ELMS @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022: LMP2 Race
Deletraz, Habsburg and Prema Racing Champions in style by winning on the Portuguese track.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
The 4H of Portimão, the final round of the 2022 ELMS season, started on a wet track with Juan Manuel Correa (#9 Prema Racing) taking the lead in the second lap, pursued by Pietro Fittipaldi (Inter Europol Competition #43).
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Portimao 2022.
Fittipaldi took control during the tenth lap until the end of his stint. His teammate David Heinemeier-Hanson was unable to maintain the pace, tumbling in the standing.
Mathias Beche for TDS Racing x Vaillante #31 demonstrated his driving talent by taking the lead during the next 24 laps but #31 Oreca subsequently faded due to its tire selection and an accident.
After the halfway mark, Ferdinand Habsburg (Prema Racing #9) took the lead with a bit of fortune as he was pitting just when a Full Course Yellow came out (caused by an accident for Algarve Pro Racing #47 driver Alex Peroni, who slid from a slippery track into the tire barriers) after everybody else pitted under green.
Louis Deletraz took over and kept the lead until the checkered flag, offering Prema Racing the Teams ELMS 2022 title thanks to a strategy of consistently going one lap longer than its LMP2 rivals on fuel and staying on slick tires despite tricky conditions caused by a series of light rain showers. He also helped the trio to win their fourth victory across the six-round Championship.
It is Louis Deletraz’ second drivers’ title and Ferdinand Habsburg's first. Juan Manuel Correa is not winning the drivers’ title as he joined the Prema Racing #9 lineup for the final two races after missing three rounds with a foot injury.
Nicolas Jamin, Job van Uitert and Julien Canal with #65 Panis Racing end second, thereby ending second of both Championships which automatically attributes them an invitation to the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Y. Ye, N. Kruetten and N. Lapierre with Cool Racing #37 end third.
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