Modified title-winning Porsche WEC LMP1 car beats Spa F1 lap record
Porsche's 919 Hybrid LMP1 car has broken the unofficial lap record of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, beating Lewis Hamilton's pole position time for last year's Formula 1 race


World Endurance champion Neel Jani was at the wheel of a modified 919 Hybrid 'Evo' on Monday, and recorded a lap of 1m41.770s around the Belgian Grand Prix venue.
That compares to Hamilton's 2017 F1 pole time of 1m42.553s, which is the official fastest time set by a car around the current 4.352-mile configuration.
Porsche is embarking on a 'world tour' with is now-retired LMP1 car this year following its withdrawal from the WEC's top division, and has made numerous changes to the 919 in a bid to demonstrate what the car is capable of free of its usual restrictions.
"This additional success is the result of the LMP team's hard work and a proud day for the engineers," said Porsche LMP1 boss Andreas Seidl.
"One can only congratulate Neel and the entire crew for achieving it.
"All six 2017 LMP1 drivers contributed to the project. It was our target to show the Porsche 919 Hybrid's abilities when we ease the restrictions that came from the WEC regulations."
Among the changes made to the 919 Evo are an enlarged front diffuser and rear wing, the addition of DRS at the front and rear, and considerably more power.
Jani registered a top speed of 223mph thanks to the 2.0-litre V4 engine being tuned to produce around 720bhp - compared to the 500bhp it had previously under restrictive LMP1 fuel flow regulations.
The hybrid system was also tweaked to deliver an additional 40bhp compared to the 2017 version.

"The 919 Evo is brutally impressive," said Jani. "It is definitely the fastest car I ever drove.
"The grip level is at a fully new dimension for me, I couldn't imagine this amount beforehand.
"The speed on which everything happens on a single lap with the 919 Evo is that fast that the demand on reaction speed is very different to what I was used to in the WEC.
"We are not only faster than the F1 pole from 2017. Today's lap was 12 seconds faster compared to our WEC pole position from last year."
The 919 Evo will next be in action ahead of the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May, with further runs planned at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, at Brands Hatch in September and at Laguna Seca in October.

WEC prologue: Toyota ends test four seconds clear of privateers
Sarrazin: Toyota played games with privateer LMP1 rivals in WEC test

Latest news
Buemi: Diriyah FE pole pace just the beginning, "sad" at how Nissan spell ended
Sebastien Buemi says his pole position pace at the Diriyah E-Prix is "just the beginning", but conceded it left him "sad" at how his time with Nissan ended.
Grosjean upbeat ahead of Lamborghini debut in Daytona 24 Hours
Romain Grosjean has expressed his satisfaction with the build-up to this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, which will mark his first outing as a factory Lamborghini driver.
Van der Linde pleased by Diriyah FE qualifying despite "uphill battle" debut
Kelvin van der Linde was buoyed by his Diriyah E-Prix qualifying performance after minimal running, although felt his first Formula E race was an "uphill battle".
Auer to miss Bathurst, Craft-Bamboo seeking replacement
Craft-Bamboo Racing is on the hunt for a driver for next week's Bathurst 12 Hour after Lucas Auer was injured in a practice crash in Daytona.
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
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.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.