At the end of the penultimate round of the World Endurance Championship, held at the Sakhir circuit in extreme conditions due to high temperatures, we heard from the drivers involved in the race.
Antonello Coletta: “As mentioned on the eve of the race, the Balance of Performance proved to be particularly punitive to our cars, as confirmed by the race pace and the result of this six-hour event. We regret not being able to defend the leadership acquired on previous occasions, the result of always beautiful and exciting races. We hope that the correct criteria for the BoP will be restored in the last race so that we can try to fight on equal terms for the world titles”.
James Calado: “I am obviously disappointed because today we weren’t put in a position to fight for the championship. This decision can drastically change the standings, and it is a pity that a season’s worth of work by Ferrari, AF Corse, Alessandro and myself is in danger of being undone. Third place was the best we could aim for today, as I said before the race started. The Porsches could race without taking risks or exploiting their full potential. We hope that they will at least reinstate the Monza BoP, which produced an evenly contested race that was spectacular for the public, something that cannot be said of today’s race”.
Alessandro Pier Guidi. “We were not put in a position to compete on equal terms with our opponents, and that is disappointing. In every race, we have always given our best, always exploiting our car’s potential, and I don't think this should come back to haunt us. I don’t think it’s good for the sport”.
Miguel Molina: “The race was very tough, especially because of the heat, but we did everything we could. We had an excellent pace, and this is something to build on for the 8 hours. Even though the conditions will be different, I think we have a good base to start from, and we will have to exploit it to get a good result”.
Daniel Serra: “It wasn’t a very entertaining race, and we did the best we could. In fact, I think we had an excellent outing, with good pace”.
Nicklas Nielsen: “It was a good race even though we were unlucky with the Full Course Yellow just after our pit stop, which lost us positions. However, that’s not why we didn’t make the podium today. I think it’s pretty obvious that the BoP was not balanced. We had no speed, although the car was very nice to drive. I hope something changes because, despite a good points margin over our rivals, it won’t be easy to run an 8-hour race like this”.
Alessio Rovera: “It wasn’t an easy debut on this circuit, but despite the ballast, we knew we had to give our all on the race pace. Our Ferrari performed well, and at one point, we were in the podium positions, thanks also to the team, which supported us throughout with a strategy that allowed us to climb right back up in the first part of the race. An unfavourable Full Course Yellow didn’t help us, but we are happy to collect the points won at this 6 Hours. However, we know that everything will be decided in a week at the 8 Hours, which will be a great battle and also includes a night-time finale.”