Aliaksandr Malykhin drove superbly in the World Endurance Championship and won the drivers title in the LMGT3 class for Manthey Racing.
The Belarusian driver, competing under a Kittitian licence, stood on the podium in six of the seven races so far this season.
Malykhin took two victories alongside his teammates Klaus Bachler and Joel Sturm, who performed admirably at the Qatar 1812km and at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo.
These two results spearheaded the championship-winning campaign, usurping line-ups with very experienced drivers such as Valentino Rossi and Agusto Farfus.
Malykhin stepped up to the World Endurance Championship after winning the title in the Asian Le Mans Series last season.
He explained his plans for 2025 to the official WEC website as his career progresses after winning the LMGT3 championship in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).
Aliaksandr Malykhin wants to move to ELMS for next season
Malykhin has mastered GT3 racing and proved he can compete in the World Endurance Championship, winning the LMGT3 title in his first year.
Despite his success this season, it is unlikely the 37-year-old will return to the series next year to defend the title.
The Manthey Racing driver has been upgraded from the ‘Bronze’ to ‘Silver’ class and he looks to race in prototypes, leaving GT cars behind.
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He plans to compete in LMP2 in the Asian Le Mans Series and explained he wants to race in ELMS to win an entry into the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Malykhin said: “I plan to drive in the European Le Mans Series and win an entry to drive at Le Mans. That’s my main goal for next season.”
Racing in LMP2 is a very different challenge to LMGT3
If Malykhin were to move on from the World Endurance Championship and race in ELMS, the LMP2 car would be a very different prospect.
He would have to learn how to compete with much more downforce and added braking ability compared to the LMGT3 car.
Fortunately, Imola and Spa-Francorchamps are on the ELMS calendar for next season, two tracks Malykhin finished on the podium at in WEC.
If he were to win the title in ELMS, it would lead to an invitation to Le Mans, allowing him to compete in the LMP2 class in that race.
There will be less pressure on the 8 Hours of Bahrain as the title has been won by Malykhin, as some teams in the Hypercar class are struggling, such as Daniil Kvyat’s Lamborghini.