Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

WEC Fuji: Porsche won't invoke team orders if ahead of Toyota

Porsche will not invoke team orders in tomorrow's Fuji round of the 2017 World Endurance Championship - so long as its two cars are running ahead of the Toyotas

The German manufacturer will able to revise the team orders policy, in place since the Nurburgring in July, because points leaders Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber only need to finish ahead of the #8 Toyota to take the title.

Porsche LMP1 team principal Andreas Seidl told Autosport: "First we need to be ahead of the Toyotas and then there will be no need for team orders.

"If the #2 car [driven by the points leaders] is ahead of them, then the #1 car can go on a mission."

The drivers of the #1 Porsche 919 Hybrid - Andre Lotterer, Neel Jani and Nick Tandy - have twice had to cede position to the sister car since effectively dropping out of contention for the title with a non-finish at the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

Lotterer was given extra fuel at the car's final pitstop at the Nurburgring, which allow Bernhard to move ahead, while Tandy moved over twice for Bamber at Austin in September.

Bernhard and his team-mates currently lead the title race by 52 points after Hartley and Bamber won the point for pole position in qualifying at Fuji.

That is the maximum number of points available over the final two WEC races in Shanghai and Bahrain next month.

Should neither the #2 Porsche and #8 Toyota - driven by Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Anthony Davidson - finish at Fuji, Bernhard, Hartley and Bamber would be champions.

Two maximum scores for the Toyota and two non-finishes for the Porsche crew would result in Buemi and Nakajima losing the title on countback.

Both sets of title protagonists would have four victories, but the Porsche drivers have one second-place finish, while Buemi and Nakajima's next-best result is a third.

Lotterer, Jani and Tandy lie 10 points behind Davidson, who missed the Austin race last month, and 25 behind Buemi and Nakajima.

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article WEC Fuji: Buemi claims Hartley 'block' cost Toyota a shot at pole
Next article LMP2 builders Ligier, Dallara and Riley/Multimatic allowed changes

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe