Patrese “Grateful” for Expanded Effort With Conquest

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

Lorenzo Patrese said he’s been “grateful” to Conquest Racing for being able to mount his first full season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, after initially only slated to contest the Michelin Endurance Cup races with the team.

The 20-year-old Frenchman, the son of Ex-Formula 1 veteran Riccardo, made his WeatherTech Championship debut in 2025 as part of Cetilar Racing’s five-race program before being brought into the Eric Bachelart-led Conquest operation, originally for the same role.

However, Patrese got the call to step in for fellow FIA Silver-rated driver Manny Franco at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca round, where he claimed GTD class pole.

With Franco electing to stay out of the cockpit for the remainder of the season, Patrese has since been confirmed for the remainder of this year’s campaign.

“I think the feeling has been really good since Daytona,” he told Sportscar365. “Obviously since we expanded, the commitment to also do the sprint races, has just better and better.

“Knowing the people in the team has been really, really good.

“We’ve just been a little unlucky at the start of the season with a few issues and just some bad luck. But I think the car has always been really fast and the team has performed really well.

“We’re basically at the mid-season mark, so I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season.”

While contesting a GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup program in parallel, Patrese missed the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa to prioritize his drive with Conquest, as he said his IMSA commitment “came first.”

He said he feels his first taste of U.S. racing last year, also in a Ferrari 296 GT3, has helped him hit the ground running this season.

“Last year I did the five endurance races and this year, just to get to experience different races that are on the sprint season,” he explained.

“There’s been a lot of new tracks [for me]. It’s really amazing. I’m really, really grateful to the team for giving me the opportunity to trust me and give me the occasion to do the full season.”

When asked about his career prospects, Patrese admitted that he’s already thinking about racing life as a Gold-rated pilot, given his strong performances so far.

“Since the start of last year I got the occasion to drive Ferraris,” he said. “It’s been building up quite well. I think the pace is coming up quite nicely.

“My objective is to keep on going like this, to build up experience, and try to improve.

“I have a great reference, which is Albert [Costa], and he’s super fast.

“So I’m just trying to learn as much as possible from him, and trying to match him in case in the future that I won’t be a Silver anymore, so I can be a pro.”

Bachelart Praises Patrese’s Ability to Slot into Full Season Lineup

Team boss Bachelart has given high marks to Patrese, particularly with his ability to quickly learn and evolve as a driver.

“For sure he’s been doing a good job,” he told Sportscar365. “At CTMP, he was lacking a bit of pace on Friday because it was a new track to him.

“Overnight he found the confidence and he did a good job. We’re working well together.

“It’s interesting because he’s replacing Manny because Manny decided to stop until the end of the year.

“But I really like Lorenzo. For sure he’s done a good job all season.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John