We are in the final hour of racing here in Qatar with just 27 laps of racing to go. 311 laps now completed. 25 remaining. The #6 Porsche 963 will not need to replace their busted number panel. So, the #6 Porsche 963 has dodged two bullets in the last hour. Drivers are beginning to get tired and see the red mist as we see Sebastien Bourdais in seventh spot. Most of the other races in the WEC, the #2 Cadillac will have a two-driver lineup of Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber. The #38 Jota Porsche is stationary. No clue what is happening. No fire? The car is in gear. They are clearing the garage. The high voltage system is clear with a green light. The #50 Ferrari and #35 Alpine are in the points. Oliver Rasmussen is being told that the car went red, and it was an electronics anomaly.
They are replacing the drink bottle and working on it. It could be game over for one of the two Jota Porsche's. Car #38 is tumbling down the order, out of the points. Toyota now have both cars, in the points, even though they have not had the performance today at all. Augusto Farfus passed by Davide Rigon in GT3. Marco Sorensen into a podium place. Maxime Martin makes a pit stop as the #36 Alpine is in. The #5 Porsche 963 has passed the #12 Porsche 963. Jean Eric Vergne in second but the #6 Porsche 963 for Team Penske, has ballooned to 44 seconds. Alpine running ninth and 14th overall with the #35 and #36 A424B's. Game over for Jota it appears.
Nicklas Nielsen is now chasing Charles Milesi for ninth place. Alpine vs. Ferrari. The #38 Jota Porsche sitting and waiting. The gap is now three seconds between the #2 Cadillac and the #83 Ferrari. The illuminated number panel on the #6 Porsche 963, there is no requirement to fix it. #6 had another off-course excursion following one of the two Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3's. Kevin Estre is being told to stay away from the curbs. The suspension loads on the telemetry are going bonkers. Oliver Rasmussen and company might be out of the race. Not sure yet.
Some cars will be heading for the lane, with 19 laps to go. Taking no chances, Oliver Rasmuseen is told tojump off the car. That car is live with electricity and it is game over for the #38 Jota Porsche 963. Don't take any chances with the voltage, if there is leakage of electricity in that car. If the green light is on it is safe, if it is off, or red, it is not safe. Calado was indeed involved in that incident with Julien Andlauer. Jean Eric Vergne is headed for the pit lane to top up with energy it looks like.
Callum Ilott does not have to stop again. Now, the #7 Toyota is in the lane, under investigation. Game over for Hertz Team Jota, and it has not been taken to Area 51 for unsafe cars. The #93 Peugeot is now in the pit lane for their last scheduled pit stop. Only 16 laps to go. Drive through penalty for the #51 AF Corse Ferrari for the shemozzle with the #99. Back to a Porsche Penske 1-2 and Jean Eric Vergne headed for the pit exit, he is only 59 seconds ahead of the #12 Porsche 963. This could be a final hurrah for the initial version of the Peugeot 9X8 where they will bring out an updated car for the next race at Imola in Italy.
That was a close shave between the #99 and #51. No one was fired off into the gravel trap and pushed the #99 to the pit wall, but there was no contact. If the white line was a brick wall he wouldn't have gone for it. Kevin Estre leads Matt Campbell by 58 seconds. Jean Eric Vergne in third. Callum Ilott is six seconds behind Vergne. Klaus Bachler leads GT3 in the #92 Pure Racing Porsche over Alex Riberas in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin and Marco Sorensen third in the #777 D'station Racing Aston Martin. We have seen great racing all day and night in GT3.
The #51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P of James Calado, takes his drive through penalty. I don't think he did anything wrong. He just went over on thw white line to defend and never went off into a gap that wasn't there. Andlauer knew he had a head of steam, but he overtook the Ferrari off the track and should have been penalized. Nico Lapierre has gone off the road just briefly. Ah. He skittered over the gravel on the inside of the circuit! Thomas Laudenbach, head of Porsche Motorsport, he says the race is working out well for them.
They are crossing their fingers. We have 15 laps to go. Make it a dozen laps to go, truthfully. Hertz Team Jota says they are having an isolation issue with the hybrid system, as we are continuing to learn how these hybrid units work. They are works in progress and by the same token the internal combustion engine is still not perfect. You can see the fuel leak, but you cannot see electricity leaking and electricity will kill you quicker than fuel setting aflame. Be safe. What have Peugeot and the #12 Jota Porsche got left in the locker? Both of them on old tires. Matt Campbell is the fastest car, faster than Callum Ilott and Ilott is faster than Jean Eric Vergne.
Porsche #5 doing a splash and a dash. Total energy consumption though I think. Just 17 seconds in the lane. Here comes the #93 Peugeot. The #12 Porsche and the #93 Peugeot both go by. Matt Campbell, the pole sitting car is now fourth. Jean Eric Vergne will be increasingly looking in the rearview mirror. Kevin Estre continues to lead. Penske Porsche, I don't think they will get a 1-2. Jota are second. Ten laps to go with a ten second margin. Kevin Estre is a minute and a half up the road. 325 laps now completed.
Do Porsche have a plan to slap a new number panel on the car? I think so. The Alpine is struggling with traction! I don't know how old the tires are, but that car will not stay on the island. The #99 Proton Porsche being warned about contact with the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. Nine laps to go. Mikkel Jensen at Peugeot says Jean Eric Vergne is running very well trying to keep the Jota car behind. He is good under pressure and that is where he does his best. The #6 Porsche will come in to get the number panel on the left side, replaced.
Penske are offsetting protests from other teams by not having another number plate on the car. Jean Eric Vergne is five and a half seconds ahead of Callum Ilott. 4.1 seconds between Matt Campbell and Callum Ilott. With eight minutes to go, the possibility of the Porsche's both being on the podium is less likely. Porsche will box next lap for a quick repair. At this rate Callum Ilott will catch the Peugeot. The #6 Porsche had the run-in with one of the two Lexus RC F GT3's. Clean the panel and stick the number on the rear and there;s some bodywork damage? Maybe not. No.
3.7 seconds to third and fourth. Peugeot, Jota, they are still in the fight. Peugeot are within seven laps of the best result they will get with the 9X8. Matt Campbell closing up on Callum Ilott. Campbell is in win it or bin it mode. We will have raced for ten hours when this race is over. Alex Riberas is catching the GT3 leader but not quickly enough to catch the Manthey Pure Racing Porsche. We are looking at a 335 lap race distance. 335 laps, 1,128 miles. Callum Ilott is going to earn his laurels as Matt Campbell is closing in on him. Jean Eric Vergne more comfortable to finish second. Ilott under big pressure.
Jota hangs onto the final podium spot. Matt Campbell is closing but will it be enough? It will go just barely to the race distance. All of you who said it was going to be an eight-hour race, maybe you should eat your hats. Jean Eric Vergne loses time now to Callum Ilott. Callum Ilott is now closer to Jean Eric Vergne. Traffic ahead with the GT3 cars. Ilott has prototypes ahead with the Peugeot in second. Ilott is pushing hard but he has 81 laps on his tires and that is why the front end is slithering around currently, fending off Matt Campbell, within two seconds of Jean Eric Vergne. Callum Ilott wants second spot.
Ilott passes the lapped Lamborghini and Campbell is balked. Campbell is right on top of Callum Ilott. Ilott is losing grip and now, Campbell is off the road! The Mustang and the McLaren are off the road and Campbell is closing back in. Two laps to go Penske Porsche will win but now, the Peugeot #93 gets passed! Callum Ilott passes Jean Eric Vergne who spins! It will be a Porsche podium sweep. Jean Eric Vergne off the pace! A podium for the Peugeot 9X8 snatched away! No power! Unreal! The podiu is gone.
We are on the final lap. Jota vs. Penske for second place. Are they going to go 1-2? Or will it be Jota Porsche getting second spot? Ilott's tires are dead. They have the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P and the #82 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R ahead. Pit stop infringement for the #51 Ferrari. Porsche win in Qatar after four minutes short of ten hours. Who takes second? Callum Ilott beats Matt Campbell for second. Penske 1-3, Porsche podium sweep!
Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor are the winners of the inaugural Qatar 1,812 Kilometers. In LMGT3, the #92 Pure Racing Manthey Porsche will win the first ever LMGT3 race! Klaus Bachler brings it home sharing with Alex Malykhin and Joel Sturm.
Jean Eric Vergne is crawling across the line. The #2 Cadillac is fourth. AF Corse #83 Ferrari in fifth. Toyota #7 in sixth place. Seventh to the snakebit #93 Peugeot. Ferrari #50 in eighth. Alpine #35 in ninth and completing the top ten, the #8 Toyota. The rest of the Hypercar finishers are Proton #99 Porsche, BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 #20, the #36 Alpine, the #51 AF Corse Ferrari, the #63 Lamborghini for Iron Lynx, the #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8, the #94 Peugeot, and the #38 Jota Porsche.
Overall/Hypercar: #6 Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963
GT3: #92 Bachler/Malykhin/Sturm Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)
The first race of the year in Qatar is in the bag. Next up, the FIA WEC moves to the European leg of the season. We will see you, in the middle of April for round two at the Imola circuit, the Autodromo Enzo E Dino Ferrari where the Tifosi will be out to cheer the AF Corse Ferrari trio, on April 21st, near Bologna, Italy, for the 6 Hours of Imola. Looking forward to that race. For now, so long from the Losail circuit in Doha, Qatar. Take care, everybody.
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