Updates from Owen Bradley, Sharifah Zaqreeztrina, Evan Veer, Max Smolarski
The FIA World Endurance Championship goes to Bahrain for the championship finale, with the Hypercar World Championship on the line, with current leaders the No.6 Porsche, but the Le Mans 24 Hours winners, the No.50 Ferrari and the No.7 Toyota also in the championship fight. Here, you can find LIVE updates for the WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain.
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LIVE: 8 Hours of Bahrain Updates
This live blog is now closed. Stay tuned for Owen Bradley's race review.
CHECKERED FLAG
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.8 Toyota
2nd No.51 Ferrari
3rd No.5 Porsche
4th No.93 Peugeot
5th No.35 Alpine
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.55 AF Corse Ferrari
2nd No.81 TF Sport Corvette
3rd No.82 TF Sport Corvette
4th No.60 Iron Lynx
5th No.91 Manthey EMA Porsche
CHECKERED FLAG
The No.8 Toyota makes a brilliant comeback to win at the 8 Hours of Bahrain and secures the Hypercar Manufacturers' Championship. The Hypercar Drivers' Champions are the No.6 Porsche as they finish 11th.
18:59 - Final lap! As the No.8 Toyota starts the final lap, the No.51 Ferrari goes down the inside at Turn 1 but backs out at Turn 2. An LMGT3 around them gives the Ferrari some space, and goes down the inside at Turn 7!
18:56 - Contact with the No.31 BMW as the No.27 Aston Martin slides out of Turn 12, but gets going again.
18:52 - Yet another penalty for the No.6 Porsche! The incident at Turn 1 with the Alpine will mean 5 seconds added to their final time, as there is no need for them to stop again.
18:51 - "Gap is 17 seconds. Energy levels are good. No problems, six laps to go." Promising radio message to Buemi in the leading No.8 Toyota.
18:46 - Overtake for the last podium spot in Hypercar as the No.51 Ferrari gets past the No.93 Peugeot around the outside of Turn 4 and the inside of Turn 5.
18:45 - Replays showing the No.6 Porsche having a small bang with the No.36 Alpine into Turn 1. Should be under investigation soon.
18:43 - The No.51 Ferrari has closed in to less than a second, as traffic was a small problem for the No.93 Peugeot.
18:38 - The No.8 Toyota is now 7 seconds ahead of the No.5 Porsche. This race is on pace to produce the first split championship in WEC history. The No.51 Ferrari has closed in on current third place No.93 Peugeot, so the podium is still to play for.
18:33 - The No.85 Iron Dames, last in the running, has been hit by the lapping No.15 BMW as it battles with the No.38 Jota Porsche and the No.36 Alpine.
18:27 - The No.6 Porsche is currently out of the points-paying positions after taking the drive-through, and 9 seconds back to 10th-place No.36 Alpine.
18:24 - Well, it looks like the No.8 Toyota gave the position back to the No.5 Porsche on the next lap, also at Turn 8, then overtook the Porsche again later in the lap.
18:21 - The No.8 Toyota has taken the lead into Turn 8 after a squeeze into the corner. The No.5 Porsche runs wide on exit. That also means they take the lead in the live manufacturers standings.
18:20 - Drive-through penalties for Full Course Yellow infringements for the following cars: No.6 Porsche, No.54 AF Corse Ferrari, No.92 Manthey Porsche, No.99 Porsche.
18:16 - The lead in Hypercar has changed multiple times with pit stops, but the effective lead, when taking energy levels, is second place No.5 Porsche and No.8 Toyota. This is the manufacturers championship on the line here.
18:11 - An incredible lap of hard racing between the leading No.55 AF Corse and the No.81 TF Sport, as the No.81 tries to overtake the No.55 three times in one lap, finally getting it done with better traction at the exit of Turn 11. Eastwood (No.81) and Rovera (No.55) kept it clean all the way through and are still less than a second apart.
18:09 - The No.82 TF Sport has overtaken the No.54 AF Corse Ferrari into Turn 1, and the No. 81 has been less than a car length from the No.55 AF Corse.
18:07 - The No.54 AF Corse Ferrari has dropped behind the lead battle, and the No. 81 TF Sport has been nose and tail with the leading No.55 AF Corse. The No.54 is now closer to the No.82 TF Sport.
18:05 - Loads of pitstops in the championship fight in Hypercar, as the No.6 Porsche and No.8 Toyota box, as well as the No.15 BMW.
18:05 - Race Update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.5 Porsche
2nd No.6 Porsche
3rd No.8 Toyota
4th No.15 BMW
5th No.93 Peugeot
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.55 AF Corse Ferrari
2nd No.81 TF Sport Corvette
3rd No.54 AF Corse Ferrari
4th No.82 TF Sport Corvette
5th No.60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini
18:00 - A big battle between the two AF Corse's and the No. 81 TF Sport was paused by the FCY, but as we go green the battle resumes as the No.81 TF Sport gets past the No.54 AF Corse Ferrari, with the No.55 in their sights.
17:57 - FCY deployed for a short while as the tyre carcass from the No. 50 Ferrari was partially ripped out and rolled to the outside of Turn 14.
17:56 - Left-rear puncture for the No.50 Ferrari. Looks like the title fight for them is over.
17:52: - The FCY has been removed. The battles of the No. 6 Porsche and No.5 Porsche battling, with the latter going ahead on newer tyres.
17:46 - Full Course Yellow as the No. 87 Lexus has stopped on the inside at the exit of Turn 10, as well as the No. 77 Ford Mustang.
17:44 - The No. 8 Toyota is flying; Seb Buemi is pushing as the sole remaning TGR is the only Hypercar in the 1:52's.
17:39 - An incredible couple of laps as the No. 55 AF Corse Ferrari has pushed through from 6th to the lead in LMGT3, and the car that led at the restart, the No. 27 Aston Martin, is 11th! First and 12th in LMGT3 are less than 30 seconds apart.
17:34 - The No.5 Porsche and the No.50 Ferrari are having a nice battle for fourth, as the round of VSC pitstops means the No. 6 Porsche is second and the No.15 BMW is third.
17:31 - The No. 12 Jota is slow after locking up and contact with a GT3 into Turn 1. Possible puncture.
17:30 - The Safety Car has now turned its lights off and sent to the pitlane.
17:22 - The No. 94 is reported to be in a questionable condition in terms of the battery, so it will be taken to WEC's 'Area 51' to be properly investigated by specialist personnel.
17:19 - Pit lane closed and the Safety Car has now been deployed.
17:10 - The Virtual Safety Car is out after the No.94 Peugeot has stopped at the inside of Turn 11. Not an easy place to get a car out, and a crane has been deployed to recover the No.94. Several cars in both categories have used this opportunity to pit, including the No.50 Ferrari and No.5 Porsche.
17:05 - Race Update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.51 Ferrari
2nd No.12 Jota Porsche
3rd No.5 Porsche Penske
4th No.15 BMW
5th No.6 Porsche Penske
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.85 Iron Dames Lamborghini
2nd No.27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin
3rd No.59 United Autosports McLaren
4th No.91 Manthey Porsche
5th No.92 Manthey Purerxcing Porsche
17:01 - The championship is OVER for the No.7 Toyota, they have retired the car in a devastating final race, they will lose the championship.
16:56 - The LMGT3 field break out into a battle for the lead! The No.85 Iron Dames Lamborghini now take the lead of the race, with the No.27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin just behind. The No.59 United Autosports McLaren now slips behind to third place.
16:52 - The No.95 United Autosports McLaren has received a penalty for the FCY period
16:51 - The No.51 Ferrari claims the lead of the race, taking the racing line into Turn 1 as the No.12 Jota Porsche loses the lead.
16:49 - The No.12 Hertz Jota Porsche leads from the No.51 Ferrari, with the No.5 Porsche Penske in third. The championship leading No.6 Porsche sits in sixth place, with their challengers the No.50 Ferrari just behind. The other championship challenger, the No.7 Toyota, is well down in 15th place after early troubles.
16:48 - GREEN FLAG
16:47 - Safety Car IN this lap
16:45 - Wave around has been completed, we now go onto the final lap behind the Safety Car.
16:37 - SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED
16:32 - All of the Hypercar leaders now pit, as the No.15 BMW spins around at Turn 1.
16:30 - The No.7 Toyota are trying to solve their issues under the FCY, trying a different engine mapping.
16:29 - Currently under VSC conditions, there will be a full Safety Car deployment after this VSC, the field will bunch up again.
16:27 - VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR
16:26 - The No.88 Proton Ford LMGT3 car has gone on fire, pulling off the road down the straight just after Turn 3.
16:21 - The No.7 Toyota has now slipped even further behind, being overtaken by the No.50 Ferrari, their other championship rivals. Meanwhile, the No.6 Porsche has gone up to sixth place.
16:10 - The No.7 Toyota has come back out of the pits and is now struggling greatly, losing a lot of pace as their championship now hangs in the balance.
16:05 - Pit stops for the Hypercar class, the No.6 Porsche, No.5 Porsche and No.12 Jota Porsche have all just come in, with the No.7 Toyota gaining a few places. Meanwhile, the No.36 Alpine has been able to battle its' way inside the Top 10.
16:00 - Race Update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.51 Ferrari
2nd No.5 Porsche
3rd No.12 JOTA Porsche
4th No.15 BMW
5th No.7 Toyota
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.81 Corvette TF Sport
2nd No.59 McLaren United Autosports
3rd No.91 Manthey EMA
4th No.92 Manthey PureRxcing
5th No.60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini
15:51 - While the No.7 Toyota nurses a problem with its gearbox the No.8 appears to have a problem with its brakes - an unusual pair of technical issues for the highly reliable Toyota GR010.
15:41 - Both the No.5 Penske and No.12 JOTA Porsches pass the No.7 with very little effort, likely marking the end of Toyota's championship contention.
15:39 - De Vries is starting to lose ground in the No.7 Toyota as it is now even being overtaken by lapped cars. Whatever technical issue has been plaguing it so far seems to have gotten far worse.
15:31 - Penske Porsche's team manager has been called to race control for a potential penalty for the third placed No.5, while the No.2 Cadillac has been handed a drive-through for overtaking during the Full Course Yellow.
15:27 - The No.46 BMW LMGT3 receives an additional drive-through for improperly serving its previous 5 second penalty.
15:24 - As we go back to green Fuoco in the No.50 Ferrari immediately jumps to overtake the No.2 Cadillac.
15:19 - A Full Course Yellow has been called to clear up loose bodywork from the No.77 Ford.
15:18 - The No.51 overtakes the No.7 for the lead on the back straight, putting serious pressure on Toyota's title challenge.
15:16 - Pier Guidi's No.51 Ferrari is slowly reeling in the No.7 Toyota for the lead, with De Vries is being told to minimize kerb usage.
15:14 - The No. 77 Proton Mustang's left rear has a large chunk of bodywork hanging loose after bumping into the No.82 Corvette.
15:10 - Rasmussen overtakes the No.8 Toyota after spending half a lap side by side, putting the No.38 in 8th while the No.6 Porsche sneaks up from behind.
15:08 - As the leaders come in for their pitstops the No.7 Toyota came out in front of the previously leading No.51 Ferrari by taking fewer new tires at its pit stop while the No.51 had to wait to leave its box, as the No.36 Alpine now finds itself in the lead of the race.
15:00 - Race Update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.51 Ferrari
2nd No.7 Toyota
3rd No.5 Porsche
4th No.12 BMW
5th No.12 JOTA Porsche
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.81 Corvette TF Sport
2nd No.59 McLaren United Autosports
3rd No.91 Manthey EMA
4th No.54 Vista AF Corse
5th No.92 Manthey PureRxcing
14:51 - Both the No.20 BMW and No.78 Lexus have officially retired from the race.
14:43 - The 5th placed No.20 BMW comes into the pits and is pulled into the garage due to a sudden loss of power, likely ending its fight for a competitive position today. Meanwhile the other BMW Hypercar makes its way past the No.12 JOTA into 4th place after a lengthy battle.
14:36 - The championship leading No.6 Porsche fights its way up the field, first passing the No.83 Ferrari and now chasing the No.99 Proton.
14:32 - Hartley's No.8 Toyota managed to get in front of the No.15 BMW, only to lose the position again a hard-fought battle the lap after.
14:30 - Yet another issue for Lexus as the No.87 comes in with significant damage on the right front due to a puncture, likely caused by contact with the No.99 Proton Porsche Hypercar.
14:28 - Christensen goes around the No.12 JOTA into turn one , putting the No.5 back in the podium positions.
14:00 - Race Update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.7 Toyota
2nd No.94 Peugeot
3rd No.35 Alpine
4th No.36 Alpine
5th No.51 Ferrari AF Corse
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.81 Corvette TF Sport
2nd No.59 McLaren United Autosports
3rd No.92 Manthey Pure RX
4th No.55 Vista AF Corse
5th No.91 Manthey EMA
13.58 - No.88 Proton continues to chase down for a spot in the top ten, but it needs overtaking No.82 TF Sport. Meanwhile, No.99 Proton carefully defends its 13th place from Mick Schumacher in the No.36 Alpine and No.93 Peugeot.
13.51 - No.7 Toyota faces another threat in its position as No.20 BMW chases down for fifth place.
13.46 - No.27 Heart of Racing currently leads the LMGT3 category, while No.51 Ferrari remains the Hypercar leader.
13.44 - Some cars have pitted for driver changes and refueling, as most of their energy tanks nearly empty.
13.35 - No.50 Ferrari nearly being sent off to the edge of the track from attempt to overtake No.63 Lamborghini but it was unsuccessful.
13.32 - Vanthoor hunts down Jenson Button who in the No.38 Jota, and manages to overtake him in the No.6 Porsche Penske.
13.29 - No.7 Toyota defends its position in eighth from the No.83 Ferrari, driven by Robert Shwartzman.
13.26 - Nearly five and a half hours remaining in the final WEC round. No.51 Ferrari retains the Hypercar lead, while No. 81 Corvette still leads the LMGT3 category.
13.16 - No.8 of Brendan Hartley drops a place as he allows Kobayashi in the sister team No.7 Toyota to snatch fourth place, both contenders still in the top five.
13.12 - Runners up No.5 Porsche Penske and No.12 Hertz Team Jota each gained five spots all the way to the top three, the most positions gained by Hypercars thus far.
13.06 - Kamui Kobayashi takes over from Mike Conway in the No.7 Toyota.
13.03 - Majority of the cars head to the pit lane for hards and driver changes. Calado takes over from Giovinazzi in the No.51 Ferrari.
13.01 - No.5 Porsche Penske goes through a driver change, as Campbell is replaced by Michael Christensen.
13:00 - Race Update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.51 Ferrari AF Corse
2nd No.12 Hertz Team Jota
3rd No.7 Toyota
4th No.20 BMW
5th No.38 Hertz Team Jota
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.81 Corvette TF Sport
2nd No.54 Vista AF Corse
3rd No.59 McLaren United Autosports
4th No.92 Porsche Manthey
5th No.95 McLaren United Autosports
12.58 - Miguel Molina's stint ends in the No.50 Ferrari. Meanwhile, No.51 Ferrari overtakes No. 12 Hertz Team Jota from the outside, finally gaining the lead.
12.54 - Antonio Giovinazzi in the No.51 Ferrari is merely less than 0.6 seconds from leader Will Stevens in the No.12 Hertz Team Jota as the battle for the lead continues, brilliant drive from both.
12.51 - Matt Campbell in the No.5 Porsche Penske gains the pace advantage as he swifts his way to fifth place.
12.48 - Buemi in the No.8 Toyota faces a threat from No.5 Porsche Penske as Matt Campbell hunts the Toyota down for fourth place.
12.44 - No. 36 Alpine switched positions with No.63 Lamborghini, takes on 15th place.
12.33 - No.50 of Miguel Molina, the championship leader currently hunts down for the 14th place from No.35 Alpine.
12.29 - No.99 Proton receives Drive Through Penalty for overtaking under Yellow Flag at Turn 9.
12.22 - No. 50 Ferrari and No. 63 Lamborghini are currently only 0.7s apart from one another as the Ferrari attempts to secure 11th place from the Lamborghini.
12.20 - Battle for 13th commences as No. 2 Cadillac and No. 6 Porsche chases for the position from No 94 Peugeot. The Peugeot defends it well.
12.18 - No.12 Porsche currently takes the lead in Hypercar.
12.08 - Sebastian Buemi in the No. 8 Toyota has managed to go through to fourth place after a making a move at the double left-handers of Turns 9 and 10. Buemi ensures that the No.8 Toyota runs in fourth place, with the No. 7 Toyota is in third place just a bit further up the road.
12:00 - Race Update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.12 Hertz Team Jota
2nd No.51 Ferrari AF Corse
3rd No.7 Toyota
4th No.8 Toyota
5th No.20 BMW
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.95 McLaren United Autosports
2nd No.59 McLaren United Autosports
3rd No.54 Vista AF Corse 4th No.55 Vista AF Corse
5th No.27 Heart of Racing Team
11:17 - After the first round of pit stops, the No.12 Jota Herz Porsche has claimed the lead of the race, with the No.51 Ferrari slipping behind and the No.7 Toyota chasing the pair of them for the championship.
11:13 - Valentino Rossi's No.46 BMW LMGT3 has found its' way into the Top 10 after one hour gone, currently being driven by Ahmad Al-Harthy.
11:08 - The championship leading No.6 Porsche is having a tough race, currently running in 15th position and well out of the points. They would still win the World Championship if it were to finish like this, with a maximum of 38 points available, and the No.50 Ferrari who is currently 12th, needing to win the race. The No.7 Toyota, is 37 points down and HAS to win the race and have the No.6 Porsche out of the points to win. Well, the No.6 Porsche is out of the points, and the Toyota is running in third place, over 10 seconds off the lead.
11:00 - Race Update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.51 Ferrari 2nd No.12 Jota Hertz Porsche
3rd No.7 Toyota
4th No.8 Toyota
5th No.20 BMW
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.81 Corvette TF Sport
2nd No.92 Porsche Manthey
3rd No.59 McLaren United Autosports
4th No.95 McLaren United Autosports
5th No.85 Lamborghini Iron Dames
10:59 - Buemi in the No.8 Toyota has managed to go through to fourth place after making a move at the double left-handers of Turns 9 and 10. Buemi ensures that the No.8 Toyota runs in fourth place, with the No.7 Toyota in third place just a bit further up the road. The Toyota's now make their pit stops.
10:48 - The No.7 Toyota now passes the No.99 Proton Porsche at Turn 1, the Toyota reclaiming the podium places.
10:35 - Sebatien Buemi in the No.8 Toyota has not been making much progress after that early spin, currently running in sixth place and around 13 seconds from the lead.
10:27 - A fierce battle has started at the front of the LMGT3 field, with the No.59 United Autosports McLaren leading, battling with the No.81 TF Sport Corvette, as the sister No.95 United Autosports McLaren also looks to get into the mix, just a couple of seconds behind.
10:22 - The No.8 Toyota spins! The Race leading Toyota has spun at Turn 1 after contact with an LMGT3 car.
10:00 - The Toyota's Maintain their lead at the start, as chaos ensues behind with contact and debris flying into the air at Turn 2, the No.99 Proton Porsche takes fourth with the No.20 BMW just behind.
10:00 - GREEN FLAG
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