The 6 Hours of Portimão saw five different Hypercar manufacturers represented in the top 5: Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac and Porsche.

Four cars had technical problems and one did not finish. We review each car race and share drivers comments after the race.

5 Manufacturers in the top 5

The winners: Toyota GR010 HYBRID #8

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. Buemi third with Toyota GR010 HYBRID #8 at turn 5 of first lap of the 6 Hours of Portimao 2023. Toyota GR010 HYBRID #7 and Ferrari 499P #51 are already further ahead.

At the first corner, Buemi (Toyota HT01G Hybrid) dropped to third being passed by Conway in sister #7 and the #51 Ferrari. However, Sébastien got his revenge with a brave overtake on lap four to reclaim second place.

Conway led by five seconds at that point but soon came across lapped traffic and Buemi gradually reduced the gap. The two GR010 HYBRIDs swapped positions on lap 33, shortly before the first round of pit stops, which saw the #8 maintain its lead.

The #7, 11 minutes pit stop (read further for details) left Buemi with a half-minute lead over the #50 Ferrari which he maintained through to the two-hour mark, when he handed over to Hirakawa who further extended his advantage by half distance.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. Hartley with Toyota GR010 HYBRID #7 ready to lap the Ferrari #50 second overall with 40’ to go.

Hartley kept up the pace at the front and lapped the second-placed Ferrari late in the fifth hour, earning a valuable cushion in the event of a safety car. That proved timely when the Vanwall crashed a few minutes later and a safety car compressed the field.

When racing resumed after a 12-minute pause, Hartley was able to immediately make his final pit stop for fuel without losing the lead and he safely navigated the closing stages to take the chequered flag after 222 laps for the team’s 41st win in its 78th WEC race.

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “My team-mates and the whole crew did a brilliant job. I feel sorry for car #7 with this small issue which took away their chances. It would have been another tough fight, like in Sebring. We came very close to winning there but we made it today, so it is a very good feeling. We are continuing to work hard, and we’ll try to come back even stronger in Spa. The competition keeps improving so we need to take as many points as we can when we have the opportunities. I’m happy to win again and we’re pushing to keep that momentum.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “I am really happy. It has been an awesome weekend right from the start of practice. It was a great race, and everything went perfectly; no mistakes by the drivers or on pit stops, we had the right strategy and the car was faultless. It was nice to drive from start to finish so a massive thanks to the team. I feel proud of their great work over the first two races. We have maximised our performance using all the experience we gained over the years because the competition is getting strong. I feel for car #7. They were pushing us hard and I am sure it would have been another close finish between us as it usually is.”

Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “The team did a perfect job, and I am very happy with this win today. Our car felt good, and it was very satisfying to win for the first time this season after missing it in Sebring by two seconds. When I started my stint, we were already leading but I managed to create a bigger gap over the Ferrari to make it more secure. It was not easy to manage the race on a short track like this with the traffic. I had to stay sharp so I am pretty happy with my performance. I feel bad for car #7, which had been competitive all weekend. Spa is coming very soon, and we will try to come back even stronger as a team.” Source: Toyota Gazoo Racing

P2: #50 Ferrari 499P

The #50 Ferrari 499P was consistently at the top of the standings, with Nielsen taking the first stint. Molina consolidated second place in the middle section before handing the wheel to his Fuoco, who crossed the chequered flag one lap behind the winning Toyota #8.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen with Ferrari 499P #50 ended second overall.

Nicklas Nielsen: « We are delighted. We secured a very positive result here at Portimão, taking another step forward from the first race at Sebring. We were also lucky during the race when one of the two Toyotas had a problem and, at that point, did our best and consolidated second position. Now the goal is to continue on this path at the 6 Hours of Spa, a race that will be both beautiful and complicated. » Source: Ferrari.

P3: Porsche 963 #6

Starting from P5,in the first few metres, Laurens Vanthoor promptly overtook the Ferrari #50 in his #6 hybrid prototype, however after ten minutes, the Belgian had to relinquish his fourth place. The strategic gamble after the first stint yielded greater rewards: Both Porsche 963 opted against changing the tyres during a refuelling stop. The time saved in the pits gave them a good ten seconds, which put the #6 squad in third.

At the beginning of the final hour of racing, the safety car was deployed for the first time so that a vehicle could be salvaged. For André Lotterer in his Porsche 963, the timing could not have been worse: a pit stop was almost due. After the race restarted at about 5:10 pm local time, the #51 Ferrari directly behind him also had to pit but faced a braking system issue and hat to stop at turn 5. With only a few laps to go, another refuelling stop added extra suspense: at the previous pit stop, not enough fuel had been pumped into the car due to a faulty sensor. However, the advantage over the now fourth-placed Cadillac was enough for the Porsche to cross the finish line third.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. Loterer-Vanthoor-Estre with Porsche 963 #6 ended third overall.

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “This podium finish is really cool. That was hard work! Our mechanics have had very short nights. Third place is the reward for that. Honestly, this feels like a victory. But we still have to develop and improve the car. And we also have to maintain a flawless performance in the future.” Source: Porsche

P4: Cadillac V-Series.R #2

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R was forced into an off-sequence strategy early in the race as Westbrook flat-spotted the front tires when held up by another Hypercar entering pit lane. Double stinting the tires was planned, and the veteran sports car driver withstood the severe vibration for 25 minutes before returning to pit lane for a fresh set of Michelin tires and resuming his quest.

Bamber climbed in the prototype with 3 hours, 38 minutes left and began a charge that saw the New Zealander climb to third in the order with consistent laps times, including a best of 1 minute, 33.077 seconds. On the fifth of six pit stops, Lynn took over the seat with 1 hour, 43 minutes left and continued to click off consistent lap times and close on the third-place Porsche in the waning minutes.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. The hybrid #2 Cadillac V-Series.R co-driven by Richard Westbrook, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn advanced four spots from its qualifying position to finish fourth, 2 laps behind the winners.

Earl Bamber: “The car was really good. Obviously for us, the first time on a European circuit. We still have a lot to learn to be honest, but I think we can keep improving. We’ve made a good step forward and I think we’ve made a step closer toward the Toyotas. On pure pace and longevity, I’m really forward to Spa where we’ll keep improving and look forward to Le Mans.”

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. The #2 Cadillac V-Series.R co-driven by Richard Westbrook, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn.

Richard Westbrook: “I was able to move up a bit and stayed in the train and then, as expected, the car really came alive toward the end of the stint. Just as we were making that first pit stop, I came in right underneath the Peugeot and I felt like he really over-slowed the car. I was right up his gearbox, lost a bit of front downforce and had a bad lockup. I had no idea if it was a flat spot or not, so they filled up and I went out and it was bad. I was really hanging on. We had to abort that second stint after halfway through, so we had to go off-strategy. We have some pace in the car.”

Alex Lynn: “From my side, it was a really solid day for us in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R. We got unlucky with the safety car that took a podium away from us, but the car was really quick and we’re just learning more and more. Big thanks to my teammates Richard and Earl for some super star driving, and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

P5: #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. Nico Müller, Gustavo Menezes and Loïc Duval with the #94 PEUGEOT 9X8.

Both Peugeot 9X8 showed a significant improvement since Monza as both cars ended ahead the pack of LMP2 cars AND both cars finished contrary to previous races when several mechanical issues forced the French Hypercars to stay many laps in garage or abandon.

Nico Müller, Gustavo Menezes and then Loïc Duval, were in the top 7 fighting against a strong competition from Cadillac, Ferrari and Porsche. Thanks to a consistent pace and some very good pitstops from the mechanics, the #94 PEUGEOT 9X8 Hybrid Hypercar crossed the finish line in 5th position and this despite a defective reequired torque sensor that forced the team and especially Gustavo and Loïc to end the race in default mode.

Next 5 are 3 laps or more behind winners

P6: #51 Ferrari 499P

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. Pier Guidi - Calado - Giovinazzi with Ferrari 499P #51.

The Ferrari – AF Corse 499P #51 was affected by a glitch in the brake-by-wire system. Despite the intervention of the mechanics in the pit, two hours and twenty minutes into the race, a problem with the braking system on the front axle slowed the pace of the car that the three-time world champions Pier Guidi and Calado shared with Giovinazzi. This cut short a comeback that had lifted the trio to third in the final stages. The #51 drivers’ skill in handling the car allowed them to complete the race 3 laps behind the winning Toyota and come away with eight points.

James Calado (Ferrari 499P #51) : « I am disappointed with the result. We had a brake problem when Antonio climbed into the Hypercar, and for most of the race, we tried to manage it. It’s a shame because we could have aimed for the podium up to that point. Our pace was good compared to the other cars. We’re trying to stay positive and are already thinking about the next outing in Belgium. »

P7: #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. The #93 PEUGEOT 9X8 driven by Paul Di Resta, Jean-Eric Vergne et Mikkel Jensen.

Paul Di Resta, behind the wheel of the #93 PEUGEOT 9X8 took the start from the pitlane following a change of power steering before the start and progressively made his way through the field to come back at the end of the Hypercar pack after two hours of racing.

The #93 PEUGEOT 9X8, once back in contact with the Hypercar grid, Paul Di Resta, Jean-Eric Vergne et Mikkel Jensen kept an aggressive pace while making their way through the traffic and the Hypercar class to 7th position. Source: Peugeot Sport.

P8: Glickenhaus 007 #708

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. *Romain Dumas, Ryan Briscoe and Olivier Pla with Glickenhaus 007 #708*.

Despite a slow start as the SCG 007 was struggling to get the Michelin tires up to temperature, Romain Dumas, Ryan Briscoe and Olivier Pla brought their Glickenhaus 007 #708 back to the checkered flag in P7 after a faultless race. As Jim Glickenhaus said during the pre-race conference, the team succeed in « trying to win the index of Economic Performance as we spend much less for the result we got than anyone… »

P9: Toyota GR010 HYBRID #7

Conway squeezed ahead of pole-sitting Sébastien to lead the race during the first 33 laps. The race took a dramatic turn after 80 minutes when the team was instructed to change a rear-left driveshaft sensor on the #7 GR010 HYBRID. According to Hypercar regulations, performance is monitored by standardised torque sensors on the driveshafts, which must function at all times.
Mechanics from both car #7 and #8 worked in tandem to change the complete rear-left corner of the car in an impressive 11 minutes, allowing Lopez to resume the race in 34th, seven laps down but with still with hope of scoring points. At mid-race, Lopez had fought up to 22nd. With two hours remaining, Kobayashi moved back into the Hypercar points to continue the #7 car’s recovery.
Conway, who set the fastest lap of the race in the early stages, completed the last stint at the wheel of the #7 car to end ninth, 7 laps behind sister #8.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. Conway, Kobayashi, Lopez with Toyota #7.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “Overall it is great for car #8 to win the race. They did an absolutely amazing job, without any mistakes so they deserved this win. Congratulations to the whole crew. It was unfortunate for car #7 because after spending that time in the garage we had no chance to get a strong result. Thank you to both car crews for their great work to change the parts in just 11 minutes; I was really proud to see this strong team effort. The car felt good all through the race, we just didn’t have the luck today. So, we need to get ready for the next one and keep working hard. Spa is only a few days away and this is an important race for all of us to prepare for Le Mans. We will put today’s misfortune behind us and focus on coming back even stronger, because we know the competition is closing the gap.”

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. The pack of Hypercars leaded by Toyota GR010 HYBRID #7 at turn 5 of first lap of the 6 Hours of Portimao 2023.

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “Unfortunately it was a tough day for car #7 with the issue which put us out of contention. We came back and at least scored a couple of points but at the end of the day it was a disappointing outcome. Congratulations to everyone on car #8. They drove a great race and deservedly got the win, which is nice for the team. It’s a good day for one side of the garage and a bad one for the other but we will come back fighting in Spa, and Le Mans is coming up fast.”
José María López (Driver, car #7): “It was looking very good for car #7, as well as for the team to repeat the one-two from Sebring but unfortunately we had the problem. That was really unlucky and it put us out of the picture. But we never stopped fighting and at least came back for a couple of points; you never know how that might affect the World Championship later in the season. Looking at the bigger picture, it is a good result for the team and congratulations to car #8; they drove a great race.”

P10 Hypercar class but last overall: Porsche 963 #5

The #5 Porsche 963 managed to progress to fifth place up until midway through the race. With a good 100 minutes left on the clock, a problem involving the power steering forced the #5 hypercar into the pits for a longer repair stop. Just under an hour later, it rejoined the race in P11 in the hypercar class to end P10 in class, 33 laps behind the winners and P22 overall.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Portimão. Cameron, Christensen and Makowiecki with Porsche 963 #5.

Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 963 #5): “Congratulations to our sister car! I’m happy that a Porsche 963 is on the podium. Our race was very tough. We couldn’t match the pace of the others and now we have to take some time to analyse what caused it, what’s right and what’s wrong. We want to be back up with the play at the next race in Spa.”