Fuji. Second place in Austin (USA), third place in Fuji (JPN):
the BMW M4 GT3 EVO continues its successful streak in the final
stages of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). In the
penultimate race at the Fuji International Speedway, Augusto Farfus
(BRA), Timur Boguslavskiy, and Yasser Shahin (AUS) drove the #31 The
Bend Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO to a third-place finish. The trio
achieved an impressive comeback from 14th on the grid. The #46 car,
which had finished second in Austin, secured another strong
fourth-place result this time. In the Hypercar class, the #20 Shell
BMW M Hybrid V8 crossed the finish line in ninth place, while the
#15 car retired after a crash.
The Japanese fans witnessed a spectacular six-hour race filled with
numerous overtakes and collisions. Unfortunately, the #15 BMW M Hybrid
V8, driven by Kevin Magnussen (DEN), Raffaele Marciello (SUI), and
Dries Vanthoor (BEL), was involved in two incidents. First, Magnussen
was hit and spun by another car. Later, Marciello had to avoid a
suddenly slowing Hypercar, resulting in a crash into the track
barrier, which ended the race for the car.
The #20 car started from an excellent fifth position after a strong
qualifying performance by Sheldon van der Linde (RSA). During the
race, he and his teammates René Rast (GER) and Robin Frijns (NED)
fought hard to recover after a drive-through penalty. Their efforts
concluded with a ninth-place finish.
Both BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars in the LMGT3 class delivered spectacular
comebacks. After a disappointing qualifying session, the cars started
from 11th and 14th positions but quickly worked their way up the
field. The final stages turned into a strategic gamble, with the #31
car securing a well-earned third place. Right behind, Kelvin van der
Linde (RSA), Valentino Rossi (ITA), and Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA) finished
fourth in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
Comments after the race:
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “On the
Hypercar side, it was a tough weekend. After our first podium in FIA
WEC here a year ago, we had hoped for much more than ninth place.
Unfortunately, we had some bad luck during the race with yellow flags
and safety cars. On top of that, the #20 car received a drive-through
penalty. Ultimately, we also lacked that final bit of pace needed to
achieve a top result. I feel sorry for the #15 crew who were involved
in two collisions through no fault of their own. On the other side of
the garage, there is great joy over another podium for the BMW M4 GT3
EVO. Third and fourth places are the result of fantastic team
performances. Congratulations to Augusto Farfus, Timur Boguslavskiy,
and Yasser Shahin on the podium finish. Our goal now is to deliver a
strong season finale in Bahrain with all our cars.”
Vincent Vosse (Team Principal, BMW M Team WRT):
“Looking at the Hypercars, it was a disappointing
weekend. Ultimately, the #20 car finished ninth. We had some bad luck
with the safety car, but that wasn’t the end of the world. Even the
winning #35 Alpine had a drive-through penalty. It was all about being
in the right place at the right time. Congratulations to the Alpine
crew on their first FIA WEC victory. As for us, the #15 car was
heavily damaged after Raffaele Marciello’s crash. It seems the car in
front of him suddenly slowed down due to technical issues, and he
couldn’t avoid the accident. The third and fourth places in the LMGT3
class were achieved thanks to our fantastic teamwork. We didn’t have
the best pace, but we did a flawless job.”
Robin Frijns (BMW M Team WRT, #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, 9th
place): “A tough weekend. From the first practice
session, we didn’t have the pace we had hoped for. We managed to
improve, but in the end, we weren’t fast enough. In qualifying, we
definitely overperformed with fifth place thanks to a fantastic lap by
Sheldon. In the race, we had a bit of bad luck and a drive-through
penalty, but we were still in a decent position. However, we couldn’t
hold onto it due to our lack of pace.”
Raffaele Marciello (BMW M Team WRT, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, DNF):
“It’s very unfortunate that we had to end the race this
way. I’m curious about the outcome of the investigation into my crash.
Overall, it was a tough weekend, and we lacked some pace. Still, after
the early contact, we made up ground in the race and could have scored
some points, especially since several cars ahead of us had penalties
or incidents. Now we’re focusing on the season finale in Bahrain.”
Augusto Farfus (The Bend Team WRT, #31 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 3rd
place): “Given the pace we had this weekend, we didn’t
expect to move so far forward in the race but we did an excellent job.
We had to overcome a few hurdles, but the team handled them
brilliantly. The car was much better in the race than in qualifying.
The podium feels very rewarding.”
Timur Boguslavskiy (The Bend Team WRT, #31 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 3rd
place): “We’re very happy with this podium. We weren’t
the fastest in the race, but we still earned third place. We were
close in Austin, and this time it finally worked out. I’m not entirely
satisfied with my own performance, but Augusto and Yasser did an
amazing job.”
Yasser Shahin (The Bend Team WRT, #31 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 3rd
place): “What a fantastic race result. We really
didn’t think we had a chance but a great drive from all three drivers
and all the right strategy calls delivered today.”
Kelvin van der Linde (Team WRT, #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 4th
place): “Third and fourth places are a very good team
result. This race marks the end of four extremely busy weeks. A podium
in Austin, a podium here, plus wins in Suzuka and Valencia – it’s been
an incredibly successful month for the team and for me personally. I’m
proud of the entire crew.”