Round9

6 Hours of Bahrain

Course: Bahrain International Circuit

Bahrain International Circuit
Two TS050 HYBRID at Bahrain International Circuit

FRUSTRATING FINALE FOR TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing experienced a disappointing end to the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season in the 6 Hours of Bahrain.

The #5 TS050 HYBRID of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima was the lead Toyota in fourth, just the third time this year that the team has missed out on the podium.

Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi in the #6 car began the race with an outside chance of the drivers' World Championship, but fifth place was not enough to overhaul the Porsche #2 crew of Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb.

The #6 crew finished the season a creditable third in the drivers' standings, 15 points behind the champions, with their #5 counterparts 8th following a series of misfortunes this year.

Toyota's finally tally from the nine-race season stands at one win, seven podium finishes and 229 points with the TS050 HYBRID, earning third position in the manufacturers' World Championship.

Today's race represented Audi's final appearance in the championship. The team marked the occasion by displaying messages on both TS050 HYBRIDs and presenting a commemorative banner to the Head of Audi Motorsport, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich.

When the race got under way, Kamui in the #6 fought hard with #7 Audi but could not stay ahead, instead he put pressure on from fifth with Sébastien just behind in the sister car.

The Porsche #2 suffered a puncture after almost one hour, elevating the #5 to fourth place, with the #6 now in fifth as the sun set and darkness took hold at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The order stayed that way through the first half of the race, as track temperatures dropped slightly in the darkness. But after the halfway point, the two TS050 HYBRIDs swapped position several times, both in the pits and on track.

The #1 Porsche remained out of reach in third place despite consistent efforts from all Toyota drivers as the end of the race approached.

When the chequered flag fell, Sébastien crossed the line in fourth place, a lap behind the winning Audi #8. Mike followed 38.685secs later to complete a frustrating weekend.

The team's focus will now switch to 2017 preparations, with an intense pre-season testing schedule to fine-tune an updated TS050 HYBRID in time for the opening race, at Silverstone on 16 April.

Those preparations begin already on Sunday with a two-car test session in Bahrain, which also sees promising LMP2 driver Pipo Derani test the TS050 HYBRID as part of the WEC's rookie driver initiative.

Toshio Sato, Team President

“We were hoping for more from this race. We gave everything to stand on the podium again but our speed was not enough compared to Audi's exceptional performance. Not only was this the final race of a tough season but today we also said goodbye to a great competitor. We will miss competing as three manufacturers in LMP1. Congratulations to Audi for bringing their WEC era to an end with a deserved victory, and congratulations also to the Porsche #2 drivers on becoming World Champions. We will now focus on 2017, when we will come back stronger and ready to fight at the front.”

TS050 HYBRID #5 (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima)

Race: 4th, 200 laps, 6 pit stops. Grid: 6th. Fastest lap: 1min 42.867secs

Anthony Davidson

“It was a frustrating race for us. We gave it everything but we didn't quite have the speed to challenge for the podium. It's a sad way to end the season but it's not been a great year for car #5 so I am pleased to see the back of it. I want to say congratulations not only to the Porsche #2 drivers but also to Audi. It was a very impressive display which sets the standard for next season.”

Sébastien Buemi

“In the last race of the season I am pleased for Audi that they win with a one-two. We would have loved to have been on the podium but we didn't have the pace today. We were hoping to give a better opportunity for car #6 to fight for the drivers' championship but it wasn't to be this weekend.”

Kazuki Nakajima

“Firstly well done to the Porsche #2 drivers and big congratulations to Audi for the one-two. For us it was a difficult race because we didn't have the pace to fight at the front; Audi were basically untouchable. The car felt okay to drive and I was happy enough with it; I think we did a decent job.”

TS050 HYBRID #6 (Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi)

Race: 5th, 200 laps, 6 pit stops. Grid: 5th. Fastest lap: 1min 43.096secs

Stéphane Sarrazin

“I'm a bit sad to finish the season off the podium. It was a difficult race for us; we didn't feel good with the car. Audi did an incredible job so well done to them. Well done also to Porsche #2. We were really fast since Mexico, with some very good results and a big highlight with the win at Fuji. All the team did a great job; we enjoyed this year together and for me it was still a positive season.”

Mike Conway

“It was a tough day really. We thought it would be very close and we would be able to fight but Audi were so strong, it was impressive. Congratulations also to the Porsche #2 guys. Towards the end of the race it got really difficult with so much rubber stuck in the front of the car; I lost a lot of front grip. The team has plenty to be proud of this season so we will look back on the positives.”

Kamui Kobayashi

“Congratulations to Audi for winning their last race in WEC and of course Porsche #2 won the title so well done to them. We had a good fight with them all season right until the last race but unfortunately we couldn't do it today. It's a pity to end with fifth place but we didn't have the performance here that we hoped for. We are frustrated with this race but we will come back stronger.”

  • 6 Hours of Bahrain race start
  • A TOYOTA GAZOO Racing mechanic shake hands with an Audi Sport Team Joest mechanic
  • Sébastien Buemi and Toshio Sato
  • Kamui Kobayashi
  • Two TS050 HYBRID with sunset at Bahrain International Circuit
  • TS050 HYBRID at Bahrain International Circuit

RACE RESULTS

Pos Cat Driver Car T Laps Total Time Gap Gap Prev. Best lap Best time Best speed
1 8 LMP1 Lucas DI GRASSI, Loïc DUVAL, Oliver JARVIS Audi R18 M 201 6:00'12.387 106 1'41.511 191.9
2 7 LMP1 Marcel FÄSSLER, André LOTTERER, Benoît TRÉLUYER Audi R18 M 201 6:00'28.806 16.419 16.419 130 1'42.634 189.8
3 1 LMP1 Timo BERNHARD, Mark WEBBER, Brendon HARTLEY Porsche 919 Hybrid M 201 6:01'29.388 1'17.001 1'00.582 152 1'42.401 190.3
4 5 LMP1 Anthony DAVIDSON, Sébastien BUEMI, Kazuki NAKAJIMA Toyota TS050 - Hybrid M 200 6:00'36.576 1 Laps 1 Laps 185 1'42.867 189.4
5 6 LMP1 Stéphane SARRAZIN, Mike CONWAY, Kamui KOBAYASHI Toyota TS050 - Hybrid M 200 6:01'12.261 1 Laps 35.685 5 1'43.096 189.0
6 2 LMP1 Romain DUMAS, Neel JANI, Marc LIEB Porsche 919 Hybrid M 198 6:01'09.829 3 Laps 2 Laps 3 1'42.756 189.6
7 13 LMP1 Mathéo TUSCHER, Dominik KRAIHAMER, Alexandre IMPERATORI Rebellion R-One - AER D 191 6:01'17.598 10 Laps 7 Laps 7 1'47.387 181.4
8 4 LMP1 Simon TRUMMER, Oliver WEBB, Pierre KAFFER CLM P1/01 - AER D 187 6:01'25.283 14 Laps 4 Laps 137 1'48.975 178.8
9 26 LMP2 Roman RUSINOV, René RAST, Alex BRUNDLE Oreca 05 - Nissan D 184 6:01'51.104 17 Laps 3 Laps 139 1'51.824 174.2
10 43 LMP2 Ricardo GONZALEZ, Filipe ALBUQUERQUE, Bruno SENNA LIGIER JS P2 - Nissan D 184 6:01'57.944 17 Laps 6.840 4 1'51.975 174.0
11 36 LMP2 Gustavo MENEZES, Nicolas LAPIERRE, Stéphane RICHELMI Alpine A460 - Nissan D 183 6:00'22.525 18 Laps 1 Laps 3 1'51.768 174.3
12 31 LMP2 Ryan DALZIEL, Luis Felipe DERANI, Christopher CUMMING LIGIER JS P2 - Nissan D 183 6:00'49.361 18 Laps 26.836 5 1'52.424 173.3
13 30 LMP2 Tom DILLMANN, Giedo VAN DER GARDE, Sean GELAEL LIGIER JS P2 - Nissan D 183 6:01'31.689 18 Laps 42.328 4 1'52.287 173.5
14 35 LMP2 David CHENG, Ho-Pin TUNG, Paul Loup CHATIN Alpine A460 - Nissan D 182 6:00'33.711 19 Laps 1 Laps 29 1'53.180 172.1
15 45 LMP2 Julien CANAL, Roberto GONZALEZ, Roberto MERHI Oreca 05 - Nissan D 182 6:01'44.723 19 Laps 1'11.012 3 1'52.787 172.7
16 37 LMP2 Vitaly PETROV, Kirill LADYGIN, Victor SHAITAR BR01 - Nissan D 179 6:00'23.780 22 Laps 3 Laps 2 1'54.098 170.8
17 27 LMP2 Nicolas MINASSIAN, Maurizio MEDIANI, Mikhail ALESHIN BR01 - Nissan D 176 6:01'44.470 25 Laps 3 Laps 3 1'53.922 171.0
18 44 LMP2 Matthew RAO, Richard BRADLEY, Alex LYNN Oreca 05 - Nissan D 175 6:01'14.377 26 Laps 1 Laps 155 1'52.336 173.4
19 95 LMGTE Pro Nicki THIIM, Marco SØRENSEN, Aston Martin Vantage V8 D 174 6:00'54.283 27 Laps 1 Laps 3 1'59.230 163.4
20 51 LMGTE Pro Gianmaria BRUNI, James CALADO, Ferrari 488 GTE M 174 6:01'06.978 27 Laps 12.695 148 1'58.995 163.7
21 71 LMGTE Pro Davide RIGON, Sam BIRD, Ferrari 488 GTE M 173 6:00'28.390 28 Laps 1 Laps 147 1'59.522 163.0
22 67 LMGTE Pro Andy PRIAULX, Harry TINCKNELL, Ford GT M 173 6:01'03.804 28 Laps 35.414 2 1'59.468 163.1
23 97 LMGTE Pro Jonathan ADAM, Darren TURNER, Aston Martin Vantage V8 D 173 6:01'51.995 28 Laps 48.191 61 1'59.321 163.3
24 66 LMGTE Pro Stefan MÜCKE, Olivier PLA, Ford GT M 172 6:00'15.681 29 Laps 1 Laps 91 1'59.615 162.9
25 77 LMGTE Pro Richard LIETZ, Michael CHRISTENSEN, Porsche 911 RSR (2016) M 172 6:00'49.129 29 Laps 33.448 3 2'00.360 161.9
26 88 LMGTE Am Khaled AL QUBAISI, David HEINEMEIER HANSSON, Patrick LONG Porsche 911 RSR M 171 6:02'14.439 30 Laps 1 Laps 30 2'01.870 159.9
27 78 LMGTE Am Christian RIED, Wolf HENZLER, Joël CAMATHIAS Porsche 911 RSR M 170 6:00'25.184 31 Laps 1 Laps 149 2'01.489 160.4
28 83 LMGTE Am François PERRODO, Emmanuel COLLARD, Rui AGUAS Ferrari F458 Italia M 169 6:00'58.009 32 Laps 1 Laps 2 2'01.844 159.9
29 86 LMGTE Am Michael WAINWRIGHT, Adam CARROLL, Ben BARKER Porsche 911 RSR M 168 6:00'49.906 33 Laps 1 Laps 3 2'01.847 159.9
30 50 LMGTE Am Pierre RAGUES, Ricky TAYLOR, Romain BRANDELA Chevrolet Corvette C7-Z06 M 164 6:00'45.774 37 Laps 4 Laps 3 2'01.184 160.8
31 98 LMGTE Am Paul DALLA LANA, Pedro LAMY, Mathias LAUDA Aston Martin Vantage V8 M 84 2:57'37.850 117 Laps 80 Laps 2 2'01.778 160.0

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