After the first round of the WEC at Silverstone, many people were questioning who had the fastest car in the fields top echelon, LMP1. Porsche had qualified 1-2 for the race, but Audi had what appeared to be the strongest race pace, and Toyota were up there to, but with Silverstone not really being a Toyota track it was difficult to judge where exactly they were. Nissan of course were a no show, so no one has any idea at all of there the radical front-wheel drive Nismo is in the pecking order. So who, if anyone, does have the upper hand so far in LMP1?
Porsche dominated pre-season testing at Paul Ricard, topping the timesheets on every single day and this trend continued at Silverstone as they took a 1-2 in qualifying. Mark Webber built up a huge lead in the #17 Porsche up until its retirement in the race, but the #18 dropped back into the clutches of the Audi's, yet wasn't troubled by the Toyota's. It is clear that they have made a step forward with the new 919, and the tyre management is a lot better than it was in 2014. The 8MJ of power gives the 919 great straight line speed to. However, the car does appear to lack a bit of overall pace relative to the Audi's, which appear to be very good in every part of a race track, apart from the straights where the Porsche just monsters them. So Porsche have a much better car, with better tyre life management and great straight line speed, but perhaps lacking a bit in the corners.
As I said earlier, Audi appear to have the best overall package. Watching from Maggots and Beckets at Silverstone, the car looked mighty, and it did through every other corner of the track. the 4MJ of hybrid power hurts it down the straights relative to the Porsche, which can either pull away or blast past, depending on whether it is in front or behind the Audi, but the car then closes right back up in the corners, highlighted at Silverstone as the #18 Porsche blasted down the Wellington Straight, only for the #7 Audi it was dicing with to close right up through Brooklands and attempt to go round the outside of the Porsche. 2014 was a nightmare for Audi, winning only at Le Mans, largely down to the fact the then #7 Toyota, which had dominated the race up until the early hours of Sunday, broke down, and the reliable (ish) Audi kept going, and in Austin, Texas, when heavy rain ruined Toyota's race and allowed Audi to capitalise on their misfortune. 2015 has started of with a great win for the R18 e-tron quattro. How many more can the manufacturer pick up this year?
Toyota is the hardest to read of the three LMP1 cars right now. Silverstone historically is a track that doesn't suit their car, and last year they won mainly down to the cooler and damp weather conditions, as well as Audi and Porsche being off the pace of the TS040. This year, the new TS040 finished 3rd with the #1 car, the #2 car finishing a lapped 4th, but they did lead thanks to Anthony Davidson during the middle part of the race, and the car was very good on its tyres. Spa is a track that suits the Toyota much more than Silverstone, and it is there that we should be able to get a clearer picture of where they are in the pecking order. Last year they dominated the championship, so don't expect them to lose that edge so quickly. This time though, they do have a fight on their hands.
Thanks to their absence from Silverstone, we are yet to see where Nissan's radical front wheel drive GTR LM Nismo is in the pecking order. Nissan have said they expect to 'surprise' the current established manufacturers, and the car has recently been racking up the miles. The GTR won't appear until Le Mans, therefore missing this weekends 6 Hours of Spa, but its appearance is eagerly awaited. It looks incredible, but will it go as good as it looks? Time will tell.
With the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship coming up this weekend at Spa, we may finally get an answer to the questions at Silverstone. At the moment, you would probably say Audi are leading the way, but you have to take into account that Silverstone is, as I have said many times already, not a Toyota circuit. The safest thing to say is that Audi and Toyota are the top two right now, with Porsche not quite up there but in the mix for wins for sure. The performance of all three teams at Spa will be interesting to see, but if you wanted to push me for who I think has the best car, I would say...Porsche. Stay tuned folks. Until next time. Ciao.
All photo's bar the Nissan GTR are copyright and courtesy of fiawec.com. Nissan GTR photo copyright nobraking.com
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