Ferrari lodges protest against Bahrain WEC BoP changes
Ferrari has lodged a protest against two separate Balance of Performance changes involving its factory GTE Pro entries ahead of the World Endurance Championship title decider in Bahrain.
A steward document stated that the AF Corse team that runs the works Ferrari operation in WEC has until 3pm local time (12pm GMT) to complete the mandatory protest procedure for each car it entered across the two races in Bahrain. A final verdict will be provided an hour later at 4pm local time.
Although the BoP changes affected Ferraris entered in both GTE categories, the document stated that the ‘protest has been filled by AF Corse “only” in its capacity as competitor in the Pro category of the FIA WEC’.
The protests concerns the original BoP change made for the Bahrain 6 Hours event, last week as well as the second adjustment announced on Wednesday night that will take effect for tomorrow's Bahrain 8 Hours.
The Ferrari 488 GTEs were robbed of an estimated 25bhp ahead of last weekend's race, leaving it to trail third and fourth in the four-car GTE Pro class behind the two Porsches.
This change was made outside of the auto BoP system that has been in place in the WEC for several years, with the FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest instead opting for so-called black-ball changes to adjust the performance of Ferraris in both GTE categories.
The FIA and ACO has now reinstated about half the power Ferrari lost due to the previous BoP change, with the boost pressure of the 488 GTE raised by 0.04 bar and its fuel tank capacity consequently raised by two litres to 91 litres.
#52 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Daniel Serra, Miguel Molina
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
This prompted Alexander Stehlig, head of operations at the Manthey-run WEC factory team, to declare that he was "not happy with this decision".
Ferrari and Porsche are locked in a tight fight for GTE Pro honours following the exit of Aston Martin after the 2019/20 season, with just a single point separating the two marques in both standings.
In the drivers’ standings, AF Corse’s James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi sit just ahead of Kevin Estre and Neel Jani with 139 and 138 points respectively, while Porsche (231) holds a narrow advantage over Ferrari (230) in the manufacturers’ battle.
The WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain will be streamed live on Motorsport.tv. Click here for more information.
Related video
Alpine confident WEC fuel mileage woes are solved to challenge Toyota
SRO to jointly run Asian Le Mans Series with ACO
Porsche's WEC performance deficit "very obvious" at Sebring
Porsche's WEC performance deficit "very obvious" at Sebring Porsche's WEC performance deficit "very obvious" at Sebring
WTR Acura was "bowling ball" in clash that took out Sebring 12 Hour leaders
WTR Acura was "bowling ball" in clash that took out Sebring 12 Hour leaders WTR Acura was "bowling ball" in clash that took out Sebring 12 Hour leaders
Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence
Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence
Verstappen: "Poor" visibility makes missing F1 grid slot easy to do
Verstappen: "Poor" visibility makes missing F1 grid slot easy to do Verstappen: "Poor" visibility makes missing F1 grid slot easy to do
Why three UK series occupying the same turf are thriving
Why three UK series occupying the same turf are thriving Why three UK series occupying the same turf are thriving
Mercedes explains approach to changing F1 car concept
Mercedes explains approach to changing F1 car concept Mercedes explains approach to changing F1 car concept
Why Vegas is the ultimate differentiator for F1 in the US
Why Vegas is the ultimate differentiator for F1 in the US Why Vegas is the ultimate differentiator for F1 in the US
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023 Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022 Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay? Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.