6 Hours of Shanghai
Course: Shanghai International Circuit
SHANGHAI POLE FOR TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing took pole position for the 6 Hours of Shanghai in qualifying for the penultimate round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in China today.
The #7 TS050 HYBRID of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López had been fastest in all three practice sessions and kept up the pace in qualifying, earning their fourth pole of the season by 0.440secs.
Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima will start tomorrow's race from third position after a more challenging qualifying session in the #8 TS050 HYBRID.
Mike and Sébastien began qualifying in their respective cars and played a patient game, allowing the rest of the LMP1 and LMP2 field to start their attempts before leaving the pits clear of the traffic.
Mike immediately put the #7 in contention for pole position but Sébastien's lap was compromised when a settings issue meant his car did not deliver full hybrid boost at the beginning of the lap.
Anthony took the wheel of the #8 on new tyres for his first action of the day, having been unable to drive in final practice when the session was prematurely ended due to kerb damage. He set a time marginally faster than Sébastien's but it was not enough to earn a front-row start.
Kamui had his eyes on top spot and, on fresh tyres for his one flying lap, he delivered another pole position to earn one additional World Championship point, setting the fastest LMP1 lap time at Shanghai International Circuit in the process.
Both TS050 HYBRIDs will start tomorrow's six-hour race, the eighth of the season, looking for the team's fourth win this year, and third in Shanghai following victories in 2012 and 2014.
QUALIFYING RESULTS - LMP
| Pos | N° | Cat | Team/Car | Driver | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Average | Gap | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Mike CONWAY Kamui KOBAYASHI José María LOPEZ | 1:43.139 | 1:42.526 | 1'42.832 | - | M |
| 2 | 1 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Neel JANI André LOTTERER Nicholas TANDY | 1:42.966 | 1:43.579 | 1'43.272 | +0.440 | M |
| 3 | 8 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Sébastien BUEMI Anthony DAVIDSON Kazuki NAKAJIMA | 1:43.470 | 1:43.421 | 1'43.445 | +0.613 | M |
| 4 | 2 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Timo BERNHARD Earl BAMBER Brendon HARTLEY | 1:43.029 | 1:43.966 | 1'43.497 | +0.665 | M |
| 5 | 31 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Julien CANAL Nicolas PROST Bruno SENNA | 1:48.509 | 1:49.926 | 1'49.217 | +6.385 | D |
| 6 | 26 | LMP2 | G-Drive Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roman RUSINOV Léo ROUSSEL Nico MULLER | 1:49.485 | 1:49.460 | 1'49.472 | +6.640 | D |
| 7 | 13 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Mathias BECHE David HEINEMEIER HANSSON Nelson PIQUET JR | 1:48.984 | 1:50.405 | 1'49.694 | +6.862 | D |
| 8 | 38 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Ho-Pin TUNG Oliver JARVIS Thomas LAURENT | 1:49.609 | 1:49.877 | 1'49.743 | +6.911 | D |
| 9 | 36 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Nicolas LAPIERRE Gustavo MENEZES André NEGRÃO | 1:50.136 | 1:49.631 | 1'49.883 | +7.051 | D |
| 10 | 24 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Matthew RAO Ben HANLEY Jean-Eric VERGNE | 1:49.789 | 1:51.045 | 1'50.417 | +7.585 | D |
| 11 | 25 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Ricardo GONZALEZ Simon TRUMMER Vitaly PETROV | 1:49.609 | 1:51.845 | 1'50.727 | +7.895 | D |
| 12 | 28 | LMP2 | TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | François PERRODO Matthieu VAXIVIERE Emmanuel COLLARD | 1:52.204 | 1:49.950 | 1'51.077 | +8.245 | D |
| 13 | 37 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | David CHENG Alex BRUNDLE Tristan GOMMENDY | 1:49.755 | 1:52.587 | 1'51.171 | +8.339 | D |
GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO
QUALIFYING RESULTS - LMGTE
| Pos | N° | Cat | Team/Car | Driver | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Average | Gap | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Nicki THIIM Marco SØRENSEN | 1:59.806 | 1:59.589 | 1'59.697 | - | D |
| 2 | 92 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Michael CHRISTENSEN Kevin ESTRE | 1:59.578 | 2:00.254 | 1'59.916 | +0.219 | M |
| 3 | 51 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | James CALADO Alessandro PIER GUIDI | 1:59.902 | 2:00.593 | 2'00.247 | +0.550 | M |
| 4 | 67 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Andy PRIAULX Harry TINCKNELL | 2:00.320 | 2:00.279 | 2'00.299 | +0.602 | M |
| 5 | 66 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Stefan MÜCKE Olivier PLA | 2:00.122 | 2:00.543 | 2'00.332 | +0.635 | M |
| 6 | 71 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | Davide RIGON Sam BIRD | 2:00.370 | 2:01.138 | 2'00.754 | +1.057 | M |
| 7 | 91 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Richard LIETZ Frédéric MAKOWIECKI | 2:00.232 | 2:01.334 | 2'00.783 | +1.086 | M |
| 8 | 97 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Darren TURNER Jonathan ADAM | 2:00.502 | 2:01.781 | 2'01.141 | +1.444 | D |
| 9 | 98 | LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Paul DALLA LANA Pedro LAMY Mathias LAUDA | 2:01.534 | 2:03.181 | 2'02.357 | +2.660 | D |
| 10 | 77 | LMGTE Am | Dempsey - Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Christian RIED Matteo CAIROLI Marvin DIENST | 2:04.034 | 2:01.496 | 2'02.765 | +3.068 | D |
| 11 | 54 | LMGTE Am | Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE | Thomas FLOHR Francesco CASTELLACCI Miguel MOLINA | 2:01.494 | 2:04.631 | 2'03.062 | +3.365 | M |
| 12 | 61 | LMGTE Am | Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE | Weng Sun MOK Keita SAWA Matthew GRIFFIN | 2:05.132 | 2:01.859 | 2'03.495 | +3.798 | M |
| 13 | 86 | LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Khaled AL QUBAISI Benjamin BARKER Nick FOSTER | 2:16.524 | 2:17.550 | 2'17.037 | +17.340 | D |
GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO
Free practice 3 results
| Pos | N° | Cat | Team/Car | Driver | Best time | Gap | Laps | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Mike CONWAY Kamui KOBAYASHI Jose Maria LOPEZ | 1:44.888 | - | 2/18 | M |
| 2 | 8 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Sébastien BUEMI Anthony DAVIDSON Kazuki NAKAJIMA | 1:45.166 | +0.278 | 2/19 | M |
| 3 | 2 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Timo BERNHARD Earl BAMBER Brendon HARTLEY | 1:45.529 | +0.641 | 2/6 | M |
| 4 | 1 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Neel JANI André LOTTERER Nick TANDY | 1:46.223 | +1.335 | 12/19 | M |
| 5 | 26 | LMP2 | G-Drive Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roman RUSINOV Léo ROUSSEL Nico MULLER | 1:50.162 | +5.274 | 12/16 | D |
| 6 | 31 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Julien CANAL Nicolas PROST Bruno SENNA | 1:50.195 | +5.307 | 7/16 | D |
| 7 | 38 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Ho-Pin TUNG Oliver JARVIS Thomas LAURENT | 1:50.665 | +5.777 | 6/18 | D |
| 8 | 13 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Mathias BECHE David HEINEMEIER HANSSON Nelson PIQUET JR | 1:50.751 | +5.863 | 6/16 | D |
| 9 | 36 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Nicolas LAPIERRE Gustavo MENEZES André NEGRÃO | 1:51.088 | +6.200 | 6/16 | D |
| 10 | 25 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roberto GONZALEZ Simon TRUMMER Vitaly PETROV | 1:51.307 | +6.419 | 10/18 | D |
| 11 | 24 | LMP2 | CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Matthew RAO Ben HANLEY Jean-Eric VERGNE | 1:51.673 | +6.785 | 18/19 | D |
| 12 | 37 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | David CHENG Alex BRUNDLE Tristan GOMMENDY | 1:52.074 | +7.186 | 6/16 | D |
| 13 | 28 | LMP2 | TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | François PERRODO Matthieu VAXIVIERE Emmanuel COLLARD | 1:53.612 | +8.724 | 15/16 | D |
| 14 | 95 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Nicki THIIM Marco SØRENSEN | 1:59.836 | +14.948 | 2/16 | D |
| 15 | 67 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Andy PRIAULX Harry TINCKNELL | 2:00.451 | +15.563 | 13/14 | M |
| 16 | 92 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Michael CHRISTENSEN Kevin ESTRE | 2:00.575 | +15.687 | 6/15 | M |
| 17 | 51 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | James CALADO Alessandro PIER GUIDI | 2:01.098 | +16.210 | 10/16 | M |
| 18 | 66 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Stefan MÜCKE Olivier PLA | 2:01.289 | +16.401 | 6/18 | M |
| 19 | 71 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | Davide RIGON Sam BIRD | 2:01.343 | +16.455 | 11/16 | M |
| 20 | 91 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Richard LIETZ Frédéric MAKOWIECKI | 2:01.361 | +16.473 | 6/15 | M |
| 21 | 97 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Darren TURNER Jonathan ADAM | 2:01.861 | +16.973 | 5/16 | D |
| 22 | 54 | LMGTE Am | Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE | Thomas FLOHR Francesco CASTELLACCI Miguel MOLINA | 2:01.924 | +17.036 | 6/16 | M |
| 23 | 61 | LMGTE Am | Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE | Weng Sun MOK Keita SAWA Matt GRIFFIN | 2:01.992 | +17.104 | 5/16 | M |
| 24 | 98 | LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Paul DALLA LANA Pedro LAMY Mathias LAUDA | 2:02.223 | +17.335 | 15/16 | D |
| 25 | 77 | LMGTE Am | Dempsey - Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Christian RIED Matteo CAIROLI Marvin DIENST | 2:03.065 | +18.177 | 13/14 | D |
| 26 | 86 | LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 RSR (991) | Khaled AL QUBAISI Benjamin BARKER Nicholas FOSTER | 2:03.524 | +18.636 | 2/15 | D |
GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO
TS050 HYBRID #7 (Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, José María López)
Free practice 3: 1st (1min 44.888secs), 18 laps
Qualifying: 1st (1min 42.832secs average)
Mike Conway (TS050 HYBRID #7):
“We have topped every session so far this weekend so I'm really happy. My lap was okay but I felt I could have been a little quicker because there was a lot of grip. I was expecting Kamui to go quicker and he did. It's a great start; hopefully we can stay at the front through the race.”
Kamui Kobayashi (TS050 HYBRID #7):
“I'm really pleased even if the lap itself wasn't perfect. I didn't try new tyres before qualifying so it was tricky to adjust. But overall the car was really good and I was 100% confident in it. We have been strong all week; the team has done a great job so far.”
TS050 HYBRID #8 (Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, Kazuki Nakajima)
Free practice 3: 2nd (1min 45.166secs), 19 laps
Qualifying: 3rd (1min 43.445secs average)
Sébastien Buemi (TS050 HYBRID #8):
“I am disappointed because I know we could do better. I didn't have the full hybrid boost coming out of the last corner at the start of my lap. I did all I could and congratulations to car #7 because they have done an amazing job. Let's see what we can do in the race.”
Anthony Davidson (TS050 HYBRID #8):
“I'm a little disappointed with third because we had the potential to do more. We made a big set-up change after second practice but, due to the red flag this morning, I didn't do any laps before qualifying so it wasn't easy. It was an amazing lap by Kamui and it's good to see one of our cars on pole position.”