8 Hours of Bahrain – Qualifying: Toyota and McLaren lock out the front rows
Toyota in Hypercar and McLaren in LMGT3 dominated the competition by occupying the top positions in their respective categories. While the French cars were completely left behind in the qualifying sessions.
The last qualifying session was launched for the LMGT3, as a taste of what would happen in the Hypercar.
From 2 p.m. French time, the 17 LMGT3 were ready to battle it out for the “normal” qualifying session, before knowing which ones would be the lucky ones for the Hyperpole. Twelve minutes to fight it out, with the Porsche No. 91 from Manthey EMA leading the pack.
It is moreover the latter who signed the first reference (2:04.667). Obviously, with the tires reaching the right temperature, the improvements were becoming more and more numerous. The McLaren No. 95 took the lead with a second and a half of improvement, ahead of the two Ferraris from Vista AF Corse.
The big disappointment was the elimination of BMW No. 46, as Ahmad Al Harty only managed to finish 13th. Both Ford cars from Proton retired, as well as the other BMW, No. 31. The Akkodis No. 87 finished in a laborious last place. The ten contenders for the Hyperpole were then known.
The timing reference changed hands very quickly at the start of the session, where time was passing quickly. The McLaren No. 59 proved to be the fastest, by far (seven tenths ahead of the Iron Dames, provisionally second).
The two McLarens were the machines to beat two and a half minutes: only two thousandths separated them, with N°95 taking the best time. The cars from Woking have never been caught up: N°95 and N°59 locked out the front row for United Autosport. The Iron Dames will start 4th and the Lexus N°78 from Akkodis finished 10th.
Hypercar: Hypercar
The quintessence of endurance was about to be expressed. Porsche No. 6, Ferrari No. 50 and Toyota No. 7 were particularly expected to clinch the pole position, perhaps decisive for the world drivers’ and constructors’ titles.
The two Toyotas took the pack for the twelve minutes of qualifying time trials. And the French cars, Peugeot and Alpine, were there to prove that their pace was right to place themselves at the front.
It was necessary to wait until mid-session to have a real idea of who would go to Hyperpole. No Ferrari was there for the time being, nor was Porsche No. 6, which reacted to place 4th. This session was already crazy, as everyone kept entering the qualifying Top 10 non-stop.
The two Peugeots gave up their chances by being in the pits, and they will only start 15th (No. 94) and 17th (No. 16). The huge disappointment comes from Alpine: No. 35 will start only 14th and No. 36 18th and last. A big blow. And the most incredible thing comes from Porsche No. 6, leading the championship, which failed to 9th place.
The final poster was to feature four Porsches, including the Proton No. 99, the two Toyotas, the two official Ferraris, as well as the two BMWs, which more than ever threaten Alpine for P4 in the constructors’ standings.
A warm-up lap and the Toyota No. 8 was off for the first quick lap: the two Japanese machines made a strong impression right from the start, especially No. 8 which outpaced everyone by three tenths of a second. It did not even bother to continue, and it was right to do so: the standings did not change.
Car number 8 took the pole position from car number 7, who is fighting for the driver’s title. Porsche car number 6 will only start 6th, just behind Ferrari car number 50. The start of the grand final will be at 12 p.m. French time, for an 8-hour race that promises a lot!
