Three global marques, but only one of them can make its mark on the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 2025 Manufacturers’ trophy, and that battle is set to come to a dramatic desert dénouement this weekend (6-8 November) as the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain brings down the curtain on a truly captivating campaign.
Heading into the event – the eighth and final round of the season, 253 days after the lights went out to signal the start of the opening race in Qatar – Ferrari, Porsche and Cadillac are all in the hunt for both Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ Hypercar honours.
The venue for the eagerly-awaited title showdown is Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) – a well-established staple on the FIA WEC calendar, having welcomed the series on no fewer than 13 previous occasions.
The track is renowned for delivering breathtaking battles and memorable moments, with its wide nature encouraging audacious overtaking manoeuvres. Key challenges include the sandy and sometimes slippery surface, racing from day into night and high temperatures inside the cockpit. Its demanding 5.412km layout asks a lot of drivers, cars, brakes and tyres, with top speeds exceeding 300km/h down the four long straights and as much as 60 per cent of the 15-turn lap spent at full throttle.
As it has done season-long, it is Ferrari that leads the way, holding a 39-point advantage over second-placed Porsche in the Manufacturers’ classification despite a lean recent run, with two of the Prancing Horse’s three crews similarly ensconced at the summit of the Drivers’ standings.
The Ferrari 499P won the first four rounds of the year, and while the scarlet and yellow machines have since reached the rostrum just once – the #50 taking the chequered flag second at COTA – with only 66 points left in play in the Middle East, the famous Maranello-based marque remains the firm favourite to lift the laurels.
Porsche, however, has not given up the fight – far from it. Indeed, it is the German carmaker – an endurance racing icon – that arrives in Bahrain with the momentum on its side, off the back of victory in Austin and podium finishes for its 963 prototype in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo and 6 Hours of Fuji.
While Cadillac might be an outside bet – with 61 points to make up on Ferrari – the American manufacturer and its British partner JOTA Sport have already demonstrated on multiple occasions their ability to spring a surprise, and on its day, the V-Series.R has proven to be unbeatable, as evidenced by three pole positions, a pair of front row Hyperpole lockouts and a commanding one-two finish in São Paulo.
The situation is slightly closer in the Drivers’ ranking. Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari sit 13 points ahead of the privately-entered #83 AF Corse 499P piloted by Le Mans winners Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson.
Courtesy of their stellar recent streak, defending title-holders Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor have clawed their way to within 21 points of the championship leaders following a slow start to the season, while Will Stevens, Norman Nato and 2025’s standout qualifier Alex Lynn are flying the flag for Cadillac, 34 points adrift of the top of the table. Notably, the event will mark the final race of #38 V-Series.R driver Jenson Button’s long and illustrious career in motorsport. The Briton triumphed in Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix in 2009.
Beyond the main battle, outgoing Manufacturers’ world champion Toyota has just one more chance in 2025 to take away something tangible from what has been an uncharacteristically silverware-free campaign.
Ten of the 13 races held to-date in Sakhir have been won by the series’ most decorated constructor – including the last eight in succession. Kamui Kobayashi holds the Hypercar lap record in Bahrain – achieved during qualifying in 2021 – while Sébastien Buemi unleashed a phenomenal performance last year to earn Toyota another world championship trophy against almost inconceivable odds.
“Bahrain is a special place for me and for the team, and I very much enjoy racing there,” reflected the Swiss star, whose #8 driving partner Brendon Hartley has secured four of the last five pole positions at BIC. “We’ve had so much success at this track in the past, but 2024 was particularly memorable. To fight back to win the race and the world championship was an amazing feeling. I know it will be difficult to repeat that victory this year, but we will all push hard to finish the season strongly.”
Just like in Hypercar, there is a three-way tussle in prospect in LMGT3, with the same marques in the mix as Porsche and Ferrari bid to stave off a growing challenge from Cadillac’s sister GM brand, Corvette.
It is GT racing benchmark Manthey that has once again worked its way to the head of the order, with the ever-consistent #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche shared by Richard Lietz, Riccardo Pera and Ryan Hardwick leading the way from the #21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari of Alessio Rovera, Simon Mann and François Hériau – the Italian-entered trio having lost seven points due to a late-race penalty last time out in Japan.
That leaves the gap between the two crews at 11 points going to Bahrain – the same as the difference between first and second place in the forthcoming eight-hour contest, potentially setting the scene for a winner-takes-all finale. In the Corvette camp, meanwhile, Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy’s last-gasp victory at Fuji means the trio go into the desert decider just 24 points off the pace in the #81 yellow-and-black machine.
To add to the intrigue, 12 months ago, Manthey’s title-winning #92 car could manage no better than ninth in Sakhir, where the top two spots on the podium were taken by the current #21 crew (then running under entry number #55) and the #81 ‘Vette…
The on-track sessions will begin with free practice on Thursday, 6 November. Qualifying – and the all-important Hyperpole top ten shootout – starts at 16:00 local time (14:00 CET) on Friday, 7 November, with the race getting underway at 14:00 local time (12:00 CET) on Saturday, 8 November, followed by the annual Rookie Test the next day.
For further information, including the full event timetable and entry list, click HERE.
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