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Why the WEC title fight isn't as close as it looks

There's a 15-point gap in the 2018-19 drivers standings between the leading Toyota World Endurance Championship crews, which seems pretty close. But for the #7 car's drivers, the race at Spa is crucial for their titles hopes and the series' aspirations

There are a maximum of 65 points up for grabs as the 2018/19 World Endurance Championship arrives back in Europe for its final two-race leg. Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima lead their Toyota team-mates by 15 points, so you might think the title race remains wide open.

Wrong! This weekend's Spa 6 Hours is a must-win race for Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez. Should they fail to do so - and fail to close the gap on the drivers of the #8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID - they will be as good as out of range heading into the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.