Porsche has insisted that it is not going into Saturday’s World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain with a conservative approach as it looks to seal the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles.
The German marque will start the Bahrain 8 Hours “looking to maximise its finishing position” with both its 963 LMDhs, according to Porsche Penske Motorsport managing director Jonathan Diuguid.
That comment comes despite the fact that Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Andre Lotterer in the #6 PPM entry only need to finish ninth to secure the title.
“Our feedback to everyone is: ‘don’t do anything differently to what we have been doing’,” said Diuguid on the eve of the 2024 WEC series finale.
“We haven’t gone points racing at a single event this year and we are not going to go points racing tomorrow either. That's what’s got us into this position.
“We are going to do what we have been doing the whole season: let’s go out there and try to beat them [the opposition].”
Urs Kuratle, head of the LMDh programme at Porsche Motorsport, added that the strategy is “not so different from our normal approach”.
But he explained that Porsche and PPM could modify its plans over the course of the eight hours.
“We have to be flexible and have to react to whatever the race presents,” said Kuratle.
Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach suggested that it would be possible to over-think its strategy going into the race in Bahrain.
“If we tried to predict everything, we would have to go through every scenario, and it would be too much of a puzzle for the team,” he said.
Porsche will be taking an approach that it described as “situational”.
“If you are leading the race and your strongest competitor is out, obviously you are not going to take any risks,” explained Laudenbach.
“And if someone is coming up on you with nothing to lose, you might handle it differently than if you are racing your direct competition for the championship, because they will be making sure they don't damage their car as well.”
Porsche’s task in the manufacturers’ standings is more difficult than in the drivers’ championship.
It is only 10 points ahead whereas Vanthoor, Estre and Lotterer have a 35-point advantage with only 38 up for grabs.
A victory for second-placed Toyota would give it the manufacturers’ title even if Porsche finishes second.
Toyota took the point for pole position courtesy of Brendon Hartley in the Japanese manufacturers’ #8 entry, but that will have no bearing on the destination of the title if one of the GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercars wins the race.
But it could prove crucial in other scenarios, however.
If the best Toyota takes second and the best PPM entry fourth, for example, the two manufacturers would be tied on 179 points.
The Japanese manufacturer would then take the title on count-back by virtue of more second places.
The drivers of the #6 963 have 150 points going into the race in Bahrain to the 115 of second-placed Ferrari crew of Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina.
Toyota drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries have 113 points and are also mathematically in with a chance of the title.
Porsche has 161 points in the manufacturers’ standings to Toyota’s 151, while Ferrari on 134 points is nominally in title contention.
The Bahrain 8 Hours kicks off at 2pm local time and 11am GMT.
