These days, racing car wheels are extremely sophisticated with countless buttons and gauges. To understand this essential element, the Brit Matt Rao, driver of Signatech Alpine Matmut's #36 Alpine A470-Gibson , explains the use and significance of each button.

24H Le Mans

24 Heures du Mans

The focus might have been on the title contenders, but TOYOTA GAZOO Racing reminded everybody just why the team is a multiple title-winner in the FIA World Endurance Championship by locking out the front row of the grid for the season-closing Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain (8 November).

The result replicated that achieved by the Japanese marque last year &ndash; a day before it clinched its seventh Manufacturers&rsquo; crown in the series. There might be no chance of another Toyota title 12 months on following a disappointing campaign at the international pinnacle of the discipline, but the brand has put itself in pole position to salvage its season with a podium finish if not better in tomorrow&rsquo;s race.&nbsp;

It was Kamui Kobayashi who posted the fastest lap behind the wheel of the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar that he shares with Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries, stopping the clocks 0.151secs quicker than Brendon Hartley in the sister #8 car. That represented the Japanese star&rsquo;s 18th career pole &ndash; second on the all-time list &ndash; and on Saturday, he will seek to similarly add an 18th victory to his glittering CV.&nbsp;

&ldquo;The car felt great, the lap was great and the team did a great job,&rdquo; Kobayashi enthused. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s no secret that we&rsquo;ve had a really tough season; we&rsquo;ve struggled a lot and still haven&rsquo;t finished on the podium yet this year, but we&rsquo;ve had a lot of success with the GR010 overall and tomorrow is its last race before we update it for 2026, so we&rsquo;ll be pushing hard to come away with a win.&rdquo;

Of the championship protagonists, Antonio Giovinazzi secured seventh spot in the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P. Together with James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi, the Italian is aiming to lift the laurels in the Drivers&rsquo; World Championship battle in Bahrain, as they enter the final race holding a 13-point advantage at the summit of the standings over the privately-run #83 AF Corse entry.

Robert Kubica put that car 12th in the pecking order, but far worse fortune befell the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963. Defending world champion K&eacute;vin Estre locked up heading into Turn One on his first flying lap, setting the tone for a frustrating session that ultimately left the red-and-white German prototype 18th and last on the Hypercar grid &ndash; an early blow to the Frenchman and team-mate Laurens Vanthoor&rsquo;s bid to turn the tables on their Ferrari rivals in the chase for the crown.

<h2>Lexus lights it up again in LMGT3&nbsp;</h2>

Finn Gehrsitz led an all Lexus and Mercedes top four lockout in LMGT3 qualifying, as title-chasing Manthey 1st Phorm struggled for speed under the fading Sakhir sun.

Gehrsitz posted two laps faster than any of his adversaries could muster in the top ten Hyperpole shootout to secure a second career pole in FIA WEC, having similarly topped the timesheets at Spa-Francorchamps back in May.

&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/en/news/toyota-en-premiere-ligne-des-bapco-energies-8-heures-de-bahrein/8536" target="_blank">Read the full story here</a> &lt;&lt;&lt;

Tomorrow&rsquo;s Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain will get underway at 14:00 local time (12:00 CET).

<a href="https://fiawec.tv/page/679a56921229db49627128a6" target="_blank">Watch FIA WEC live</a>&nbsp;or on-demand via the official FIA WEC TV app &ndash; your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don&rsquo;t miss a moment. For further information, check out the app.

FIA WEC : Outgoing champions outshine title protagonists in Bahrain qualifying

Genesis Magma Racing is continuing work on the development of the GMR-001. The team has begun optimising the performance levels of its Hypercar in all conditions – including a wet track.

Last week,&nbsp;Genesis Magma Racing&nbsp;conducted three days of testing at Magny-Cours. The track being mostly wet, it offered the team a golden opportunity to glean precious data on the balance and behaviour of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/genesis-takes-the-wraps-of-its-gmr-001-hypercar-59196" target="_blank">GMR-001</a> in such conditions. With the systems calibrated and an initial endurance test already under its belt, Genesis was able to focus on optimising the performance levels&nbsp;of the Korean hypercar.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re continuing to develop the GMR-001, but we are starting to think about performance,&rdquo;&nbsp;said Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini.&nbsp;&ldquo;We need to build a sort of toolbox for the set-up in all conditions, making sure the drivers are able to adjust the car to always be able to push in any conditions.&rdquo;

The four drivers already signed up to Genesis Magma Racing for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (Pipo Derani, Andr&eacute; Lotterer, Mathys Jaubert and Dani Juncadella) were present for the tests.&nbsp;&ldquo;I think we have made big progress on the systems side,&rdquo;&nbsp;Derani said.&nbsp;&ldquo;As we get to the part of the development where things have been stabilised, we can switch focus to getting the maximum from the package we have in the GMR-001 Hypercar and begin to look at performance a bit more.&rdquo;

<h2>Rain right on cue</h2>

Genesis Magma Racing had hoped to gather data on the GMR-001&rsquo;s wet-track performance and Mother Nature duly obliged on the second day.&nbsp;&ldquo;Wet weather testing is always important with any new car,&rdquo; Tarquini explained. &ldquo;We know we will face wet conditions in some races. As it could easily be the biggest race of the year, so the team and drivers need to know how the car reacts in difficult conditions.&rdquo;

Jaubert&nbsp;added:&nbsp;&ldquo;The car was really nice in the wet conditions. We did some running in damp conditions, but also when it was really wet during the night. Overall, we made a lot of systems improvements in the traction control. It&rsquo;s difficult to compare because we are the only ones on track, but the car balance feels great.&rdquo;

The relatively cool air and track temperatures also offered an excellent opportunity to build experience with&nbsp;Michelin tyres in very different weather conditions to those encountered during previous tests. Tyre warming is especially important in the Hypercar class and Genesis made the most of the sessions to put it into practice.&nbsp;&ldquo;We still want to do a lot more kilometres, but this was a very positive three days,&rdquo; Tarquini concluded. &ldquo;Everybody is happy about the car&rsquo;s behaviour in the wet, and the drivers were able to give good feedback. We had some small problems which we were fast to solve, and we know the direction to go for the next tests which will be very important.&rdquo;

With the homologation process on the GMR-001 fast approaching, Genesis reckons there is still plenty of work to do. Reliability and performance will be the targets for the final tests which will also serve as a dress rehearsal for the team&#39;s race weekend procedures in preparation for its FIA WEC d&eacute;but&nbsp;at the Qatar 1812Km (28 March 2026). By the time the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans comes around (10-14 June 2026), Genesis will hope to be in shape to take on&nbsp;Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot&nbsp;and&nbsp;Toyota.

Genesis hones the potential of the GMR-001 Hypercar in all weathers

The Bahrain International Circuit will host the last round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season on 6-8 November. The Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain will decide the drivers' and constructors' titles in the Hypercar and LMGT3 categories!

The 2025 FIA WEC season is coming to a close, with top trophies yet to be decided. Ferrari-AF Corse has the momentum heading into the&nbsp;Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain in both the drivers&#39; and constructors&#39; championship standings. The Italian outfit is seeking a first world title with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-ferrari-499p-hypercar-under-the-microscope-making-of-a-le-mans-icon-59719" target="_blank">499P</a>&nbsp;and is carrying a&nbsp;39-point lead in the constructors&#39; race, with 66 still on the table.

In the drivers&#39; classification, the #51&nbsp;Ferrari leads the charge with&nbsp;13 points on the #83&nbsp;Ferrari fielded by&nbsp;AF Corse.&nbsp;A championship one-two&nbsp;is within reach, but Porsche hasn&#39;t thrown in the towel by any means.

<h2>Porsche Penske MoTorsport LOOKING FOR AN UPSET</h2>

After a challenging&nbsp;early season, Porsche Penske Motorsport finally found its footing later in the year. The winner at&nbsp;Lone Star Le Mans and second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #6&nbsp;Porsche 963 shared by K&eacute;vin Estre and&nbsp;Laurens Vanthoor performed&nbsp;well again at Fuji, propelling the German&nbsp;marque into the fight for the title. The&nbsp;duo will be joined at Bahrain by&nbsp;Matt Campbell for the first time since their win in Texas.

A new recruit will take the wheel of the #5&nbsp;Porsche: Laurin Heinrich. The&nbsp;young&nbsp;German hopeful and former&nbsp;Junior Porsche driver will make his debut in the&nbsp;FIA WEC alongside&nbsp;Julien Andlauer and&nbsp;Mathieu Jaminet.

Porsche Motorsport Vice-President Thomas Laudenbach: It&rsquo;d be fantastic to wrap up our era in the FIA WEC with more title wins. We&rsquo;re tackling the big finale in Bahrain as the underdogs, but we&rsquo;ll do everything we can to maximise our chances.

The&nbsp;Peugeot TotalEnergies camp will welcome&nbsp;Th&eacute;o Pourchaire in&nbsp;the #4&nbsp;9X8. The 2023 FIA F2 champion will replace&nbsp;Stoffel Vandoorne for the season&nbsp;finale ahead of a full-time commitment with&nbsp;the French team in 2026. The young driver already hit the track in&nbsp;the 9X8 for the 2024&nbsp;Rookie Test at&nbsp;Bahrain. Th&eacute;o Pourchaire:&nbsp;I am thirlled to take the start in my first race in the FIA World Endurance&nbsp;Championship with&nbsp;Peugeot. I feel ready. I&#39;ve spent a lot of time in the simulator throughout the year, and I&#39;ve also assisted in&nbsp;several races, like&nbsp;S&atilde;o Paulo and Austin, as a test driver, which allowed me to collaborate with the other drivers and the engineers.

<h2>LMGT3: SUSPENSE-FILLED&nbsp;QUEST FOR THE TITLE</h2>

The race is tight in the&nbsp;LMGT3 category as well. Defending champion&nbsp;Manthey 1st Phorm will need&nbsp;to overcome pressure applied by VISTA AF Corse and&nbsp;TF Sport. The three teams are within 24 points of each other in the championship standidngs. This upcoming&nbsp;eight-hour day and night final promises to be a nail-biter&nbsp;at&nbsp;the 5.412-km circuit in the Sakhir desert.

2025 Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fiawec.com/umbrella_media/2025-fia-wec-bapco-energies-8-hours-of-bahrain-provisional-entry-list-v1-68f9f62c6c8c2926005932.pdf" target="_blank">entry list</a>.

Watch the&nbsp;<a href="https://fiawec.tv/page/679a56921229db49627128a6" target="_blank">FIA WEC live</a>&nbsp;or on demand at&nbsp;the official FIA WEC TV app,&nbsp;your all-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship. Don&#39;t miss a second&nbsp;of the action! For more info, go to the app.

FIA WEC - Titles still up for grabs at this weekend's Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain

The FIA World Endurance Championship teams will stay on after the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain to give a host of promising young drivers a chance to showcase their talent. Check out who will be on track for the 2025 Rookie Test.

The FIA World Endurance Championship Rookie Test will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit this coming Sunday 9 November. These trials will be staged the day after the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain, the final round of the 2025 FIA WEC season. Drivers of the calibre of Norman Nato, C&eacute;lia Martin, Mathieu Jaminet, Julien Andlauer, Ben Barnicoat and Th&eacute;o Pourchaire have all used this springboard to launch their endurance career. Twenty-six cars will be on the track this year.

Check out the <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/umbrella_media/2025-fia-wec-bahrain-rookie-test-provisional-entry-list-v1-2-690a158018d54571958670.pdf">full entry list</a>&nbsp;for the 2025 FIA WEC Rookie Test.

The FIA WEC selected British pair Ollie Gray and Tom Fleming to take the wheel of the title-winning Hypercar and LMGT3. Dorian Boccolacci, the former Porsche Carrera Cup France champion, will be in the driving seat of the Proton Competition #99 Porsche 963. Peugeot TotalEnergies will hand the #93 and #94 Peugeot 9X8 to Nick Cassidy, Alexander Quinn, Malthe Jakobsen and Mathias Beche. Meanwhile, Lilou Wadoux and Alessio Rovera will have the opportunity to test Ferrari-AF Corse&rsquo;s #50 Ferrari 499P and the #83 car of AF Corse.

Cadillac has opted to go with two of its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship&nbsp;regulars: Jack Aitken and Ricky Taylor. They will be backed by Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber. &ldquo;This is going to be another good opportunity for cross-pollination across the Cadillac Racing programmes, and I&rsquo;m keen to work with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA after seeing them in action at Le Mans earlier this year,&rdquo; said Aitken, who has driven a V-Series.R in the 24 Hours of Le Mans the last three years. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had some interaction already, but it will be good to try their car first-hand and see how things are done in FIA WEC as well. It will be an exciting weekend for me and a nice end to the season.&rdquo;

The FIA WEC Rookie Test offers the teams and drivers a five-hour track session that begins at 10:00 local time. The teams involved in the session can add new drivers to their roster up to the start of the test.

<a href="https://fiawec.tv/page/679a56921229db49627128a6" target="_blank">Watch all the action from the FIA World Endurance Championship</a>, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, live or on demand with the FIA WEC TV official app. Don&rsquo;t miss a thing! Check out the app for further information.

FIA WEC – Who will line up for the Rookie Test?

24 Heures du Mans 2017

Matt&nbsp;Rao has competed in the 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans once. In 2016, the 23-year-old drove Manor&#39;s #44 Oreca 05-Nissan along with&nbsp;Tor Graves and&nbsp;Roberto Mehri. The&nbsp;trio was forced to retire at 11:46 a.m. following an&nbsp;accident.

This year, he joined the Signatech Alpine Matmut team who won the 2016 FIA World Endurance LMP2 Teams Trophy. He shares the wheel of the #36 Alpine A470 he is presenting with the winner of last year&#39;s 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans, Romain Dumas, and&nbsp;Gustavo Menezes.&nbsp;

Le volant de l'Alpine A 470 par Matthew Rao

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24H LE MANS

24 Hours of Le Mans – Matt Rao presents the wheel of the Alpine A470 (video)

Related News

FIA WEC : Outgoing champions outshine title protagonists in Bahrain qualifying

Genesis hones the potential of the GMR-001 Hypercar in all weathers

FIA WEC - Titles still up for grabs at this weekend's Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain

FIA WEC – Who will line up for the Rookie Test?

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