WEC – Rankings: The forces are gathering
The 24 Hours of Le Mans, won by the N°50 Ferrari, had the effect of condensing the points gap between the top three Hypercar teams. The same is true in LMGT3, where the top three teams are all within two points of each other!
What to choose in the WEC: to be world champion without winning Le Mans or the opposite? Everyone has the same answer. Winning in the most prestigious endurance race in the world is worth all the world titles.
That being said, when it comes to a world title for drivers and constructors, no one is going to turn up their nose at it. And that’s why scoring points at Le Mans is a jackpot, since the points are doubled compared to six-hour races. Ferrari hit the jackpot!
Hypercar drivers: the noose tightens around Porsche N°6.
At the start, the trio Estre/Laurens Vanthoor/Lotterer, who were the big favorites in the 24 Hours of Le Mans starting from pole position, suffered from Porsche’s strategists’ torments when the rain arrived. The official #6 Penske let slip a big chunk of points to two other teams who snatched a victory from them this season: the victorious Ferrari #50 at Le Mans and the 2nd place Toyota #7, winner at Imola.
As a result, the end of the championship promises to be explosive: Porsche N°6 maintains the advantage in the drivers’ championship, with 99 points. Ferrari N°50 made a huge leap in the overall standings, taking 2nd place with 90 points.
Car number 7 Toyota, even disappointed, can still console itself with the hopes of the drivers’ world title: Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries can still be crowned champions, as they are 3rd with 82 points. Mike Conway, absent from Le Mans, remains stuck at 46 points.
Car number 63 Lamborghini (Kvyat/Mortara/Bortolotti) unblocked its counter with the two points from 10th place, while the number 2 Cadillac (Bamber and Lynn, Palou only coming to Le Mans) leaped in the overall standings: thirteen points for both drivers and 11th place in the championship.
As for the Alpine and Peugeot drivers, this series of zero scores is going to hurt…
Hypercar Manufacturers: Everything is still open
Like the pilots, the manufacturers will be in an extremely tight battle for the win: Porsche has been the most consistent brand this season and remains at the top of the manufacturers’ standings.
The Stuttgart manufacturer is still leading with 108 points. But the N°5 is less visible at the front than the N°6 and Penske’s ranks will have to tighten. Because Ferrari, with its victory in Le Mans, plus the podium of the N°51, has scored a full house: Maranello is in 2nd place with 99 points. Toyota is just behind, with 96 points.
As incredible as it may seem, Alpine is still 4th among the constructors! The double retirement could have been costly, especially if Cadillac had managed to win and BMW to score points.
The brand with the propeller was also deprived of points and remains in 5th place, as No. 15 and No. 20, due to accidents, have lowered their flags.
Peugeot and Cadillac are now tied on points (14) in 6th and 7th place. Lamborghini remains in 8th place with two points and Isotta Fraschini, who heroically finished the race, completes the table with a blank score.
World team cup: Jota N°12 untouchable
Since the additional cars cannot score points for the manufacturers, a championship is dedicated to them. The crew of the Jota N°12 (Nato/Stevens/Ilott) is very much in the lead of the world cup, with 128 points.
The sister car, N°38 (Button/Rasmussen/Hanson), finished 9th at Le Mans but concluded the march in 4th place. The N°99 from Proton, stunningly fast at Spa, crossed the finish line in 45th place overall and left Le Mans with a blank scorecard. And the Ferrari N°83 from AF Corse, which could have won, retired on Sunday morning. It remains in 3rd place, behind Proton.
LMGT3: both Porsches tied!
Everyone is of course focused on the Hypercar and its phenomenal factory team lineup. But the LMGT3 class is also not lacking in terms of excitement.
In this case, Porsche won three of the first four rounds of the season: only Imola eluded them, in favor of a WRT double, with BMW No. 31 and No. 46.
The Manthey No. 91 and No. 92 (EMA and PureRxcing) are both leading the championship… with 75 points! The Manthey EMA won Le Mans and is now ahead of the other Porsche. An incredible scenario is unfolding.
The BMWs from WRT, have experienced varying fortunes: car No. 46 retired after running off track, while car No. 31 (the last of the four BMWs at Le Mans) reached the finish line in 2nd place. This allows it to remain in the title race, with 73 points. The top 3 are just two points apart, which is very rare!
The Iron Dames finished 5th at Le Mans and remain in that position in the team championship. The podium was within their reach and it ultimately came down to very little. Only Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting have 41 points among the drivers, as Rahel Frey only returned since Spa and Doriane Pin, injured, withdrew at Le Mans.
Finally, on the French side, the Akkodis team and their Lexus No. 78 scored points for 7th place, which was an unexpected result at the beginning of the season. Furthermore, numerous penalties deprived Jérôme Polican’s team of a better ranking. The No. 78 climbs to 11th place, while No. 87, once leading at Le Mans, only gathered two points and remains 15th.
