Mark Webber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley have taken their fourth consecutive win of the season in FIA WEC championship at Shanghai, China. The Stuttgart team earns it 13th team championship in his fourth one-two of the season. Audi completes the podium.
Hour 1: Rain brings the action in Shanghai
The 6 Hours of Shanghai has started behind the safety car for 10 minutes due to rain conditions. When the race finally started, Marc Lieb let the Porsche #17 take the lead followed by the Audi #7 of André Lotterer who overtook his team mate. Lotterer then contact with the Porsche #18 who spun.
In LMP2, the race started with an awful mistake by KCMG driver, Nick Tandy who spun and lost a lap causing the safety car appearance. Meanwhile, Toni Vilander took the lead for AF Corse in GTE Pro.
When the green flag returned to the track, Alex Brundle from Pegasus Racing passed fourth cars in one lap to take the second place in LMP2, despite at the end of the hour, the G-Drive #28 of “Pipo” Derani overtook him. Whereas Porsche #18 started his comeback from last to fifth under worst track conditions.
The race emotion was in GTE Pro where the Porsche Team Manthey #91 of Richard Lietz after a great wheel-to-wheel battle with his team mate for second position, took the lead of the category after a great manoeuvre on AF Corse #51.
Hour 2: Hartley extends his race leadership
The second hour started under a solid lead from Porsche #17 in front of Audi #7 & #8, the Toyota #1 still running in fourth as Porsche #18 was fifth after a great comeback from last position. In LMP2, G-Drive Racing #26 led as Porsche Team Manthey #91 was in front of GTE Pro category, before the pit stops.
A pit stops that helps Oliver Jarvis to overtake Lotterer for second place. In LMP2, Extreme Speed Motorsports #30 made a manoeuvre on Pegasus Racing #29 for podium positions.
In GTE Pro pit stops helped Davide Rigon to take the lead of the race but not for many time, because Michael Christensen with Porsche Team Manthey #91 pass the Italian to re-take the first place.
In the middle of the hour we join the first Full-Course-Yellow period due to the outing of Danny Watts (Strakka Racing). This helped to cause another FCY because the track get worst conditions, and in this second FCY – caused by the Rebellion #13 of Dominik Kraihamer, Audi pilots came in for driver’s change.
Hour 3: Audi face up Porsche in the second replacement
The third hours started with a lot of spun off from Toyota’s. The Toyota #2 spun off at turn 1, as Toyota #1 made the same at last turn, adhere to the incessant outings from Corvette GT Am car. The FCY appeared again for this problems and Porsche use this to do his driver’s change.
This driver’s change didn’t help anything for Porsche #17 who after lead the first two hours, lost the leadership with Audi #8, as Audi #7 kept the third place.
The battle for first place was open, and Audi #7 overtook the Porsche #17 and the Audi #8 for the lead of the race, but some minutes later, Jani’s Porsche #18 overtook his team mate and both Audi’s for the lead. Audi #8 of Di Grassi was out of pace and drop third place with Porsche #17 of Timo Bernhard.
In LMP2, Pegasus Racing was showing a great pace once again with Alex Brundle in the wheel after pass the G-Drive Racing #28, as they team mates, G-Drive Racing #26 received a Drive Through to not respect the speed during FCY.
In GTE Pro, Porsche Team Manthey #91 was leading the category in a dominant way, running one lap in front of his team mate. The pace of Christensen on board of #91 machine was very high and the Danish racer was in 10th of overall series.
Hour 4: Porsche back to his untouchable pace in LMP1 & GT’s
Already in the second half of the race, the leaders pit in the early minutes of this hour. They all put the wet tyres but, Toyota #1 with Sébastien Buemi on board, decided to set the hybrid tyres.
The track was drying up and this helped Porsche to back to his incredible pace to make a big gap with the Audi’s. And under this stable lead, Jaani let Bernhard take the lead of the race to extend the leadership of Bernhard-Hartley-Webber in the driver’s championship. This made react Audi, setting the hybrid tyres to Marcel Fässler to try to cut the gap –but it didn’t work out.
In LMP2, the penalties that G-Drive cars received, help a lot Signatech Alpine to climb to second place, just 30 seconds behind Pegasus who still running very fast with Ho-Pin Tung on board.
In GTE Pro everything extant the same with Porsche Team Manthey #91 in the lead of the category and in the 10th position of the race.
Hour 5: Changes in LMP2, Alpine takes the lead
Audi lost a lot of options to win today’s race in this hour when they lose the lead lap with Porsche.
But an error by Romain Dumas with Porsche #18 may him lose second place, and then the Audi’s put slick tyres and cut the gap with Porsche who react in time to keep the lead but not the podium because Audi #7 and Audi #8 overtook the Porsche #18.
Signatech Alpine took the lead of the race after a great pit stop and drive by Tom Dillmann who debuted in this track, team and series. Pegasus Racing who led for most of the race drop to fourth, while Porsche Team Manthey #91 kept the lead of GTE Pro.
Hour 6: Audi tries to mislead Porsche but they react
In an almost decided first place for Mark Webber in Porsche #17, the battle for second place was the main thing of the race. Audi changed Tréluyer for Lotterer in order to set a quicker pace to secure second position.
But Porsche reacted with a late stop for Romain Dumas, who only stop to put fuel in his car, allowing him to keep the second place in front of Audi’s #7.
In GTE Pro, Gianmaria Bruni for AF Corse managed to break Porsche’s GT dominance taking a final second place before the FCY, caused by two crashes of Rebellion #12 and Strakka Racing at second sector. This FCY didn’t help Lotterer chances to fight for second place.
In the last minute, G-Drive #28 went off and allow the KCMG finish in the last step of the podium after start the race under one lap.
Final – Porsche wins manufacture’s championship
Porsche achieves season 4th consecutive win, and 4th for Webber-Hartley-Bernhard trio who helps to take the fourth one-two of the season for German squad, an excellent results that makes Porsche the champions with one race to go.
Now Porsche #17 extends his lead in the championship to 12 points from Lotterer-Tréluyer-Fässler who finished third today earning another podium to maintain the championship chances.
In LMP2, maiden win this season for Signatech Alpine with Chatin-Panciatici-Dillmann. Second place for G-Drive #26 who expands the gap with KCMG to 16 points in the drivers’ championship. The mistake from G-Drive #28 made them lose the championship hopes.
In GTE Pro solid win for Porsche Team Manthley duo Christensen-Lietz ahead of AF Corse drivers, Bruni-Vilander. Porsche Team Manthey of Makowiecki-Pliet completes the podium.
Next race and season finale will be held at Bahrain in November 21.