Porsche fights for the manufacturer’s and driver’s titles at the season finale
Due to the longer race duration of eight hours in Bahrain, victory will be rewarded with 38 points instead of the usual 25 points. This makes the world championship calculation easy: If one of the two factory-run Porsche 911 RSR wins the race and the second car crosses the finish line, Porsche will take home the manufacturer’s crown. If the No. 92 car achieves pole position and finishes the final race in first place, Kévin Estre (France) and Michael Christensen (Denmark) will secure the drivers’ title for the second time since 2018/2019.
Gianmaria Bruni still has a chance of winning the drivers’ championship in the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR: The Italian is just 14 points shy of the leaders in the overall standings. His teammate Richard Lietz from Austria is out of contention for the title after missing the Monza race due to ill health and losing the chance to earn points. The race in Bahrain is also the works team’s final event with the RSR. The two factory nine-elevens will be decked out in a unique design, which highlights the great successes, the drivers, the venues and the special liveries of the past ten years. In the GTE-Am class, three customer squads field five of the 911 RSR.
The FIA WEC was first contested on the 5.412-kilometre Bahrain International Cir-cuit close to the capital Manama in its 2012 inaugural season. The only time the endurance race was not held in Sakhir was in the 2018/2019 season. High daytime temperatures, falling temperatures at dusk and fine sand at times covering the asphalt make the race a huge challenge for teams, engineers and drivers. Tyre wear is a major consideration on the Grand Prix circuit with its 15 turns. A consistent pace over a full stint is regarded as the key to success. For the eight-hour race in Bahrain, points will be multiplied by a factor of 1.5 and rounded up (38-27-23-18-15-12-9-6-3-2). Moreover, achieving pole position with the fastest qualifying lap yields an extra point towards the world championship.
The Porsche GT Team drivers
The two Le Mans class winners Gianmaria Bruni from Italy and Richard Lietz from Austria join forces in the Porsche 911 RSR with the starting number 91. The Italian currently ranks third in the drivers’ championship, with his Austrian teammate in fourth. Their brand colleagues Kévin Estre from France and Michael Christensen from Denmark rank second in the overall standings. The two drivers in the No. 92 cockpit won the 2022 season-opening round in Sebring (USA). Porsche sits just one point behind the leader in the manufacturer’s classification.
The customer teams
Dempsey-Proton Racing runs two Porsche 911 RSR racers at the WEC round in Bahrain. Team owner Christian Ried (Germany) shares driving duties in the No. 77 car with the two British racing drivers Harry Tincknell and Sebastian Priaulx. The No. 88 sister car is shared by Americans Fred Poordad and Patrick Lindsey with support from Belgium’s Jan Heylen.
The No. 46 entry of Project 1 is driven by Switzerland’s Nicolas Leutwiler, Mikkel Pedersen from Denmark and Italy’s Matteo Cairoli. Americans Gunnar Jeannette and PJ Hyett join forces in the No. 56 car fielded by the German customer team with Ben Barnicoat from the UK. GR Racing’s No. 86 car is helmed by the British drivers Michael Wainwright and Ben Barker as well as Riccardo Pera from Italy.
