WEC: Porsche Still Ahead After Brazil
Porsche has retained the upper hand of both the Hypercar and LMGT3 World Endurance Championship classes following Sunday’s 6 Hour in Brazil.
Porsche has retained the upper hand of both the Hypercar and LMGT3 World Endurance Championship classes following Sunday’s Interlagos 6 Hour in Brazil.
Hypercar Championship leaders Laurens Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer and Kevin Estre in the Number 6 Porsche ended second behind the race winning Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi number 8 Toyota GR010. The sister Makowiecki Christensen Campbell number 5 Porsche was third overall.
Four 911 Wins Out in Five LMGTS Races
It was also a very good day for Porsche in LMGT3. The Malykhin Sturm Bachler Manthey Porsche 911 duly overcame a race-long challenge from the James Mancinelli Riberas Heart of Racing Aston Martin and Sato Pino Caygill McLaren 720S GT3 to take the class by a lap. It was Porsche’s fourth GT win in five races so far.
The Toyotas held the upper hand throughout, although pressure sensor issue and yellow flag infringement drive-through penalty delayed the quicker 6 car. They ended up fourth after passing the best of the revised Ferraris with five minutes to race. The Ferraris, and leading JOTA Porsche, Peugeot, BMW and the Lamborghini meanwhile cycled in and out of the top places as pitstop strategies played out.
Racing was fraught all the way with the LMGT3 chicanes challenging the many Hypercar battles. The number 7 Toyotas soon fought back into the top six and ultimately up to fourth. The Gazoo racers made best use of the medium compound Michelin tires on the hot and abrasive Interlagos tarmac. Porsche and Ferrari used more hard tires.
The Porsches Had Brazil Problems Too
The Porsches had their fair share of problems. Contact with the 12 Jota Porsche also cost the 6 a 30 second penalty. It only passed its teammate for second after the 5 was delayed changing its tail when it clouted a LMGT3 car. The 5 only just held the closing 7 Toyota off in the end. The 51 Ferrari was also delayed by a yellow flag drive-through.
The Pier Guidi Calado Giovinazzi 51 Ferrari 499P ultimately came home fifth, a minute and a half off the pace. The lapped Le Mans winning Fuoco Molina Nielsen Ferrari was sixth after the Ferraris also benefited the privateer Button Hanson Rasmussen 38 JOTA Porsche having to pit from fourth for tires late in the race.
The 38 ultimately ended seventh to make it three Porsches in the top ten, They came home ahead of a wild, race long battle with the 93 Jensen Müller Vergne Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar, the Vanthoor Marciello Wittman BMW, and the tenth-placed 36 Lapierre Schumacher Vaxiviere Alpine.
Porsche Remains Ahead After Brazil
The yellow 83 Ferrari emerged eleventh ahead of the second Alpine, the Cadillac a disappointing 13th after early brake issues, the second BMW, the Proton Porsche, and the second Peugeot, The lone Lamborghini Hypercar and the second Jota Porsche followed, after the Isotta Fraschini expired later in the race.
All that has served to shake up the title chase. Porsche still leads, but Toyota has jumped Ferrari to move into a close second. Alpine, BMW and Peugeot are in a private battle for fourth. The WEC heads to the US next for the 1 September Lone Star Le Mans in Texas.
Photos: Porsche, WEC