Ferrari to defend titles in Bahrain

The final act of the FIA World Endurance Championship is set to take place in the Persian Gulf with the Bahrain 8 Hours, scheduled for Saturday, 12 November. Ferrari arrive at the sixth round of the season as the LMGTE Pro class leader in both the Constructors' and Drivers' standings with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado.

The build-up. The concluding round of the FIA WEC is hosted by the Bahrain International Circuit located in Sakhir, a 5.412-kilometre track featuring 15 turns. The endurance race, due to its eight-hour duration, rewards the top driver with a points haul of 38, plus a bonus point for the crew claiming pole position.

After the one-two at the 6 Hours of Fuji in the LMGTE Pro class, with the reigning champions in the AF Corse-run no. 51 488 GTE finishing ahead of team-mates Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina in the no. 52 sister car, the Maranello manufacturer is back in the spotlight for an event that will force the two crews to race defensively, given the newly-established Balance of Performance parameters. In the Constructors' standings Ferrari currently hold first position on 216 points, with a one-point margin over Porsche.

LMGTE Pro. Pier Guidi and Calado will aim to defend the top spot in the Drivers' standings, with the Italo-British pair leading on 120 points, enjoying an 11-point advantage over Estre-Christensen, thanks to two wins in Japan and the Spa 6 Hours. The drivers of the no. 51 Ferrari achieved the class victory in 2021 on the Sakhir track, earning themselves a second world title, following the one scooped in 2017, celebrated at the very same Bahrain venue. “If we are leading the championship, it is because we have been able to optimise every aspect in every single race, thanks to the work of the team and the determination of James and myself,” explains Pier Guidi. “In Bahrain we have a job to do, we need to push hard on a very technical track, where tyre management is a key factor.”

Aboard the no. 52 488 GTE, Fuoco and Molina will go in search of precious points towards the standings, which currently sees the pair in fifth spot, 27 points behind their team-mates. “The Sakhir track is technical and forces the driver to manage the tyres as well as possible,” commented Fuoco. “Our aim is to do our utmost to win the Constructors' and Drivers' titles with our team-mates in the no. 51 Ferrari.”

LMGTE Am. The class reserved for gentlemen drivers will feature a five-strong presence of Ferrari 488 GTEs. Two runner-up positions in Japan and Monza have allowed the Iron Dames’ no. 85 Ferrari to climb to fourth place in the team standings for Frey-Gatting-Bovy, 54 points shy of the top. In fifth place is the no. 54 AF Corse entrant with Thomas Flohr and Francesco Castellacci, flanked by Nick Cassidy, also protagonist this season in the DTM series. The Piacenza-based team’s second no. 21 car, crewed by Mann-Ulrich-Vilander, is eleventh, ahead of the no. 60 Iron Lynx 488 GTE handled by Schiavoni-Cressoni-Fisichella and the no. 71 Spirit of Race car featuring Dezoteux-Ragues-Aubry.

Programme. On Thursday, 10 November, the first free practice session kicks off at 12:15 local time, followed by the second session from 17:30. Friday sees the third free practice session from 11:00, with qualifying beginning at 16:50 for the LMGTE Pro and Am classes. On Saturday 12th the race will get underway at 14:00.