Fourth place behind BMW and Mercedes: Ferrari had to struggle with fuel consumption at the Bathurst 12h – Chaz Mostert says
A necessary pit stop decided the 2025 Bathurst 12h in Australia: BMW defeated its competitors with a risky but successful pit stop strategy. While the WRT cars did not have to stop for fuel, the Arise Ferrari of Chaz Mostert, Will Brown and Daniel Serra came to the pits for a splash-and-dash. This only put the team in fourth place.
The 26 Ferrari repeatedly led the race and fought an open battle with the WRT BMWs. When the 296 GT3 was then called into the pits for a refuel at the end of the race, the dream of victory was over. Not only did the BMWs of the Belgian team overtake the Ferrari, but also the 75-Express Mercedes, which finished in third place. Only the BMWs and the Mercedes managed the range in the decisive stint.
Mostert explains to Speedcafe why it was not enough for the Arise team to win. Ultimately, fuel consumption made the difference: “In the end, the capacity of the tank or fuel saving was not enough. We realized during the race that we lose about three laps per stint if we drive the same pace as the other cars at the front. Due to the safety car, we were then on the same strategy.”
The Arise Ferrari had the pace to fight at the front over the entire race distance, especially when Chaz Mostert was at the wheel. The Australian made an impression in the first 60 minutes in particular, driving an impressive stint that he was unable to repeat in the further course of the race. Experts agree: the cool conditions at the beginning played into the hands of the Ferrari and provided optimal grip on the Mount Panorama Circuit.
Ultimately, however, it was not the team’s pace but its lack of range that proved its undoing. With 84 minutes remaining, Arise had to come in for the last regular pit stop, hoping for a late-phase yellow that never materialized. The team had no choice but to bring the Ferrari back to the pits for a short stop 24 minutes before the end, while the competition was able to continue.
According to Mostert, Arise could have finished third if the team had brought the Ferrari into the pits at the same time as 75 Express brought its Mercedes-AMG GT3. “But we were with the leaders to get the track position,” Mostert continued. “It was a Hail Mary for us, because we wanted to go as far as we could and hoped for a safety car.” A Hail Mary is a football term: the quarterback tries to score the points needed for victory with a long desperation throw in the final phase of a game.
However, the yellow phase did not come, which is why the Ferrari had to come to the pits again to refuel while the WRT BMWs continued. The winners were on a knife edge, because on the one hand the fuel had to be enough, but on the other hand the team had to manage the fuel consumption, which is prescribed by technical regulations.
Nevertheless, it was a successful weekend for Arise: Mostert, Brown and Serra finished fourth in the Pro class, while the sister car with Jaxon Evans, Brad Schumacher, Elliott Schutte and Alession Rovera won the Pro-Am class. It was also the team’s first appearance at the Bathurst 12 Hour, which Mostert describes as a “big race” for the team.
He also compares the debut team with the experienced WRT squad: “Considering the team and their experience in endurance racing, we can be proud of fourth place, the pace and the battles we had with them. We won in the Pro-Am, which is very cool. We saw a lot of fans enjoying the race in red shirts and supporting us. That was something special for the team.”
Mostert, who mainly races in the Australian Supercars series, visibly enjoyed the endurance classic at Mount Panorama in the land down under. ‘I would love to win the race one day,’ he says. ‘The older I get, the more unsafe it feels when the cars are thundering over the apex. Hopefully we’ll be back here in a year’s time.’