FIA WEC Shanghai Resources

» Porsche can wrap up the Manufacturers and Drivers Championships this weekend. #2 Porsche (Bernhard/Hartley/Bamber) only need to finish third or better, even if Toyota score a 1-2. Porsche have not been shy to use team orders, so without a DNF, this seems likely.

» In the manufacturer’s battle, Porsche need to leave Shanghai with a 44 point gap over Toyota. They currently have a 58.5 point advantage, so Toyota need to score 14 points more than Porsche to keep their title hopes alive. A 1-2 will do this, but that’s a big ask.

» In LMP2, the #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing car leads tops the standings by 10 points, over the #31 Rebellion. With 25 points for a win, The #38 needs to outscore the #31 by 16 points. The #38 Jota run car has not outscored the Rebellion since the Nurburgring, so momentum is with the Swiss team.

» Signatech Alpine are still in the the battle, but hopes are slim. The #36 lags behind the #38 by 25 points, meaning it must outscore the JC DC car at Shanghai to remain in the fight.

» Roman Rusinov’s Russian merry-go-round continues in China. Pierre Thiriet is sitting out this weekend and replaced by ELMS Champion Leo Roussel. Audi DTM driver Nico Muller joins Roussel and Rusinov in the TDS run but G-Drive branded car. Despite Pierre sitting out, it appears the Thiriet branding remains on the car.

» Roussel and Muller make it 7 different drivers in the WEC G-Drive car this year so far – Rusinov, Thiriet, Lynn, Hanley, Rossiter, Roussel and Muller. Loic Duval is set to join the team for Bahrain, making it 8.

» #51 AF Corse Ferrari leads the GTE-Pro battle with 131 points. The closest challenger is the #91 Porsche on 115, 16 behind. The #71 AF Corse has 109, 22 behind the leader. Realistically, it’s a long shot for the #71 to win the title – will Ferrari use team orders to aid the #51?

» The highest Ford is the #67 in fourth, 25 behind the leading Ferrari. The #67 must score more than the #51 to remain in the championship fight. If the #51 has a bad day then the #67 is in with a chance, but a bad day for the #51 is good for the second and third placed cars too.

» The GTE-Am battle is the tightest of the lot. The #61 Clearwater Ferrari has 149 points,  the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche has 147 and the #98 Aston Martin has 146.

» Mike Wainwright continues to take time off for business commitments this weekend. His replacement is Khaled Al Qubaisi, who has his just his second WEC entry of the year. His only other WEC entry was at Le Mans, where the race lasted just 18 laps before the car was unceremoniously deposited into the wall at the Porsche curves by Roman Rusinov.

 

Engineering student, lover of all things technical and lifelong motorsport fan. Employed in the Oil & Gas Industry, developing Major Emergency Management simulations. Owner of the best beard on the site.