24h Le Mans
The 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship trophies will be awarded after the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain (2-4 November). The round will also serve as the final race for the LMP2 and LMGTE Am classes.
Three championship crowns are up for grabs in the Middle East this coming weekend: Hypercar Drivers, LMP2 Teams and LMP2 Drivers. Fifteen points currently separate TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's two crews with 39 on the table in Bahrain. Talk about down to the wire!
The #51 Ferrari 499P's drivers – James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi – are still in contention for the Hypercar Drivers trophy. They're trailing the #8 Toyota's line-up by 31 points, but still have a chance if the race goes sideways for the Japanese marque. The #50 Ferrari 499P is also a title-contender heading into the race with 97 points.
Behind Toyota and Ferrari, Porsche Penske Motorsport will battle it out with Cadillac Racing for third place in the championship. Only five points separate the two teams, and at the 6 Hours of Fuji last month, Porsche fought hard against Toyota to place the #6 Porsche 963 on the third step of the podium.
Peugeot TotalEnergies will take part in the Bahrain round with its two 9X8s for the second time. After demonstrating outstanding reliability at Fuji, but falling short in terms of performance level, the French marque has capitalised on the month-long break to make some necessary adjustments.
In LMP2, Team WRT is on the verge of securing the Team and Drivers titles. The Belgian outfit currently holds a 33-point lead on Europol Competition (second in the championship). The runner-up spot is in play with only one point separating the Polish team (class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary) and United Autosports.
Thirty-six cars are set to take the start at the Bahrain International Circuit (5.412 km). The FIA WEC has visited this Middle Eastern track since the championship's inception in 2012. The Bahrain circuit is made up of long straights, tight corners and elevation changes, offers drivers plenty of overtaking opportunities, and is known for severe tyre degradation with 48% of every lap covered at full speed.
Click for the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain entry list.
The start of the race will be given on Saturday 4 November at 14:00 local time (11:00 GMT).
