This weekend’s FIA WEC season finale came down to a late-race intentional shunting and a race control deciding not to penalize for the action. In my absolutely biased opinion, this is a black eye on the sport, and the Ferrari team should be ashamed of their actions. When Porsche came to Bahrain for last weekend’s six-hour event, it was clearly the car to beat. In the interceding week Ferrari whined to the stewards for a change to the balance of performance regulations to allow the Italians an advantage over Porsche. Then, on track, when the team still couldn’t find its way to the top of the podium on pace alone, they resorted to the loser’s strategy of punting the leading Porsche off the track.
The eight hours of Bahrain is one that Porsche will be happy to put behind them, because everything was going their way for seven hours and forty five minutes until Alessandro Pier Guidi decided to shove his front bumper up the backside of the leading German rival. At the front it was polesitter Kevin Estre and #92 car teammates Michael Christensen and Neel Jani controlling the pace and successfully fending off attacks from the Ferrari camp for most of the race. The team did what they needed to, providing flawless pitstops and strategy, and victory looked like a sure thing. The #91 car suffered bad luck all around, as Gianmaria Bruni, Richard Lietz, and Fred Makowiecki went from the lead to last in quick succession. After running up front for the first four hours, the team got a pit penalty. Later the car had a loose rear wheel, which caused the team to make an unscheduled pit stop. The best they could do was fourth.
Initially the race stewards ordered the Ferrari to cede the lead of the race back to the Porsche, but then changed their minds and allowed the spin to stand as the official call on the field. The Ferrari trotted off to the win, and the championship. Porsche fought fair all season, but Ferrari threw their reputations in the mud.
“It’s a sad day for Porsche Motorsport,” comments Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Motorsport. “Our rival nudged our leading car into a spin and drove on to victory. We can’t understand why the race director first issued a penalty and then withdrew it. Our drivers and teams deserve the utmost respect. Everyone drove a fair and clean race for eight hours and gave spectators a great show. I’d like to thank them all for this. Right up until the end, the race was a really great promotion for motor racing.”
“It was a sad end to an extremely exciting race for us. Unfortunately, we were spun off the track by a competitor,” remarks Alexander Stehlig, Head of Operations FIA WEC, giving an account of his impressions. “We can’t understand the race stewards’ decision. First, the two leading cars were supposed to switch positions after the contact which would’ve put our Porsche back in the lead. A little later, they withdrew this announcement during the No. 92’s pit stop. So, despite our fair and clean race, we couldn’t achieve our goals. That’s why we’ve lodged a protest.”
In the GTE-Am class, the German customer teams Dempsey-Proton Racing and Project 1 repeated their successes from the previous week at the same racetrack. Germany’s Christian Ried, works driver Matt Campbell from Australia and New Zealander Jaxon Evans finished second in their No. 77 Porsche 911 RSR. The identical car shared by Norway‘s Egidio Perfetti and the two Italians Matteo Cairoli and Riccardo Pera achieved third place.
Drivers’ comments after the race
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “Our fight was tough and fair and we held a well-deserved lead. With a few minutes to go, a Ferrari hit our car. At first, race control ordered that he should hand first place back to us. While we were driving to the scheduled refuelling pit stop, they then retracted this decision and we didn’t get our position back. I don’t think that’s fair.”Neel Jani (Porsche 911 RSR #92): “We were champions until eight minutes before the flag and then we lost it. If someone overtakes us fair and square we don’t have a problem with this and they’re the deserved winner – but not with a shunt. The team did a terrific job, the strategy and pit stops were super. I can only thank Kévin and Michael for this season.”
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “After such a race, I can honestly say I’m glad it’s over. Things were looking so promising for us. We were in the lead and were really fast. Then came a botched pit stop, followed by a defect and then a penalty. Many things didn’t go as we’d hoped. Unfortunately, that’s the way it is in motorsport sometimes. But let’s just forget this one.”
Christian Ried (Porsche 911 RSR #77): “That was a super race and a great end to the season. We moved up to third place in the championship so it couldn’t have gone better for us. Jaxon Evans and especially Matt Campbell put in an awesome fight – I thought I’d have a heart attack. Matt wasn’t completely happy with the car during the last stint, but he fought hard and managed to gradually close the gap. Then on the last lap, in the last corner, he snatched second place! Super cool!”
Matteo Cairoli (Porsche 911 RSR #56): “We would’ve preferred third place in the championship but unfortunately Dempsey-Proton Racing’s car overtook us on the last lap – at least it was a Porsche. I must admit, though, I’m very disappointed. We’ll be back in full force next year.”
Race result
GTE-Pro class
1. Calado/Pier Guidi (GB/I), AF Corse, Ferrari 488 GTE #51, 233 laps
2. Estre/Jani/Christensen (F/CH/DK), Porsche GT Team, Porsche 911 RSR #92, 233 laps
3. Serra/Molina (BR/E), AF Corse, Ferrari 488 GTE #52, 233 laps
4. Lietz/Bruni/Makowiecki (A/I/F), Porsche GT Team, Porsche 911 RSR #91, 231 laps
GTE-Am class
1. Perrodo/Nielsen/Rovera (F/DK/I), AF Corse, Ferrari 488 GTE #83, 230 laps
2. Ried/Campbell/Evans (D/AUS/NZ), Dempsey-Proton Racing, Porsche 911 RSR #77, 229 laps
3. Perfetti/Cairoli/Pera (N/I/I), Team Project 1, Porsche 911 RSR #56, 229 laps
10. Wainwright/Barker/Gamble (GB/GB/GB), GR Racing, Porsche 911 RSR #86, 224 laps
DNF. Andlauer/Jefferies/Al Qubaisi (F/GB/UAE), Dempsey-Proton Racing, Porsche 911 RSR #88, 90 laps