The outgoing World Champions aim to end a challenging season on a high note in the eighth and final round, at a circuit where the team has won eight consecutive races. After a six-week break since the previous race at Fuji Speedway, the GR010 HYBRIDs were back in action on Thursday.

Two 90-minute sessions provided opportunities to test on the 5.412km Bahrain International Circuit in both daylight and floodlit conditions. Tough competition has defined the WEC season, and Thursday’s free practice results suggest another intense battle among the 18-strong Hypercar field.

A positive day ended with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries in third place in their #7 GR010 HYBRID. Last year’s Bahrain winners, Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, were just a fraction behind in sixth in the #8 GR010 HYBRID, with the top 10 separated by less than a second.

First practice began on a warm afternoon, with air temperatures reaching 30°C. The team quickly got to work on a programme of mechanical set-up comparisons, tyre analysis and track familiarisation. With only a brief full course yellow in the final minutes, drivers and engineers were able to complete the run plan. A series of longer stints delivered valuable data and driver feedback, allowing set-up adjustments during a three-hour break between sessions.

As the sun set for second practice, track temperatures dropped and the team continued its focus on tyre performance and wear, as well as further set-up work. A trouble-free session ran almost without interruption to conclude an encouraging day for both cars.

Engineers and drivers have one last chance to fine-tune the GR010 HYBRIDs for the characteristics of the abrasive Bahrain track surface during the one-hour third practice on Friday morning. Qualifying takes place at sunset, starting at 4.40pm local time (2.40pm CET), to decide the grid for Saturday’s race, which starts at 2pm (midday CET).

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):

“It all looks okay so far, but it’s just the first day and we know things will evolve over the weekend. We focused on long runs. There is still work to do to extract the most from our car, but we seem to be stronger than in previous races which is a positive sign. We know this track has been good for us in the past so hopefully we can qualify well and show progress in the race.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7):

“It’s nice to be back here in Bahrain, where we’ve enjoyed a lot of great memories over the years. We had a decent start to the weekend, and we are at the right end of the grid, which is much better than the last few races. Race pace is critical here and that’s what we’ve been working on. We looked pretty strong in the afternoon, but we’ll keep pushing to find more speed.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7):

“Generally things are looking pretty positive after the first two practice sessions. We have mainly focused on race pace and understanding the tyre performance. Degradation is important here, so the target is to have a strong race package, especially because it’s an eight-hour race. That was our focus today and so far, so good.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8):

“I’m happy to be here in Bahrain and pleased with how the last practice day of the season has gone. It’s been a positive start for us. Obviously, this is a high-degradation track, so our programme was all about understanding the tyres and trying to keep them alive for as long as possible. Now we will try to put everything together for one lap in qualifying, then manage tyre degradation in the race.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8):

“We had no real issues, and it all went smoothly. Looking at the race pace, we are in the mix but it’s hard to say for certain. Tyre degradation is important here, as we saw last year, and we are working hard to find the right balance and strategy for tyre life. We want to be strong at the end of the race to give us the best chance to get back on the podium.”

Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8):

“It has been a good day. We did a qualifying simulation at the start of second practice, and the lap times seem quite close. We looked quite strong over the long runs and that is encouraging for the race. We did some tyre comparisons through the day, hard in the morning, medium in the afternoon. We’ve done all the preparation we can, and we will analyse everything now. So far, we are looking quite good.”