The 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship will attain its conclusion with a title-deciding bout in Bahrain this weekend with each the Drivers’ and Producers’ Hypercar crowns nonetheless up for grabs
Following greater than 11,000km of racing throughout 4 continents over the opening seven rounds, every thing now comes right down to an eight-hour daylight-into-dark blast round Bahrain Worldwide Circuit, which has hosted FIA WEC on no fewer than 12 earlier events, delivering some breathtaking battles and memorable moments towards the backdrop of a dramatic desert panorama.
The demanding 5.412km, 15-turn format asks plenty of drivers and vehicles alike, with as many as 54 gear modifications per lap and prime speeds approaching an eye-watering 300km/h down the 4 lengthy straights. As a lot as 60 per cent of the lap is spent at full-throttle, with its extensive nature encouraging audacious overtaking manoeuvres. Its abrasive floor can be to be famous, inserting a eager emphasis on tyre preservation, significantly within the present WEC discipline, the place even the slightest error of judgement can spell the distinction between victory and a non-score.
With six completely different Hypercar winners up to now this season, the motion has been unpredictable to say the least, however the commendable consistency of Porsche Penske Motorsport – in simply the second marketing campaign of the German-American alliance – sees André Lotterer, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor head into the finale inside touching distance of championship glory.
The #6 Porsche 963 crew are the one drivers to have triumphed greater than as soon as this 12 months. Allied to a few additional podium finishes, that has carried them 35 factors away from their closest rivals within the hunt for honours – with 39 remaining in play. That signifies that no matter else occurs, they want simply an eighth-place end this weekend to seal the deal – however in endurance racing, not often is something ever that simple.
“Contemplating the championship standings, one may assume every thing is wrapped up, however that’s positively not the case!” cautioned Vanthoor. “It appears promising, however with one-and-a-half instances as many factors awarded in Bahrain (because of the race’s longer distance), it’s nonetheless extensive open.
“Final 12 months, we weren’t significantly robust in Bahrain, however we’ve understood precisely why that was. Now we have an extremely thrilling weekend forward of us, and successful the championship can be an absolute dream come true for everybody within the workforce.”
The scenario is considerably tighter within the Producers’ desk, the place Porsche leads Toyota by ten factors, with Ferrari 17 factors additional in arrears. It’s Toyota Gazoo Racing – winner of the final 5 WEC titles – that boasts essentially the most spectacular report in Bahrain, with an astonishing 75 per cent strike fee, and the Japanese outfit’s present GR010 HYBRID has by no means been crushed at BIC. These are the sort of statistics to present the workforce confidence following a disappointing outing on house soil at Fuji that yielded only a tenth-place end.
In a 12 months through which it efficiently defended its 24 Hours of Le Mans success courtesy of a second consecutive triumph, Ferrari AF Corse likewise stays within the combine, with its #50 499P piloted by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen 35 factors adrift of the #6 Porsche crew and effectively conscious that solely victory this weekend will do. The trio reached the podium in third place in Bahrain 12 months in the past, and all three are former winners on the monitor in GT competitors, with Molina by no means having completed off the rostrum there.
Behind the headline-grabbing championship conflict, there’s moreover a fierce combat brewing for fourth within the total classification, with little to decide on between Alpine and BMW after each sped to season-best outcomes final day out in Japan.
Peugeot and Cadillac are nonetheless in rivalry as effectively, with the latter bringing Sébastien Bourdais again into the fold for Bahrain because the four-time Champ Automobile champion rejoins common duo Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber. The American carmaker is raring to make good upon the promise it confirmed with pole place and a trophy-challenging efficiency at Fuji.
The runner-up spoils within the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Groups are additionally at stake, as Hertz Group JOTA – which cemented first place at Fuji – now bids to make it a one-two within the ‘privateer’ rankings. There’s a comparable state of affairs in LMGT3, the place Manthey PureRxcing has already sealed the take care of its #92 crew of Klaus Bachler, Aliaksandr Malykhin and Joel Sturm however a six-way scrap rages for second.
The on-track periods will start with free follow on Thursday, 31 October, adopted by qualifying – and the all-important Hyperpole – from 16:00 native time (14:00 CET) on Friday, 1 November. The eight-hour race will get underway at 14:00 native time (12:00 CEST) on Sunday, 2 November.
The day after the race, drivers and groups will return to the monitor for the standard end-of-season Rookie Take a look at, that includes quite a few intriguing line-ups – together with nine-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi in BMW’s M Hybrid V8 Hypercar.
