The Championship Battles Down To The Wire: Who Could Win?

Porsche may have wrapped up the constructors title last race, and the Privateers LMP1 class may be finished battling for the title, but there is still lots more to be wrapped up in the final round of the 2015 WEC

Championship. Eight of the eleven titles will be decided at the end of the Six Hours of Bahrain. In what’s looking like a thrilling finale to a fantastic season, here is everything you need to know about who can come out victorious.

LMP1

All eyes have been on Porsche this year as they have strived through poor reliability to the front of the field in only their second comeback year. The beginning of the season plagued them with reliability issues and saw the pole positions they were achieving come to nothing as they failed to complete races. But after their impressive 1-2 at Le Mans in the summer that all began to change. Porsche wrapped up the constructors title last time out in Shanghai, leaving only the World Driver’s Title to be decided. The battle is between #17 Porsche, piloted by Mark Webber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley, and #7 Audi with twelve points being the gap as we go into the final round. It is expected that both sister cars will be doing what they can to support their teammates in securing the World Title. Nick Heidfeld was supposed to be back in the #12 Rebellion for the final round this weekend but injury has kept him away. The #12 Rebellion wrapped up the privateers championship last race now 33 points ahead of closest rivals. With only 25 points available this weekend there is no way anyone can overtake them.

LMP2

Driver and Constructor title is still to be decided in LMP2 and it will be a two-way fight come lights out on Saturday. For the Driver’s Championship the fight do between #47 KCMG, driven by Matt Howson, Richard Bradley and Le Mans champion Nick Tandy, and Roman Rusinov, Sam Bird and Julien Canal; pilots of #26 G-Drive Racing Ligier. After #28 failed to classify and score points last time out in China they are no longer able to take the drivers championship, so it can be expected that they will be helping out their teammates as much as possible to secure them the title. #28 will also be helping G-Drive take the Constructors Title from KCMG and to try and secure second position in the final standings. #26 hold a sixteen-point lead over KCMG after the ORECA car has had some difficulties in the last couple of races. For the final round Russian AF Racing will join LMP2 with a car as they step up from European Le Mans Series. Their car number will be #44 with drivers Mikhail Aleshin, Nicolas Minassian and David Markozov taking the wheel.

LMGTE Pro

With a mere four points, Ferrari currently lead the Constructors Championship in the GTE Pro class over Porsche. Forty-four points are still available for the teams to gain with both cars over the weekend so it will be a tight battle to see who comes out on top. The Driver’s Championship is lead by Porsche #91, driven by Richard Lietz and Michael Christensen. However, due to USA Porsche commitments Christensen was unable to attend the Spa round of the endurance championship and so is two points behind Lietz. With them both going to score the same amount of points this weekend Christensen cannot challenge his teammate for the title, which leaves that job to the drivers of AF Corse #71: James Calado and Davide Rigon. The Ferrari duo sit twenty points behind Lietz and will be very keen to continue their storng form in races to beat Lietz to the Driver’s Title. Reining LMGTE Pro Champions in the #51 AF Corse are a further two point five points behind teammates in the #71, meaning that – with a maximum of 26 point available to each individual car – they can mathematically still retain the title. But with a twenty point lead Porsche really do have the advantage in the Driver’s Championship, with victory and a large slice of luck being the only thing that could see the reining World Champions or their teammates take the title from the German outlet.

LMGTE Am

The GTE Am class throws a Ferrari versus Ferrari into the action-packed race on Saturday. The #72 SMP Racing Ferrari of Victor Shaytar, Andrea Bertolini and Aleksey Basov holds a nineteen-point lead over Shanghai-winners #83 – piloted by Rui Aguas, François Perrodo and Emmanual Collard. The #72 drivers will be looking to add the 2015 championship title to there list of achievements, which include winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in class. The gap between the two Ferrari cars could have been closer as last time out in China the #72 had a poor start. Working hard they managed to get up to third, taking the bottom step of the podium and gaining fifteen points. With the next rivals behind #83 (Aston Martin Racing #98) a further eighteen points behind it will be down to the wire between the two Ferrari’s, as no one else can mathematically take the title.

With so many titles due to be decided by the end of the Six Hours of Bahrain it is a finale you are not going to want to miss. Join us here on Inside Line Media for hour-by-hour reports of the final race of the 2015 World Endurance Championship and follow us on @InsideLineWEC for all the gossip and news from the paddock as it happens.

(Image: www.fiawec.com)

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