Ahead of the last round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), most were heading to Bahrain expecting a new double title for Porsche Penske Motorsport (after those earned in IMSA and LMGT3) but Toyota succeeded a turnaround which started with Brendon Hartley clinching pole with Toyota GR010 Hybrid #8. The race ended with Sebastien Buemi leading the last 22 laps enabling Toyota Gazoo Racing to win its sixth successive manufacturers’ World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Victory for Toyota #8 and manufacturer title for Toyota Gazoo Racing

Entering the seventh hour of racing, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s #8 GR010 Hybrid dropped from seventh to 10th with sister car #7 last of hypercars, 4 laps down. At that moment, nobody would have bet on Toyota to win the manufacturers championship. The magic of endurance racing and the perseverance of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team made the impossible come true. The team prioritised victory and the championship. It decided to retire the #7 with just over two hours to go. Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa managed to keep the car within striking distance on old tires enabling Sebastien Buemi to have a tire advantage for his last stint crossing checkered flag with almost 30 seconds margin.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Bahrain. Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Hirakawa with #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid win the 8 hours of Bahrain and offer the manufacturer title to Toyota.

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “It’s crazy to think we won the race considering how it was going at some point. Against all the odds, with issues, penalties and bad luck it’s an amazing feeling for the team to win the World Championship. That was our target here and we’ve achieved it thanks to a brilliant effort from the team. When our car was down in 10th, we were going to the back of the Hypercar field during the pit stops and I thought we were done. But my team-mates did a good job hanging on with the old tyres and that meant I had a tyre advantage at the end. When it mattered today, we did a good job together and I am so pleased for the whole team.”

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Bahrain. Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa with #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid winners of the 8 hours of Bahrain.

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “I am so happy for everyone in the team and at Toyota. The race didn’t go as smoothly at the beginning as it could have done. We tried the medium tyres, but it didn’t work. Then at the end Séb did an unbelievable stint. He was the star; it was an incredible drive. Thanks to everyone in the team, at Toyota and all our partners. We really had to fight for this win and championship, so it means a lot. For our car to end the season with a victory is fantastic going into the winter break.”
Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “What a day. It was an up and down race, but we never gave up and we fought as one team. We started from pole, then got hit by a GT car but still tried our best and put everything behind Séb for a maximum push at the end. On the #8 car, we have had some difficulties this season, so I am happy to finally get a bit of luck. It’s fantastic to finish the season with a win and I am so grateful to the team, as well as to everyone at Toyota and all our partners, for their big efforts to win this manufacturers’ championship.” Source: Toyota Gazoo Racing

Estre-Lotterer-Vanthoor win Driver title

As Lotterer said after the race, it was an awful one for the Porsche #6 team ending 11th overall, their worst performance of the season but, with Toyota #7 retiring and Ferrari #50 ending 12th, Kevin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor clinched the Driver Championship.

Kevin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor clinched the Driver Championship. — 📷 © Luc Warnotte at Bahrain. Kevin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor clinched the Driver Championship with #6 Porsche 963.

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “We’re world champions, we bested everyone. I’m beyond proud to be a part of this fantastic team. We had a mega season and deserve the title. We were simply the strongest and most consistent throughout the year. Apart from today’s final, we always squeezed the maximum out of every race. It wasn’t for the faint-hearted. Doesn’t matter, we’re champions.”

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Bahrain. Kevin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor clinched the Driver Championship with #6 Porsche 963.
André Lotterer (Porsche 963 #6): “It’s an amazing feeling to be a world champion with Porsche! However, race day was really tough for us. But that doesn’t matter now – we’ve clinched the world title! Joining forces with Kévin and Laurens was fantastic. Our engineers also did an incredible job throughout the year. This strong collaboration earned us those successes. That was my last race with the Porsche Penske Motorsport team. We had a mega time; it was a lot of fun.”
Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6): “That was one of the best days of my career, maybe even of my entire life! Today’s race was horrible, but we’ll probably have forgotten about it in a few days. I’ve won championships before, but the World Championship title is a different beast altogether. After the award ceremony, I’ll have a lovely meal, lots of sleep and time with my family. I don’t have any crazy plans.” Source: Porsche

Porsche 963 #5 promoted to second after post-race scrutening

Ferrari #51 lead 142 laps of the 235 covered and jumped from P3 to P2 after Giovinassi (Ferrari #51) took over the then second overall Matt Campbell (Porsche #5) in the last lap! After post-race scruteering, the #51 Ferrari team was penalised with 4:55.000 minutes, for using two more tires than the 26 permitted by the regulations.

The #5 Penske Porsche 963 of Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen and Frederic Makowiecki was promoted to second after spending four laps in the lead in the beginning of the last hour, and being hampered by two late safety car phases that robbed them of their hard-fought lead.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Bahrain. #5 Penske Porsche 963 of Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen and Frederic Makowiecki.

Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 963 #5): “We were so close to victory – but unfortunately close isn’t enough in motorsport. Still, I’m very proud of what we achieved today. We managed to fight at the front in a very difficult race. In a way, today reflects the whole season; huge potential, but in the end just a little bit is missing.” Source: Porsche

First podium for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies

Having started at the back of the start grid after its best time in qualifying was cancelled, the #93 Peugeot 9X8 produced a stunning comeback in the race to finish on the podium of the 8 Hours of Bahrain after a post-race penalty was given to Ferrari #51 for failing to comply with tyre quotas.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Bahrain. Podium for #93 Peugeot 9X8 while sister #94 retired after 6 hours for a “technical issue”

Team Peugeot TotalEnergies achieves its best result of the season and finishes sixth in the manufacturers’ championship.

Nico Müller (no. 93 PEUGEOT 9X8): “It was a hard race but we managed to secure a superb result in the end. We started at the back of the grid because our qualifying times were cancelled, but we managed to produce a stunning comeback to finish on the podium! The various tyre strategies of our rivals were a bit difficult to analyse, but our approach worked really well. Finishing on the podium is absolutely incredible although it’s a bit sad that we weren’t able to celebrate the result on the podium with all the emotions that would have meant for the team. The guys worked so hard to get here and I’m so pleased with the result. I think every team member deserves this trophy.”

Mikkel Jensen (no. 93 PEUGEOT 9X8): “My final stint was really difficult, because it was fairly tricky on track with the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods, a bit like in Fuji. My tyres were really good on the first stint. The team had a great tyre strategy and we managed the tyres really well to keep fresh rubber for the closing stages of the race. We didn’t expect to finish on the podium this evening, so thanks to the entire team.” Source: Peugeot Sport

Alpine and BMW in top 5

Two other new comers in the World Endurance Championship Hypercars class clinched a promising top 5.

Alpine A424 #35 ends fourth

Jules Gounon, Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin concluded Alpine Endurance Team first season in P4 with Alpine A424 #35 which matches with the A424 fourth place in the World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship, and first among the Hypercar newcomers.

Ferdinand Habsburg: "It's always enjoyable to move up from the back of the field to fourth place in just a few hours. It shows that we never give up, whether it's the drivers or the team, who made the most of every opportunity to make up ground. When I exited the car at the end of my last stint, I was a bit emotional to conclude the most important season of my career so far. Becoming a factory Alpine driver and returning from injury was a genuine rollercoaster."

Jules Gounon: "Fourth place is a fine way to round off the Alpine A424's maiden season, as we finished fourth in the championship while leading the field of newcomers, even ahead of more experienced manufacturers. It's been a pretty successful first year, and I'm delighted for the team."

Paul-Loup Chatin: "It was a good day after qualifying fell short of our expectations. However, we were right to focus on race pace from the start of practice. We kept our heads down at the start before deploying an aggressive tyre strategy. It allowed us to fight hard in the final sprint and get the better of BMW in our direct championship battle. I'm delighted for the team, which has managed to stay together despite the ups and downs of this maiden season." Source: Alpine Endurance Team

BMW M Hybrid V8 ends P5 after fighting for podium

BMW M Team WRT made a very good start in qualifying, securing a spot in the coveted Hyperpole with both BMW M Hybrid V8s. Marco Wittmann, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor gradually worked their way up from ninth on the grid. About two hours before the race’s end, Vanthoor took third place, putting the #15 trio in contention for another podium finish (at Fuji). However, in the turbulent final phase –marked by numerous Full Course Yellows, Virtual Safety Cars, Safety Car phases, and different pit stop strategies – the BMW M Hybrid V8 lost a bit of ground in the tightly packed field. After intense position battles, the #15 crossed the finish line in sixth place and was then later promoted to fifth position.

Raffaele Marciello (BMW M Team WRT, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, 5th place): “Today we could have finished better. But looking at the bigger picture, we have to see the positives. Now we are disappointed about crossing the line in P6, a position, that was far away at the beginning of the season. We improved a lot since Qatar and were able to fight for top positions regularly in the second half of the season. We have to take this and move on towards the next season.” Source: BMW Group

8 Hours of Bahrain Hypercars Classification after scruteneering penalties