Gigawave Motorsport secured top Aston Martin honours in the latest round of the FIA GT Championship at Nogaro, although the team was left to reflect on a missed podium opportunity at the French circuit.

Having qualified in fourth and got away to a clean start, the team was in contention in the early stages but a technical hitch in the first pit stop saw a vital six seconds lost and cost the team a potential third place.

Dropping down to eighth following the stop, Philipp Peter and Allan Simonsen were charged with fighting their way back towards the front of the field, before the two-hour race came to a close.

The second pit stop was perfectly executed by the team and drivers and they climbed back up to fourth place by the flag, with the points scored lifting Gigawave a place in the standings.

“This was a race we could have won, so there is an element of disappointment,” director of race technologies Nigel Stepney said. “We had a great strategy and the drivers followed it and controlled their race, in order to manage their tyres. Allan caught the front pack before their first stops, because our tyres had been looked after.

“The technical issue at our first stop really let the strategy down but the rest of the race went like clockwork, and we jumped two other cars in the second stop, thanks to the team doing an excellent job. Everyone works so incredibly hard in preparation for these races that we feel we deserve a win in our debut season.”