Championships and how they can be won this weekend in Shanghai!

The engineers in the World Endurance Championship have a uniquely stressful job trying to juggle multiple figures at once, whether they relate to fuel strategy, tyre wear or even the weather. They are not the only ones!  With several championships on the point of being settled, here are the scenarios which could see a champion crowned in each of the four classes following the 6 Hours of Shanghai.

LMP1

Having led the points since the opening round, the No. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid crew could finally reap their reward this weekend by seeing off the challenge of their rivals from Toyota and Audi. With a maximum 26 points on offer for a win and pole position, Neel Jani, Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas need only to extend their margin by a further four points to seal the championship with one round to spare. There a number of ways that they can achieve it:

·         #2 Porsche win and #6 Toyota second.

·         #2 Porsche on pole and finish second with #6 Toyota third and #8 Audi not winning.   

·         #2 Porsche on pole and finish third with #6 Toyota fifth and #8 Audi second.

·         #2 Porsche on pole and finish fourth with #6 Toyota sixth and #8 Audi third.

·         #2 Porsche finish fifth with #6 Toyota finishing seventh and #8 Audi fourth.

·         #2 Porsche finish sixth with #6 Toyota failing to finish and #8 Audi fifth.

Porsche can also wrap up the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers Championship early if they can head to Bahrain with more than 51 points in hand. The 2015 champions take a 59 point lead over Audi to Shanghai and can win the title by getting two cars onto the podium, even if an Audi wins. 

LMP2

The Signatech-Alpine team has enjoyed a hugely successful season in LMP2, taking four class wins from seven races – including the double points available at the Le Mans 24 Hours. A sixth podium of the season for Nicolas Lapierre, Stéphane Richelmi and Gustavo Menezes at Fuji gives them a 38 point advantage at the top of the standings, which means they need only to finish third in China to be sure of the title, even if the RGR Sport Ligier takes pole position and wins the race.

LMGTE Pro

The GTE Pro class is the closest of the four championships, with only one crew managing to win more than once so far this year. Aston Martin Racing's Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen have a 10 point margin over Ferrari’s Sam Bird and Davide Rigon, but there are only a few circumstances which would result in the Danes taking the GT Drivers' title in China. To do so, the No.95 Aston Martin would need to score the maximum 26 points for victory and pole position, with the No.71 AF Corse Ferrari finishing sixth or lower and the No.97 Aston Martin of Darren Turner and Richie Stanaway fourth or lower.  

Similarly, in the FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers, Ferrari lead Aston Martin by just three points. Both championships look set to go the full distance and be settled at the final round of the season, the 6 Hours of Bahrain.

LMGTE Am

The GTE Am title battle has been largely a two-horse race since the start, but a few non-finishes have proven costly for the No.98 Aston Martin of Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda and Pedro Lamy. As a result, the No.83 AF Corse Ferrari of Emmanuel Collard, Rui Aguas and François Perrodo has a 33 point lead at the top of the standings.  The trio can wrap up the title in Shanghai if they take pole and finish second, regardless of what the Aston Martin does. If the Aston Martin fails to win, AF Corse will be champions with a fourth place finish.    

James Newbold