for their hard work all season. Great to finish the year with a result that rewards the whole crew.”
Wayne Boyd: “Over the moon to finish the year on such a high with our first podium! We’ve had pace the last few races but luck just hasn’t been on our side so to finally have everything come together is brilliant. I can’t thank everyone involved enough from Garnet to Michael and all the United Autosports team, everyone has worked hard and deserves this. A special shout out to Michael ... from racing historic cars to standing on the podium of one of the most competitive endurance series in the world is a testament to how much effort he's put in this year. It’s a really nice way to end the season.”
Oliver Jarvis, Daniel Schneider, Marino Sato - United Autosports drivers ELMS 2025
#21 LMP2 Pro/Am
QUALI P7 | RACE P7 | CHAMP P6
The #21 crew came to the season finale looking to end the year on a high after their second place podium in Spa-Francorchamps. Starting from P7, FIA Bronze-graded driver Daniel Schneider successfully navigated the early Full Course Yellows and Safety Cars, climbing into the top five by the end of his stint.
Oliver Jarvis took over, delivering a rapid first stint that propelled the car into podium contention. Running as high as P3, Jarvis showed strong pace until a mechanical issue unsettled the car under braking, forcing the team to manage balance issues and drop back through the field.
Marino Sato took over with just under two hours remaining, pushing hard but struggling with reduced pace in the closing stages. Jarvis returned for the final stint, pushing the #21 to a P7 at the flag – a disappointing end to the season
Daniel Schneider: “To everyone at United Autosports and to my teammates Marino and Ollie - thank you. This season may not have finished the way we dreamed, but I’m incredibly grateful for the hard work, trust and passion we shared every step of the way. We had highs that proved what we’re capable of, and challenges that showed our strength even more. Marino, Ollie - racing alongside you has been a privilege. United Autosports, thank you for the opportunity, the dedication and for making this journey unforgettable.”
Oliver Jarvis: “Unfortunately not the race we wanted to end the season with – at one point we were in the top three but unfortunately we had some issues to deal with. So, a disappointing way to end but still it’s been a really enjoyable year driving with Daniel. It’s great to see the progress he’s made and, I’m sure, not the last time we’ll see him on the ELMS podium.”
Marino Sato: “It started off pretty decent, but after the race we found a couple of the issues that we think we picked up in the middle of Oliver’s stint.
From there the race became difficult for us, it was difficult to drive and I also made a mistake which kind of led from that issue. It wasn’t the first season I hoped for with #21 crew but I genuinely want to say a huge thank you to the entire team for this season. We celebrated a good podium in Spa, and hopefully there are more to come in the future.”
Ben Hanley, Manuel Maldonado, Gregoire Saucy - United Autosports
#22 LMP2
QUALI P9 | RACE DNF | CHAMP P12
For the #22 crew, Portimão marked a challenging conclusion to a hard-fought season. Starting from P9 after an incredibly tight qualifying session, Manuel Maldonado took the opening stint and avoided early incidents as the 44-strong grid found its rhythm.
However, after just one hour of racing, an unexpected electrical failure struck the ORECA 07, forcing Maldonado to stop on track. Attempts to restart the car were unsuccessful resulting in an early retirement for the #22 crew in the final race of the 2025 ELMS season.
Manuel Maldonado: “A sad ending to the 2025 season for us, retiring one hour into the final race. We’ve had a lot of highs and lows this season, it’s been great working with Ben and Gregoire throughout the year. We’ve learned a lot and gave it all we could give. Thank you to the United Autosports team for all their hard work, it’s been great year, sad it had to end his way.”
Gregoire Saucy: “Luck was definitely not on our side yesterday. It is a sad way to end the season – we know we could’ve fought for more. I think we had so much more to give this season but just didn’t get the chance to do so. Thank you to my co-drivers, to the crew and the whole United Autosports team for a great year of racing in the European Le Mans Series.”
Ben Hanley: “Not how we wanted to close out the season. We had an electrical failure on the car that put us out of the race only one hour in, which is a real shame. It’s been a difficult season – the competition in the European Le Mans series has definitely stepped up and everyone is coming in to fight. Thank you to United for another great year, hopefully we have better luck in the future.”
Management
Max Gregory, Managing Director: “A fantastic result for the #23 McLaren crew this weekend! This is Michael’s first season racing modern sportscars, so to be on the podium for their first season is a real achievement - it shows the hard work and dedication from Michael, Wayne, Garnet and the team. It was an unfortunate end for the #22 car to finish the season with a retirement, and the #21 crew definitely had the potential for more - but those results don’t reflect the efforts of this year. Thank you United Autosports team and thank you ELMS ... we hope to see you on the grid again next year!”