Motorsport: Porsche in front, but opponents show the flag
The prologue, as the official test drives of the teams involved in the World Endurance Championship are called at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, heralded the start of the racing season for the Le Mans prototypes and GT cars from the WEC on the Easter weekend. 29 different cars completed 17 hours of laps. However, the prologue is nothing more than an initial assessment of the situation. One [...]
However, the prologue is nothing more than an initial assessment. The first conclusive indication of this year's balance of power will not come until April 17 at the 6 Hours of Silverstone, where points will be at stake for the first time. If we take last season as a comparison, when Audi won the first two races but Porsche dominated from Le Mans onwards, then we will have to wait until the big classic in June before the strengths and weaknesses of the three major LMP1 manufacturers Audi, Porsche and Toyota are known.
Audi and Toyota with completely new cars at the start
Porsche's strength certainly lies in its immense experience with the proven 919 Hybrid, even though it has been modified in many details. Audi and Toyota, however, are coming up with completely new cars that have yet to prove their reliability. With the R18, Audi is now moving up into the 6MJ class, while Toyota, with the new TS050, is moving into the 8MJ class previously occupied by Porsche alone. In terms of performance, all hybrid prototypes now bring around 1000 hp to the road. The WRC organizers are trying to reduce lap times through various parameters, such as the amount of fuel and the flow rate.
First fastest time of the day for Neel Jani and Belgium test for Porsche
Nevertheless, Porsche was practically as fast in Le Castellet as last year. Neel Jani set the fastest time of the first day in the evening at dusk, while his team-mate Brendon Hartley was 42 thousandths faster on the second day. The direct competitors each had only one new car, with Toyota eight tenths behind Porsche and slightly closer to Audi (+1.3 seconds). Audi continued testing on site over the long Easter weekend, while Porsche chauffeured all the material and other new parts from the south of France to Spa-Francorchamps for private testing in Belgium on Tuesday and Wednesday. The second race will then be held there on May 7.
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Photos: Audi, Toyota, Porsche
