FIA WEC Season 2021: Hypercar & LMP2 @8 Hours of Bahrain
Hypercar: Third WEC manufacturers title in a row for Toyota.
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
Alpine made illusion the fist 16’ after Nico Lapierre smartly overtook both Toyota in turn 2. But not for long. After 15’, both Toyota were honking in the rear bumper of the Alpine. Mike Conway (Toyota # 7) was the first to overtake after 15’:52” followed by Sebastien Buemi (Toyota #8) 107” later!
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
The two Toyota’s were cruising in front until the Alpine #36 almost stopped at turn 10 after 46’. Nicolas Lapierre eventually managed to get the car back in the garage with a gearbox issue. The Hypercar race was over as the Alpine lost 3 laps in the adventure.
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
During the second hour, Buemi was getting closer to Conway, asked to overtake and the team radio instructed Conway to let #8 go in turn 1! No race, no risk!
📷 Left: Nakajima before his last stint. Right: Nakajima comments his feelings after the last win.
Brendon Hartley and Sebastien Buemi participated actively in Kazuki Nakajima ending his professional race driver career with a win for his last race with Toyota #8.
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
Mike Conway, Jose Maria Lopez and Kamui Kobayashi ended 2nd (7.351” behind), thereby clinching the first Hypercar World Endurance Drivers Championship.
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
Toyota Gazoo Racing wins the first Hypercar World Endurance Championship, 78 points ahead of Alpine Elf Matmut.
📷 6 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
LMP2: WRT Team confirms and wins FIA Endurance Trophies
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
As he did at the start of the 6 Hours of Bahrein, Giedo Van der Garde (#29 Racing Team Nederland) takes the lead of the LMP2 class. Philip Hanson follows with his United Autosports #22, Loic Duval is 3rd with #70 Realteam Racing. Roberto Gonzales is 4th with JOTA #38 and Ferdinand Habsburg 6th with Team WRT #31.
After 16’, Habsburg (Team WRT #31) overtook Gonzales (#38); 8’ later he overtook Duval (#70), and 5’ later Hanson (#22).
Thanks to a great pit stop from Inter Europol Competition mechanics, Renger Van der Zande (Inter Europol Competition #34) got to battle with Duval (#70) and Habsburg (#31) for 3rd after 45’.
10’ before the end of the first hour, Giedo Van der Garde (#29 Racing Team Nederland) was 1st in LMP2, Philip Hanson 2nd (United Autosports #22), Loïc Duval 3rd (#70 Realteam Racing), Ferdinand Habsburg 4th (Team WRT #31) and Renger Van der Zande 5th (Inter Europol Competition #34)
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
Within the next 10’, Loïc Duval (#70 Realteam Racing) and Ferdinand Habsburg (Team WRT #31) overtook Philip Hanson (United Autosports #22) to become respectively 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
After 1:15’, it was Sean Gelael (JOTA #28) who overtook Renger Van der Zande (Inter Europol Competition #34) for P6 behind sister car (JOTA #38) 5th.
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
After 2 hours, Stoffel Vandoorne (JOTA #28) overtook E. Garcia (Realteam racing #70) for P3, behind #29 Racing Team Nederland, which was still 1st and Team WRT #31 second.
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
With 5 hours to the end, Team WRT #31 took P1 from Racing Team Nederland #29.
WIth 2:17’ to the end, the LMP2 ranking was as follows: #31, #28 +13.953, #22 pitting out, #38 +1:28.474.
WIth 1:33’ to the end, the LMP2 ranking was still the same but the gaps had changed: #31, #28 +52.712, #22 +14.035. Before ending his last stint Anthony Davidson (JOTA #38) had reduced the gap with P3 to #38 +6.184. It was then over to Antonio Felix Da Costa to finish the work, which he did superbly by overtaking progressively United Autosports #22 in P3 and sister car #28, 4:20 before the end, finishing at a brilliant P2.
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg and Robin Frijns win the race and the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 drivers, 20 points ahead #28 Jota drivers Sean Gelael, Stoffel Vandoorne and Tom Blomqvist.
Team WRT wins the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 teams for their first participation in the WEC. Interesting to see Wolfgang Ullrich, former Head of Audi Motorsport who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans thirteen times, applauding the LMP2 podium together with Vincent Vosse leader of Team WRT.
📷 8 Hours of Bahrein 2021 FIAWEC live tv.
LMP2 PRO/AM: Racing Team Nederland wins the first title
Giedo Van der Garde brought his #29 Racing Team Nederland back to pit after the first two stints with a comfortable lead in P1. Together with Frits Van Eerd and Job Van Uitert they won the LMP2 PRO/AM class enabling Racing Team Nederland to win the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 PRO/AM teams and Frits Van Eerd to win the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 PRO/AM drivers. (Giedo Van der Garde and Job Van Uitert did not run at Monza thereby not totaling the same number of points)
