Cadillac and Porsche in second row in Bahrain

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will start the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain race of the 2023 season from the front, Cadillac Racing and Porsche Penske #6 will start from second row ahead of both Ferrari 4999P.

Toyota Gazoo Racing qualifying one-two in Bahrain

📷 © Courtesy of FIA WEC.

Brendon Hartley took pole position with a lap of 1min 46.564secs in the #8 GR010 HYBRID he shares with Sébastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa. Kamui Kobayashi completed a one-two for the team, 0.489secs behind in the #7 GR010 HYBRID he drives alongside Mike Conway and José María López.
A second pole of the season for the #8 GR010 HYBRID extends their lead in the title race to 16 points over their #7 team-mates. A podium finish for Sébastien, Brendon and Ryo in Saturday’s race will therefore guarantee they retain the drivers’ World Championship.

📷 © Courtesy of FIA WEC.

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “I was determined to be on pole, and I am so happy to achieve it. The car felt great. The team did an amazing job to get all the settings right for me. It’s a tricky track for qualifying because you only really get one lap, so everything has to come together. My lap didn’t feel perfect but it was very clean. It is an important pole because of the World Championship point, that’s why the team put a lot of emphasis on qualifying and why we used the medium tyres. The point could be crucial because it means even if car #7 wins, we can finish third and still win the title. But we don’t approach the race any different to normal; we have to go for the victory. The race starts have been action packed this year so starting from pole is the place to be.”

📷 © Courtesy of FIA WEC.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “Congratulations to Brendon, he did an amazing lap to get pole position. It didn’t work well for me and, to be honest, I did a better lap in practice compared to qualifying. I was a bit surprised with the lap time and I’m not sure what happened. But we are still second on the grid, and it’s an eight-hour race so tomorrow is what really matters. In terms of the championship, it doesn’t change anything for our car. We have to win, so we approach the race in the same way as always. It will be a long race, with a lot of tyre degradation and many things can happen. We will do our best.” Source: Toyota Gazoo racing

Cadillac Racing best qualifying spot in WEC.

Alex Lynn recorded a lap time of 1 minute, 47.265 seconds in the hybrid Cadillac Racing entry on the challenging 5.412-kilometer (3.36-mile), 15-turn circuit to qualify third for the Eight Hours of Bahrain on Saturday. Cadillac Racing’s previous best in six races was fourth at Spa-Francorchamps in April.

“Excited and thrilled for the performance today,” GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said. “Alex had a terrific drive. The team set it up and everyone has been working so closely together to get it sorted for Bahrain. Our goal was to finish on a high note here and we’re in process for doing it.”

📷 © Courtesy of Cadillac Racing. #2 Cadillac V-Series.R

“It was a really positive day," Lynn said. "We were quick on one lap and we’re quick on the long run, too. I’m proud of our team and we're motivated to have a good day tomorrow.” Source: Cadillac Racing

Best Porsche 963 in second row

Works driver Kévin Estre turned the fourth-fastest qualifying lap for the 8-hour race on the Bahrain International Circuit in 1:47.712 minutes. The Frenchman shares the cockpit of the 514 kW (699 PS) hybrid prototype with André Lotterer from Germany and Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor. Makowiecki, however, had to abandon his first attempt after being hampered by a rival. As a result, he only managed to turn the seventh-fastest time.

The two customer outfits Proton Competition and Hertz Team Jota head into the race from positions eight and nine.

📷 © Courtesy of Porsche. Porsche 963 #6

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “Our qualifying was good. I waited in the pits for quite some time before heading out onto the track. After two warm-up laps, I attacked but I made a few minor mistakes so I abandoned the lap and tried again. That was the right decision but it was risky: I only had this one attempt. It worked out so I’m pleased about that.”

📷 © Courtesy of Porsche. Porsche 963 #5

Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 963 #5): “I’m pretty disappointed with the result, we’d hoped for a better position. I was held up by a competitor on my flying lap, which cost me crucial time and a much better grid position. Still, sometimes such things happen in motorsport.”

Ferrari 499Ps start from third row

📷 © Courtesy of Ferrari.

In the qualifying session, held after sunset, with an air temperature of 28.7°C and asphalt at 33.1°C, Antonio Fuoco climbed into the cockpit of the number 50 Hypercar. He completed five laps, stopping the clock at 1’47”739, 1”175 off the number 8 crew in pole position.
The number 51 Ferrari, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, will start one place further back. The winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, who shares the car with James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi, posted a best time of 1’47”828.

ANTONIO FUOCO: “It was a difficult qualifying in which we did our best, trying to maximise our potential. We’ll start from fifth position, aware that the 8 Hours will be a long and far from easy race. Several opponents look very competitive, so we’ll have to try to be perfect.”

📷 © Courtesy of Ferrari.

ALESSANDRO PIER GUIDI: “We are where we expected to be after free practice. I think we did an excellent job in qualifying. The 499P’s balance was good, and we got to where we could, and we got to where we could, unfortunately a long way from contending for victory. As has been quite clear since Le Mans, our performance lags far behind our rivals. That’s a fact. In any case, we have an eight-hour race ahead in which we’ll try our best, as always, refusing to give up.”

Related articles

📷 © Courtesy of FIA WEC. Cadillac and Porsche better, Ferrari inconspicuous.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Monza. Cadillac aiming for a strong finish at Bahrain.

📷 © Courtesy of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Bahrain title showdown for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Spa-Francorchamps. Ferrari 499P in Mugello before heading to Bahrain.