Toyota and Porsche crown WEC season in Bahrain

Toyota and Porsche celebrated shared success in the season finale of the World Endurance Championship in Bahrain. The No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing car, driven by Sebastien Buemi, Ryo Hirakawa, and Brendon Hartley, secured victory in the 8 Hours of Bahrain, clinching the manufacturers' title for Toyota. Meanwhile, André Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor, and Kevin Estre, in the No. 6 Porsche Penske, won the drivers' title in the Hypercar category.

Toyota's Constructors' Title in Bahrain

The race began with a difficult situation for the No. 8 Toyota. An early incident left Sebastien Buemi dropped to seventh place after contact with the No. 82 TF Sport Corvette. It wasn’t until the later stages that the Toyota pole-sitter started to regain ground, eventually catching and overtaking Matt Campbell's No. 5 Porsche, thanks to tire management that proved decisive.

Buemi secured victory in the final stage of the race, with a 27-second lead over Antonio Giovinazzi’s No. 51 Ferrari. This was Toyota's first win from pole this season and ensured their fourth consecutive title as manufacturers' champions in the Hypercar category.

Porsche Claims the Drivers' Title

Despite a race full of challenges, the No. 6 Porsche Penske, driven by Lotterer, Vanthoor, and Estre, earned enough points to claim the drivers' title. Starting from sixth on the grid and facing several incidents, including penalties and drops in the standings, they eventually finished in eleventh place. However, the points accumulated over the season allowed them to secure the championship.

Lotterer, who raced for the last time as a factory driver for Porsche, celebrated his second career title in the WEC, highlighting the team's efforts during a season marked by the need to adapt strategies in real-time.

Other Results

The No. 51 Ferrari and No. 5 Porsche completed the podium after an intense battle in the final laps. Giovinazzi managed to overtake Campbell almost at the last corner, showing that Ferrari would not give up until the end. The No. 93 Peugeot finished fourth, matching their best result of the season, while the No. 35 Alpine completed the top five after a close fight with the No. 15 BMW and No. 38 Hertz Team Jota.

The No. 2 Cadillac took advantage of the final laps to secure seventh place, surpassing the No. 83 Ferrari and the No. 36 Alpine, who rounded out the top 10 positions.

Ferrari's Victory in LMGT3

In the LMGT3 category, victory went to the No. 55 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari, driven by Alessio Rovera, François Heriau, and Simon Mann. The race was filled with action in the final hours, with constant changes at the front and intense competition among several manufacturers. Rovera took the lead after a tough battle with the No. 81 TF Sport Corvette and Iron Dames' Lamborghini, maintaining his advantage to the end.

TF Sport achieved their best result of the season, with the No. 82 Corvette taking third place after a recovery from an early penalty. Other notable positions included Iron Lynx's Lamborghini in fourth place, followed by Manthey EMA's No. 91 Porsche and United Autosports' No. 59 McLaren.

POSITION	NUMBER	TEAM	DRIVER 1	DRIVER 2	DRIVER 3	VEHICLE	CLASS	TOTAL TIME
1	8	Toyota Gazoo Racing	Sébastien BUEMI	Brendon HARTLEY	Ryo HIRAKAWA	Toyota GR010 - Hybrid	HYPERCAR	8:01'25.839
2	5	Porsche Penske Motorsport	Matt CAMPBELL	Michael CHRISTENSEN	Frédéric MAKOWIECKI	Porsche 963	HYPERCAR	8:01'55.016
3	93	Peugeot TotalEnergies	Mikkel JENSEN	Nico MÜLLER	Jean-Eric VERGNE	Peugeot 9X8	HYPERCAR	8:02'02.638
4	35	Alpine Endurance Team	Paul-Loup CHATIN	Ferdinand HABSBURG	Jules GOUNON	Alpine A424	HYPERCAR	8:02'03.243
5	15	BMW M Team WRT	Dries VANTHOOR	Raffaele MARCIELLO	Marco WITTMANN	BMW M HYBRID V8	HYPERCAR	8:02'13.755
6	2	Cadillac Racing	Earl BAMBER	Alex LYNN	Sébastien BOURDAIS	Cadillac V-Series.R	HYPERCAR	8:02'21.680
7	38	Hertz Team JOTA	Jenson BUTTON	Philip HANSON	Oliver RASMUSSEN	Porsche 963	HYPERCAR	8:02'26.673
8	83	AF Corse	Robert KUBICA	Robert SHWARTZMAN	Yifei YE	Ferrari 499P	HYPERCAR	8:02'29.378
9	36	Alpine Endurance Team	Charles MILESI	Mick SCHUMACHER	Matthieu VAXIVIERE	Alpine A424	HYPERCAR	8:02'37.903
10	6	Porsche Penske Motorsport	Kévin ESTRE	André LOTTERER	Laurens VANTHOOR	Porsche 963	HYPERCAR	8:02'45.550
11	50	Ferrari AF Corse	Antonio FUOCO	Miguel MOLINA	Nicklas NIELSEN	Ferrari 499P	HYPERCAR	8:02'56.490
12	99	Proton Competition	Harry TINCKNELL	Neel JANI	Julien ANDLAUER	Porsche 963	HYPERCAR	8:02'42.004
13	12	Hertz Team JOTA	Will STEVENS	Callum ILOTT	Norman NATO	Porsche 963	HYPERCAR	8:02'47.333
14	51	Ferrari AF Corse	Alessandro PIER GUIDI	James CALADO	Antonio GIOVINAZZI	Ferrari 499P	HYPERCAR	8:03'04.268
15	55	Vista AF Corse	François HERIAU	Simon MANN	Alessio ROVERA	Ferrari 296 LMGT3	LMGT3	8:01'29.581
16	81	TF Sport	Tom VAN ROMPUY	Rui ANDRADE	Charlie EASTWOOD	Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R	LMGT3	8:01'32.603
17	82	TF Sport	Hiroshi KOIZUMI	Sébastien BAUD	Daniel JUNCADELLA	Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R	LMGT3	8:01'34.460
18	60	Iron Lynx	Claudio SCHIAVONI	Matteo CRESSONI	Matteo CAIROLI	Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 Evo2	LMGT3	8:01'35.728
19	91	Manthey EMA	Yasser SHAHIN	Morris SCHURING	Richard LIETZ	Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3	LMGT3	8:02'00.235
20	59	United Autosports	James COTTINGHAM	Nicolas COSTA	Grégoire SAUCY	McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo	LMGT3	8:02'12.019
21	54	Vista AF Corse	Thomas FLOHR	Francesco CASTELLACCI	Davide RIGON	Ferrari 296 LMGT3	LMGT3	8:02'27.462
22	95	United Autosports	Joshua CAYGILL	Nicolas PINO	Marino SATO	McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo	LMGT3	8:02'35.989
23	92	Manthey PureRxcing	Aliaksandr MALYKHIN	Joel STURM	Klaus BACHLER	Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3	LMGT3	8:02'38.348
24	85	Iron Dames	Sarah BOVY	Rahel FREY	Michelle GATTING	Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 Evo2	LMGT3	8:02'48.814
25	27	Heart of Racing Team	Ian JAMES	Daniel MANCINELLI	Alex RIBERAS	Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3	LMGT3	8:03'16.455
26	777	D'Station Racing	Clément MATEU	Erwan BASTARD	Marco SØRENSEN	Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3	LMGT3	8:03'30.433
27	31	Team WRT	Darren LEUNG	Sean GELAEL	Augusto FARFUS	BMW M4 LMGT3	LMGT3	8:03'56.384
28	46	Team WRT	Ahmad AL HARTHY	Valentino ROSSI	Maxime MARTIN	BMW M4 LMGT3	LMGT3	8:01'59.603
29	63	Lamborghini Iron Lynx	Mirko BORTOLOTTI	Edoardo MORTARA	Daniil KVYAT	Lamborghini SC63	HYPERCAR	7:21'39.962
30	94	Peugeot TotalEnergies	Paul DI RESTA	Loïc DUVAL	Stoffel VANDOORNE	Peugeot 9X8	HYPERCAR	6:01'32.013
31	77	Proton Competition	Ryan HARDWICK	Zacharie ROBICHON	Benjamin BARKER	Ford Mustang LMGT3	LMGT3	6:47'18.431
32	87	Akkodis ASP Team	Takeshi KIMURA	Esteban MASSON	Jose Maria LOPEZ	Lexus RC F LMGT3	LMGT3	6:43'58.986
33	7	Toyota Gazoo Racing	Mike CONWAY	Kamui KOBAYASHI	Nyck DE VRIES	Toyota GR010 - Hybrid	HYPERCAR	5:54'29.672
34	88	Proton Competition	Giorgio RODA	Giammarco LEVORATO	Dennis OLSEN	Ford Mustang LMGT3	LMGT3	5:24'37.576
35	20	BMW M Team WRT	Sheldon VAN DER LINDE	Robin FRIJNS	René RAST	BMW M HYBRID V8	HYPERCAR	3:36'27.639
36	78	Akkodis ASP Team	Arnold ROBIN	Conrad LAURSEN	Kelvin VAN DER LINDE	Lexus RC F LMGT3	LMGT3	2:20'32.520