Abdulla Al-Khelaifi
| Abdulla Al-Khelaifi | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Qatari |
| Born | Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi 8 May 1990[1] Doha, Qatar |
| GTWC Europe Endurance Cup career | |
| Debut season | 2025 |
| Current team | QMMF by Saintéloc Racing |
| Racing licence |  FIA Bronze |
| Car number | 27 |
| Starts | 2 (2 entries) |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Previous series | |
| 2025 2025 2024–25 2024 | Middle East Trophy Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East Asian Le Mans Series 24H Series |
| Championship titles | |
| 2025 | Middle East Trophy |
Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi (born 8 May 1990 in Doha) is a Qatari racing driver.[2] He currently competes in the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup for QMMF by Saintéloc Racing.[3]
Career
[edit]24H Series
[edit]Following a four year hiatus from racing, Al-Khelaifi joined the 2024 24H Series, where he signed with HRT Performance to compete in the 24 Hours of Barcelona. He would be joined by fellow Qataris Ibrahim Al-Abdulghani and Ghanim Al-Maadheed, as well as German driver Julian Hanses to drive the No. 931 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup. During the 24 Hour races, points are awarded at the 12-Hour mark in the race to all teams. Al-Khelaifi and HRT were leading the race at the 12-Hour mark. They would go on to win the race.
992 Endurance Cup
[edit]Following his win in the 24 Hours of Barcelona, Al-Khelaifi entered the inaugural 992 Endurance Cup held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. He would once again be joined by Al-Abdulghani, Al-Maadheed, and Hanses to drive the No. 31 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup for HRT Performance in the Amateur class. They would qualify fourth in their class. During the course of the 12 hour race, the team slowly made their way up the order and eventually into the class lead. They would hold onto the lead to win the race.
Gulf 12 Hours
[edit]Al-Khelaifi joined 2024 Gulf 12 Hours, in which he was driving the No. 91 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup for QMMF by HRT Performance in the 992 Cup class.[4] Al-Abdulghani, Al-Maadheed, and Hanses would join Al-Khelaifi in the No. 91. After qualifying on pole, they would go on to win the race in the 992 Cup class.
Asian Le Mans Series
[edit]2024–25
[edit]Halfway through the 2024–25 Asian Le Mans Series, Al-Khelaifi signed with Herberth Motorsport to drive in rounds three through six of the championship.[5] The No. 46 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) consisted of an all Qatari lineup of Al-Khelaifi, Ibrahim Al-Abdulghani and Ghanim Al-Maadheed. The team was ineligible to score points, however, they would have a lackluster run of races with a best finish of seventeenth. Al-Khelaifi and the team later withdrew from the final race of the season at Yas Marina.
Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East
[edit]Al-Khelaifi joined midway into the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East at Lusail International Circuit driving in the Pro/Am class in an entry supported by the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation. He qualified on pole for the first race, however, he would be beaten by Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Saud and finish second.[6] In race two, he would break through to get his maiden win in the championship.[7]
Middle East Trophy
[edit]In early 2025, Al-Khelaifi joined the 2025 Middle East Trophy driving the No. 974 HRT Performance Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car in the Amateur class. He would once again be joined by fellow countrymen Al-Abdulghani and Al-Maadheed as well as German driver Julian Hanses. They would have a dominant performance, winning both the Dubai 24 Hour and the 6 Hours of Abu Dhabi.[8][9][10][11]
GT World Challenge Europe
[edit]2025
[edit]For his main campaign, Al-Khelaifi moved over to Europe and signed with Saintéloc Racing to drive their No. 27 Audi R8 LMS Evo II in the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.[12] Since Al-Khelaifi has a Bronze rated FIA Driver License, he competed in the Bronze class of the championship. He would join Ibrahim Al-Abdulghani, Ghanim Al-Maadheed, and Julian Hanses in the endurance cup rounds. At Monza, Al-Khelaifi would score their best result of the season of fifth thus far.
Personal life
[edit]Al-Khelaifi has been a Senior Pipeline Engineer at Qatar Petroleum since 2014.
Racing record
[edit]Career summary
[edit]| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Toyota Racing Development 86 Cup | N/A | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 8th |
| 2019 | TCR Europe Touring Car Series | QMMF Racing by PCR Sport | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38th |
| 2024 | 24H Series - 992 Am | QMMF by HRT | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 14th |
| 992 Endurance Cup - Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1st | ||
| Gulf 12 Hours - 992 Cup | QMMF by HRT Performance | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1st | |
| 2024–25 | Asian Le Mans Series - GT | QMMF by Herberth | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2025 | Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East - Pro/Am | QMMF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 45 | 6th |
| Middle East Trophy - 992 | QMMF by HRT | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 80 | 1st | |
| GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Bronze | QMMF by Saintéloc Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10* | 11th* | |
| Source: [13][14] | |||||||||
* Season still in progress.
Complete TCR Europe Touring Car Series results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | QMMF Racing by PCR Sport | CUPRA León TCR | HUN 1 23 |
HUN 2 19 |
HOC 1 18 |
HOC 2 19 |
SPA 1 29† |
SPA 2 Ret |
RBR 1 |
RBR 2 |
OSC 1 16 |
OSC 2 Ret |
BAR 1 Ret |
BAR 2 Ret |
MNZ 1 24 |
MNZ 2 21 |
38th | 0 |
† Al-Khelaifi did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 75% of the race distance.
Complete 24H Series results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | QMMF by HRT | 992-Am | Porsche 992 GT3 Cup | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | MUG |
SPA |
ALG 12HR |
ALG 24HR |
MIS |
CAT 12HR 1 |
CAT 24HR 1 |
14th | 60 |
Complete Asian Le Mans Series results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | QMMF by Herberth | GT | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) | Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 | SEP 1 |
SEP 2 |
DUB 1 17 |
DUB 2 22 |
ABU 1 Ret |
ABU 2 WD |
NC | 0 |
Complete Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | QMMF | Pro/Am | BHR1 1 |
BHR1 2 |
QAT 1 2 |
QAT 2 1 |
DUB 1 |
DUB 2 |
YAS 1 |
YAS 2 |
BHR2 1 |
BHR2 2 |
JED 1 |
JED 2 |
6th | 45 |
| Sources: [13][14][15][6][7] | ||||||||||||||||
Complete Middle East Trophy results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | QMMF by HRT | Am | Porsche 992 GT3 Cup | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | DUB 1 |
YAS 1 |
1st | 80 |
Complete GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | QMMF by Saintéloc Racing | Audi R8 LMS Evo II | Bronze | LEC 12 |
MNZ 5 |
SPA 6Hrs |
SPA 12Hrs |
SPA 24Hrs |
NÜR |
BAR |
11th* | 10* |
* Season still in progress.
References
[edit]- ^ "Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi Advanced stats | Motorsport Stats". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "59-car grid ready to launch 2025 in style with six-hour race at Circuit Paul Ricard". GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 2025-04-03. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
- ^ Kilbey, Stephen (2024-12-10). "Gulf 12 Hours Entry List Revealed | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ "47 voitures attendues à Dubaï, Andlauer chez Pure Rxcing". Endurance Info (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ a b "Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East Qatar Race 1 Final Classification" (PDF). Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East. 30 November 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East Qatar Race 2 Final Classification" (PDF). Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East. 1 December 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ "Combined Qualifications - Classes 992 - Combined Result" (PDF). resultscdn.getraceresults.com.
- ^ "20th Michelin 24H DUBAI Race - Final Result" (PDF). getraceresults.com. 12 January 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ "Combined Qualification Final Result" (PDF). getraceresults.com. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ "6H of ABU DHABI - Final Result" (PDF). getraceresults.com. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (2025-04-03). "GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Sees 59 Cars". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ a b "Driver: Abdullah Ali Al Khelaifi | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ a b "Driver: Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East - ProAm 2025 | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
External links
[edit]
- Abdulla Al-Khelaifi career summary at DriverDB.com