WEC: Hartley claims pole for Toyota in Bahrain
Brendon Hartley claimed his third pole position at Bahrain International Circuit in as many years ahead of this Saturday’s FIA World Endurance Championship season-concluding 8 Hours of Bahrain race
The New Zealander set the fastest lap with a 1:46.714s lap, securing his second consecutive pole in Bahrain for the #8 Toyota. Nyck de Vries ensured a 1-2 for Toyota in the #7 GR010, as he and Kamui Kobayashi pushed for a last-minute bid for the drivers' title.
The #51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P took third place with a time set by Antonio Giovinazzi, just 0.043s behind de Vries' best. Proton Competition's Porsche, with Neel Jani at the wheel, was the highest-placed Porsche, as the Swiss driver set a best time of 1:47.234s.
The #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P, driven by Antonio Fuoco, achieved the fifth fastest time after recovering from technical issues in FP3.
Completing the top six was the #6 Porsche Penske, which led the drivers' points standings going into the final race, with Kévin Estre in the cockpit. The rest of the top 10 was as follows: seventh for the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche, eighth for the #15 BMW, ninth for the #5 Porsche Penske, and tenth for the #20 BMW.
Neither Alpine nor Peugeot qualified for the session, along with the #2 Cadillac, Lamborghini Iron Lynx, #83 AF Corse Ferrari, and #38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche.
1-2 for McLaren in LMGT3
United Autosports McLaren secured a 1-2 front-row lockout for tomorrow’s season finale. James Caygill, in the #59 United Autosports McLaren, claimed the British manufacturer’s second WEC Hyperpole top spot in LMGT3 with a best lap of 2m02.201s. His time was just 0.002s faster than the sister McLaren driven by James Cottingham, marking a fantastic day for United Autosports as it earned its first FIA WEC pole position point.