Reigning FIA WEC champions Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley, drivers in the No.1 Porsche 919 Hybrid, are both confident of defending their title in 2016. However, the teammates are under no illusions that they will be pushed every inch of the way by the might of Audi and Toyota, their fierce rivals in LMP1.
Porsche has gathered together a huge amount of data after thousands of kilometres of testing over the winter months to ensure they are best placed to challenge for back-to-back LMP1 titles.
“Abu Dhabi was the first test this year and it was dedicated more to the tyres, the set-up and general development of the car,” said Bernhard. “Then, for a test like we did here at Paul Ricard last week, it was about getting mileage on the car and getting some aspects bullet-proof for this year.
“Now, this week here (at Paul Ricard) it will be very interesting to see our competitors and see where they are. There are always rumours about what people are doing and what they have found with new packages but I’ve been around long enough in motorsport to know that you don’t listen to these too much, and actually nothing is really validated until we get to Silverstone anyway."
Bernhard is anticipating a huge fight this season and actually believes the fans will witness the closest WEC season ever.
“I actually think this year will be closer than last year,” continued the German. “In the first races maybe we are in a good position because our car is proven more, but to be honest it is too difficult to say clearly. Le Mans will be like starting again as it is such a special track and we all have a different look to the cars in terms of aero. The efficiency will be more important because we have a limited amount of fuel, so for sure we have to work more on the details to choose the most efficient set-up.”
For Brendon Hartley, the WEC challenge and fight ahead in 2016 is one to relish and the New Zealander is predicting quicker lap times due to the development by the manufacturers.
“Even though there has been a percentage (8%) of fuel taken away I still think we are going to see some really quick lap times from these LMP1 cars,” said Hartley. “From one year ago to now, even with less fuel, I think simply the rate of development in many areas will be very high, so there is a lot for the fans to look forward to.”
Sam Smith
