Just a month ago, Ferrari won Le Mans. But on their home turf, it is Toyota in the lead. Everyone has a dog in the fight. Toyota #7 has a 15 second margin over Ferrari #50. Peugeot running in a podium spot. If they finish on a podium here at Monza where they debuted their Hypercar last year, that will be their first WEC podium in the current era of the championship. Antonio Fuoco wants a win for the #50 Ferrari after claiming pole at the season opener at the 1,000 Miles of Sebring back in March. He wants to win for Ferrari at home, at Monza. The #93 and #94 Peugeot's both had gear selection problems early doors. Penske Porsche #5 in fourth, Fred Makowiecki at the controls. Loic Duval is the last running Hypercar in 12th place in the #94 Peugeot 9X8 with the fastest final sector time of any of the Hypercars from Variante Ascari to the start/finish line.
Olivier Pla in the Glickenhaus is continuing to chase down Antonio Giovinazzi in the #51 Ferrari 499P. Kobayashi and Fuoco were 22 seconds apart before and that gap has now shrunk to 16 and a half seconds but is stable for now. The leading Toyota has now run 165 laps, 594 miles. Charles Milesi leads LMP2 over Robin Frijns, the Frenchman leading the Dutchman. Toyota #8 are a lap down and have had a fraught race today, languishing down in fifth place currently. They were 25 points ahead in the championship and their lead is eroding headed for the final two races of 2023 at Fuji and Bahrain. Peugeot have been stepping it up and turning it on.
They are still not ready for a win, but they have been making inroads. We'll be back to talking about Peugeot in a moment. Hold that thought. The tire life is equal on the two leading GTE Am Porsche's as we look at the gap and Julien Andlauer, the Frenchman in the #77 Dempsey Proton 911 RSR-19 leads the similar #60 Iron Lynx car of Italian Matteo Cressoni by just over 12 seconds, by 12.2 seconds to be exact. Cressoni is a minute ahead of the Corvette of Nicky Catsburg right now. Catsburg is pushing. In the Hypercar class, Peugeot I believe has the second oldest factory car in the field while Toyot are in their third year of the factory program with the Hypercar for the GR010.
Everyone else is six months into their program, speaking of teams like Vanwall, Porsche, and Cadillac. Mike Conway says that the #7 Toyota is off sync with the pit stops compared to Ferrari and Toyota are on a second stint on their tires trying to strategize their final stop of the day. They can do a shorter fuel fill. They need a 13 second margin in order to change tires and they are getting there. In the meantime, a new fastest lap in Hypercar as Antonio Fuoco lays down a 1:36.753 on lap 149 of the race. This is a fascinatingly poised battle in all three classes.
Toyota now lead ahead of Ferrari and Peugeot. 169 laps completed by the leading #7 car, 609 miles. WRT lead Jota and United in LMP2. GR Racing lead over Dempsey Proton who could be passed by both Iron Dames and Corvette. Four cars have retired. Two of them from Proton and Kessel, mechanical retirements, and two from accidents. We are going to see a grandstand finish of this motor race as the gap is coming down considerably. Toyota now lead Ferrari by almost 12 seconds but they have to change tires and so, this could throw a spanner in the works.
Ferrari does not have to change tires and they are catching Toyota. This race is not done yet by any stretch. When they both hit the pit lane, Ferrari will lead, but then, Toyota will have fresher tires than Ferrari will. A Hypercar fuel stint is an hour or so. Porsche #5 has only just hit the lane for a fuel load. The #5 Porsche 963 is running sixth presently and does not have to stop again while everyone else does, it could be vaulted to a podium spot. Toyota #8 pits. Toyota are more worried about Ferrari than they are about Porsche. Unfortunately, too, the sister #8 Toyota has been out of the picture for most of the day.
Both Ferrari's and Peugeot should stop soon as we have seen #8 in the pit lane for maybe the last time with just over 45 minutes to go. Toyota #7 is pitting early. Say what? This is unexpected. Iron Dames in GTE Am in the #85 Porsche are in the lane for new tires. They feel they will have an advantage and the same is true here with the Toyota. 100% energy refill and medium tires, two scrubbed and two new ones I think. The left side tires take a pasting here at Monza. Kamui Kobayashi will take the car to the finish. Rahel Frey will finish for the Iron Dames.
There are too many fuel and race strategy yada yada's here. Ferrari in the lane too for the #50. This is fuel only. Peugeot staying out. Toyota #7 into the Ascari chicane. The tires on the Ferrari have not done a full stint but they need track position. Medium compound Michelin's for the Ferrari. This is going to be squeaky, squeaky time! The Toyota goes by and passes Antonio Fuoco. Fuoco will finish the race in #50. Ferrari had to come in now because the Toyota is running quicker while the Ferrari is still on cold tires and now the #51 is in at Ferrari as well, look. Great pit work for Toyota. They've gained some track time here with just over 40 minutes of racing remaining.
Ferrari and Toyota I think are both running medium compound tires and not hard tires. Peugeot #93 leads, a car that was brand new in 2022 in it's first race. This is a ground effects car of course with no rear wing. Peugeot in the lane in the fight for their first FIA WEC podium, the two-time consecutive Le Mans winners in 1992 and '93 and again in 2009, so three-time Le Mans winners. Every car that still comes in will spend less time in the lane than their rivals. This is like the end of a handicap race where everyone is going to be closing up on each other and the field compressing.
Paul di Resta is going to take the #93 Peugeot home to the flag. Laurens Vanthoor and Fred Makowiecki will finish in the #6 and #5 Porsche's. Kobayashi now leads Fuoco by nine seconds. WRT and Robin Frijns lead LMP2 by 1.7 seconds over Pietro Fittipaldi and Jota and then, the team car for WRT is third and fourth with Louis Deletraz and Oliver Jarvis in the #22 United Autosport entry is fourth. So, Peugeot have left the pit lane retaining third over the two Porsche 963's from Penske. We have not seen any conclusion to the #31 WRT penalty. In GTE Am it is a Porsche race. #77 Dempsey Proton leads #60 Iron Lynx.
Porsche third as well for GR Racing followed by the Corvette and the Iron Dames Porsche. #77 and #60 have to pit and so does #86. The three top Porsche's I think are out of sequence. Louis Deletraz reeling in Oliver Jarvis. Corvette won Monza last year in GTE Pro. No further action on the #31 WRT Oreca overtaking the Toyota and the Porsche. He did not see a gap and he was very lucky. Pietro Fittipaldi is now chasing Robin Frijns. Robin Frijns vs. Pietro Fittipaldi vs. Oliver Jarvis in the top three. Then comes Louis Deletraz, Charles Milesi, and Albert Costa.
Brendon Hartley wants to pass Antonio Giovinazzi as Hartley cuts a 1:36.908 compared to Giovinazzi being a second slower at 1:37.9 and change. Two consecutive fastest laps for #8 and two consecutive fastest sector times. #34 Inter Europol in the lane. A tear off being removed from the windscreen. Jota to the lane for Pietro Fittipaldi and his final stop. Frijns still has to hit the lane before we are done and dusted at Monza here this evening. Giovinazzi is being reeled in by Hartley and Giovinazzi is doing the same with Fred Makowiecki. Porsche 963 vs. Ferrari 499P vs. Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
Louis Deletraz pits the #41 WRT Oreca. The longer Robin Frijns stays out, he will need less fuel as he comes in for his last pit stop of the race. Jota have been quicker than WRT on their pit stops. The battle for fifth is heating up. #8 at 1;36.830 but #7 uncorks the ultimate fastest lap of the race, 1:36.696 on lap 180 and that extends the gap to 9.1 seconds to Antonio Fuoco. Incident between the #23 and #41 at the exit of Variante della Roggia. That is Jarvis vs. Deletraz. Robin Frijns is out of the pit lane. He is back out of the lane, the 2021 Le Mans winner in LMP2.
WRT had to add oil to the car. Sometimes, an engine can be magic in LMP2 even though they are all built the same way, the 4.2-liter Gibson Technologies V8 motor. We are within the final half hour of the race. Paul di Resta at 1:37.239 sets fastest lap for the #93 Peugeot 9X8. Hartley is coming up on the Porsche and the Ferrari's at a rate of knots. Ferrari #50 has to pass both the sister car and the Porsche. This could determine the race in Toyota's favor because Fred Makowiecki has two Ferrari's bearing down on him. However, Antonio Fuoco is the cork in the bottle behind Antonio Giovinazzi, the Le Mans winner. So, it is definitely (at Ferrari) the opening episode of the Antonio and Antonio show.
Oh! Giovinazzi makes contact with the Iron Dames Porsche! Left front of the 911 to the right rear of the 499P! This will shuffle the deck! Fuoco makes his move. Now he will have to run down the Porsche 963. Rahel Frey has a get out of jail free card and she lifted right out of it. Giovinazzi made a silly move there. Drive through penalty for consistent abuse of track limits for the #21 AF Corse GTE Am Ferrari in the hands of Belgian Ulysse de Pauw. Fastest lap at 1:37.395 to the sister #6 Porsche 963 of Laurens Vanthoor.
Toyota #7 now leads by almost 12 seconds over the Ferrari's and Antonio Fuoco will be stuck behind the Porsche and the #7 Toyota should have clear road ahead. #50 stymied behind the Porsche. So, Fuoco is going to have to push but Kobayashi has the speed and the rhythm. #7 have dominated the race today. Toyota have the experience and they have used it in spades on this Sunday. #50 still behind the lapped #5 Porsche which is receiving blue flags from the marshals and ignoring them. So, in LMP2, Deletraz is chasing Jarvis for fourth in class.
Alpine #35 all crossed up and off the road for Andre Negrao, the Brazilian late on the brakes in Variante Ascari and the car gets airborne! That flight can do damage to the electronics. The Ferrari has gotten by the Porsche through Variante della Roggia and he will be stuck behind a GTE Am car. Deletraz monstering Jarvis into and through Curva Grande. Desperate measures here at Monza. Laurens Vanthoor to the pit lane in the #6 Porsche. Brendon Hartley smells blood in the water as the #41 needs more oil and it is now going to the garage!
Bad news for WRT! Oh man! The car is pouring smoke out of it. #31 is in trouble. Game over. Peugeot #94 to the lane for the final time. They will battle the rest of the year in LMP2 and then, they will be back in 2024 with BMW in Hypercar with an M Hybrid V8. Hartley reeling in Giovinazzi. Game over for now at WRT. Robin Frijns, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Sean Gelael are out. 20 minutes to go. Alpine lead LMP2 over Jota, United, and WRT. Alpine #36 will pit and might go for tires. This is getting down to the nitty gritty. These are the money laps. It takes 40 seconds to drive through the pit lane.
Alpine have been out of sync. They did not have the luxury of a safety car or a Full Course Yellow. Jota take the race lead over United and WRT who are fighting for the podium and the Alpine team is actually second. Brendon Hartley continually gets balked in traffic. Fred Makowiecki is putting up a fight even with blue flags. This is for position though. Antonio Giovinazzi might just have to force the issue and the #33 Corvette could head for the title because the car it is competing against are behind it and they can clinch the WEC GTE Am championship with two races still to run in 2023.
The Porsche passes the LMP2 leader who stymies the Ferrari and there goes the #8 Toyota of Brendon Hartley. Giovinazzi tries the pass and makes the corner but Hartley is coming back again through Curva Grande! Holy cow! Giovinazzi gives 9t up and Brendon Hartley makes his move. He is going to race up to Fred Makowiecki. Fred Makowiecki hanging on for fourth with fiteen minutes to go so he won't roll over and have his tummy tickled by any means.
Hartley goes into Makowiecki's slipstream. Giovinazzi is now right on top of Hartley! He has to be right there. Hartley wants by the Porsche into the second chicane. No dice there. Hope for traffic next time through Ascari. Through the Lesmo's, there's the #60 Iron Lynx Ferrari. Makowiecki passes and so does Hartley and the Ferrari is held up by the Porsche GTE car. Giovinazzi has to be right on Hartley's six. Hartley has the speed over the Porsche and he has a great town down the front straight down to Prima Variante. Makowiecki gives it up and Hartley goes by.
Toyota #8 lead the championship table. The sister #7 is creeping away from the #50 Ferrari and Toyota can avenge their loss to Ferrari at Le Mans by stealing the thunder of the Scuderia on their home turf. Giovinazzi has a run on Makowiecki and down the inside he is going to go for it and nudges Makowiecki out of the way. Giovinazzi moves to fifth spot. The fastest first sector of the race taken by Toyota. Hartley cuts fastest lap at 1:36.802, personal best at the end of lap 192. He is even a second quicker than Kamui Kobayashi. Monza madness is nearly complete.
Ulysse de Pauw handed a stop and go penalty for relentless track limits abuse. Oliver Jarvis and company are going to feel like they got robbed. Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa have done a great job for the #8 team as has Brendon Hartley, and so they can just drive the wheels off that car. The LMP2 third place battle is also boiling. Jota lead over Alpine in LMP2. Alpine could get a podium and their best result of the year. Car #51 reported to the stewards for overtaking beyond track limits. This is a bitter pill to swallow for the Le Mans winning team. The race leader passes the battle in LMP2. Giovinazzi decided to overtake over the white line.
He did not get pushed out of the way by the Porsche and will be in hot water for that one. Naughty, naughty. Antonio Giovinazzi will have no defense of that one. It will be 40 seconds added to their race time costing them a spot to one Porsche and maybe to both Porsche's. This will open the title fight in the favor of the #8 Toyota as Paul di Resta will finish third for Peugeot with Jean Eric Vergne and Mikkel Jensen. This will be the best race for Peugeot since they returned to the World Endurance Championship here at Monza a year ago. They showed that pace at Le Mans even in the wet.
Trouble now for the Porsche #6. Drive through penalty for overtaking under the safety car, for overtaking the #85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR-19. One minute to go. Kamui Kobayashi leads Antonio Fuoco and Paul di Resta. Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot. Jota lead LMP2 from Alpine and United Autosport over WRT. In GTE Am, Dempsey Proton lead over Iron Lynx, GR Racing, Corvette Racing and the Iron Dames Porsche. That has been handed a track limits penalty. In Hypercar, the Vanwall is struggling like mad and will be caught on the last lap by the recovering #94 Peugeot of Loic Duval. Ferrari have battled valiantly to try and win Monza but they are going to come up short, possibly.
Toyota win with the #7! Kamui Kobayashi is the winning driver with Jose Maria Lopez and Mike Conway. Ferrari #50 in second place. Brendon Hartley fourth. Paul di Resta and Peugeot in third. Corvette Racing will tie up the championship. Jota are going to win LMP2. Dempsey Proton Porsche win GTE Am and in fourth place, Corvette Racing win the GTE Am championship! Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone, and Ben Keating! Jota #28 win in LMP2. In GTE Am, Christian Ried, Mikkel Pedersen, and Julien Andlauer get the job done.
WRT are ahead of United Autosport in LMP2.
Overall/Hypercar: #7 Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid
LMP2: #28 Fittipaldi/Heinemeier Hansson/Rasmussen Jota Oreca 07
GTE Am: #77 Ried/Andlauer/Pedersen Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19
GTE Am champions: #33 Keating/Catsburg/Varrone Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R
Folks, that is all she wrote from Monza. The European portion of the 2023 FIA WEC season is now complete. Two more overseas races remaining. The penultimate event is at Toyota's home circuit, the 6 Hours of Fuji at Fuji Speedway in Fuji, Japan, the second weekend in September. We'll see you then. For now, arriva derci from the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
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