After a very strong first half of the season with two wins and two second-place finishes, BMW M Team WRT experienced a difficult start to the second half of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) at the “Lone Star Le Mans” in Austin. On the Circuit of the Americas, the two BMW M Hybrid V8s could do no better than eighth and twelfth place. Nevertheless, Robin Frijns and René Rast managed to maintain their lead in the drivers’ standings. The 6-hour race in Texas also did not go as hoped in the LMGT3 class.
In the intense heat and high humidity, BMW M Team WRT was unable to build on the outstanding performances from before the summer break. Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello, and Dries Vanthoor started the race from eleventh on the grid and, thanks to efficient driving, worked their way up into the top-5. However, after a safety car phase about 45 minutes before the end, the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 could no longer keep up with the pace of its direct competitors and ultimately finished in eighth place. A similar fate befell Frijns, Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde in the #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, who finished twelfth. Since the #7 Toyota retired from the lead shortly before the finish, Frijns and Rast remain tied at the top of the drivers’ standings. In the manufacturers’ standings, BMW M Motorsport remains in second place with 131 points, nine points behind Toyota.
In the LMGT3 class, both BMW M4 GT3 EVOs ran into trouble early in the race. In car number 69, a minor collision in the opening phase caused a puncture and heavy smoke in the cockpit, forcing Anthony McIntosh to make an emergency pit stop. He was able to rejoin the race after a short time, but the unscheduled stop also resulted in a stop-and-go penalty. Nevertheless, McIntosh, Parker Thompson, and Dan Harper managed a remarkable comeback, finishing in eleventh place. Car number 32, with Augusto Farfus, Sean Gelael, and Darren Leung, lost a lot of time due to a lengthy repair stop caused by a faulty sensor and a two-minute penalty for exceeding track limits, and could do no better than 16th place.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to build on the strong first half of the FIA WEC season on this track and in these conditions. In addition, we were unable to deliver a flawless race with either car. The result, with eighth and twelfth place, is disappointing compared to what we have achieved so far with the BMW M Hybrid V8. Especially with car number 20, whose drivers are at the top of the title fight, points would have been important. In the end, we benefited from the retirement of the #7 Toyota. I feel sorry for our competitors, who did a great job and would have deserved the win.
It was a tough weekend. We didn’t have the necessary pace with our Hypercars, but at least we scored some points. We’re happy that we could maintain the lead in the drivers’ standings and stay in the fight for first place in the manufacturers’ standings, but of course the retirement of the Toyota is extremely unfortunate. The crew had such a strong weekend. But that’s racing sometimes. In the LMGT3 class, we didn’t score any points. With the #69, we had a puncture, and Anthony McIntosh had an incredibly hard time bringing the car back to the pits with all the smoke in the cockpit.
Driver statements.
Dries Vanthoor (BMW M Team WRT, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, 8th place): “That wasn’t the result we were hoping for, but we already knew before the race that it would be difficult here. Now we have to look at why we lacked pace this time. On top of that, we didn’t have a perfect race. The good news is that we still managed to score some points.”
Robin Frijns (BMW M Team WRT, #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, 12th place): “A difficult weekend for us. We didn’t have the pace here to keep up with the front runners. Unfortunately, there was also a problem during my pit stop that cost me a few seconds. We need to analyse what happened. Without that issue, we might have been able to finish in the points, but more than sixth or seventh place wouldn’t have been possible. The late retirement of the #7 Toyota was tough for our competitors, but lucky for us, as it allowed us to stay at the top of the drivers’ standings.”
Dan Harper (Team WRT, #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 11th place LMGT3): “Both cars outside the points – that’s obviously disappointing. I feel sorry for the team, who worked so hard in the heat and weren’t rewarded in the end. Many thanks to everyone! The high temperatures and tyre wear were problematic. Now we have to look ahead and try to do better in Fuji.”
Sean Gelael (Team WRT, #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 16th place LMGT3): “Unfortunately, another ‘what if’ race for us this season. Everything went great at the start and we were already up to third place. But then we had this sensor issue and lost ten laps in the pits. After that, we just kept going to collect data for the next races. Hopefully our bad luck will end soon and we can get good results again.”