BMW M Team WRT scored the first podium finish for the M Hybrid V8 in FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) competition in the 6 Hours of Fuji race in Japan, which was the penultimate round of the 2024 season.
The #15 M Hybrid V8 of Dries Vanthoor, Marco Wittmann and Raffaele Marciello (shown above) was fast from the get-go in the Hypercar class at Fuji Speedway, particularly when Vanthoor was in the car. He set the fastest time in the second practice session and was the third fastest in qualifying, less than two-tenths off the pole time of the #2 Cadillac. The #20 M Hybrid V8 of Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde qualified in eleventh with Frijns at the wheel, with a fast lap around six-tenths behind Vanthoor. The top fourteen cars in the Hypercar class were within a second of each other.
Once the race got underway, Wittmann moved up into second in the #15 car and the team and trio of drivers held that position through the race, which had three safety car periods and two full-course cautions. The podium was the first for the M Hybrid V8 in FIA WEC competition, which had a previous best finish of sixth back in April at Imola. “After Austin, we thought this track might not be the best for us, but the improvements we made paid off,” said Raffaele Marciello after the race. “It’s a big boost for us drivers and the team. It’s not just about the podium – it’s about being able to compete at the front and perform well. That’s a great feeling.” The overall race and Hypercar class were won by the #6 Porsche, which is leading the championship.
Raffaele Marciello (left) Marco Wittmann (middle) and Dries Vanthoor drove the M Hybrid V8 to it’s first FIA WEC podium.
The #20 M Hybrid V8 ran into trouble early in the race, with René Rast hitting debris from an accident that happened in front of him, causing damage to the front of the car that led to a trip to the pits for a front-end replacement, putting them down by two laps and ultimately leading to a DNF.
The pair of M4 GT3s entered by BMW M Team WRT in the LMGT3 class started the year with promise but have not emerged as contenders for the class championship as the season has progressed. Neither car made it into the Hyperpole qualifying round at Fuji Speedway (which only features the top ten fastest cars in the class). It was the first time this year that neither of the M4 GT3s made it into the final round of qualifying. The fastest time set by the #46 M4 GT3 was only good enough for twelfth and had a fast lap around a second behind the #55 Ferrari that took the pole.
The #46 worked its way up during the race with good strategy calls from the team and finished third in class with drivers Maxime Martin, Valentino Rossi and Ahmad al Harthy, while the #31 M4 GT3 of Augusto Farfus, Darren Leung and —- finished tenth after a collision dropped them back. The LMGT3 class was won by the #54 AF Corse Ferrari, and the second-place finish by the #92 Manthey PureRxing Porsche was enough to clinch the championship.
Ahmad al Harthy (left), Valentino Rossi (middle) and Maxime Martin celebrate their podium finish.
The final round of the FIA WEC season is the 8 Hours of Bahrain, which takes place on November 2nd. —David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW]
