Class winners, the No. 52 AF Corse Ferrari duo of Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, who scored their first race win of the season. They were not in the fight for the drivers’ title on this occasion, but helping their sister car win the overall title, claiming second place in the standings and Ferrari to secure the manufacturers’ title provided plenty of motivation for a strong performance. And they delivered just that.
Even so, winning their third world championship required nothing short of a herculean effort from the No. 51 pairing of James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi under the floodlights in Bahrain. The duo were forced to nurse their No. 51 488 GTE EVO to the finish after a major gearbox issue cropped up in the final two hours.
Prior to that issue, the No. 51 appeared to be set to cruise to the title, as an early FCY enabled them to claim a comfortable lead, gaining time by pitting under the caution period after their main competitors stopped just before it began.
The No. 51 controlled the race until the second half, when AF Corse opted to move the No. 52 into the lead via team orders to help it claim second in the standings.
But these best-laid plans from the Italian outfit unraveled fast, as Calado was spotted running slowly and complaining of a gearbox issue shortly after getting in for his final stint.
After last season’s title finale saw late controversial drama that swung the result from Porsche to AF Corse, this time it looked like the opposite was going to happen. The gearbox issue appeared terminal initially, as the car sounded extremely unhealthy, was losing chunks of time each lap and slipped down the order to last, with Calado forced to improvise as the car struggled on. Pier Guidi then had to take over for the run to the flag, and was able to manage the issue and bring it home.
“This is our life,” an emotional Calado said after the race. “We do everything we can for this. The car was fine when I jumped in, and I heard a funny noise on fourth gear. Then we didn’t have any gears, and we were stuck in fifth. I thought it was over, but we didn’t give up, and we are three times world champion.”
Coming home second in class was the No. 64 Corvette, which enjoyed a surprise run to the podium after struggling for pace throughout practice and qualifying and the opening portion of the eight hours. Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy drove a calculated race and also benefited from the same FCY as the No. 51 early in the race, which allowed them to battle their way to a podium finish.
“That was definitely a lot better than we were anticipating!”
said Milner. “It’s great to be back on the podium in the last race of the year and the last GTE Pro race. It’s a little bittersweet.
“If you look at our season as a whole, we had a great year. There was still a lot to be had.
If Le Mans had gone the way it was going for us, Nick and I would be world champions as drivers, so that’s a bit of a bummer. But that’s racing.
I’m happy to end this class on a high note and be back on the podium for Corvette Racing.”
Porsche, which started the race from pole position with its No. 91 car, faded in this one, both cars struggling with tire degradation and unable to keep pace as the temperatures around the circuit dropped.
As a result, the German marque was unable to capitalize on the misfortune that struck the No. 51 crew, and finished up third and fourth, with no titles to show for their efforts. A splash of fuel for the No. 91 on the final lap at least promoted the No. 92 to third in the race and second in the standings.
That will be a disappointing result for the team, which will be out for revenge next season when both manufacturers move up to the Hypercar category.
