As for Toyota Gazoo Racing, a largely trouble-free race and a comfortable one-two was exactly what was expected from a manufacturer who have an apparent lead over their new LMH rivals. But that doesn’t mean Toyota shouldn’t be very proud of this result. On the contrary, it is not Pascal Vasselon’s fault that his sophisticated operation has met with too little resistance in recent seasons. Now against well-financed manufacturer rivals, everyone at Toyota knows and accepts that wins will matter more. There is an element of justification in the Sebring victory, especially since it was so emphatic. It sets the standard that Ferrari, Porsche, Caddy and Peugeot must aspire to.
As usual, there was little to separate the #7 and #8 GR010s as the crews went about it until Toyota reasonably ended the fight after the final pit stops, this time in favor of the former. The win was emotional for Mike Conway, who dedicated the win to his late father, and for player/coach Kamui Kobayashi. But for José María López it was probably the most important after suffering a spectacular crash at this race last year and this time in free practice after another slip. Lopez appeared to be replaced this season, only to be pardoned after Nyck de Vries landed an F1 drive with AlphaTauri.
As for Porsche, there was an intermittent pace but not enough to beat the #50 Ferrari and Caddy with Brits Richard Westbrook and Alex Lynn and ex-Porsche ace Earl Bamber. Fifth and sixth for the Penske-driven 963 were a little disappointing, especially as neither car ran flawlessly. Still, Porsche had a second bite in the cherry on Saturday as IMSA ran its traditional blue ribbon, the 12 Hours of Sebring. Too bad the big race can’t be part of the WEC, but in this era of convergence of LMDh rules between the two series, perhaps this alliance is too far, at least for now.
Porsche had a hard time at the weekend
Porsche
In the closing stages of the 12 Hours, a race that ends in darkness, the Wayne Taylor Racing Acura driven by Filipe Albuquerque found himself with Mathieu Jaminet’s Penske 963 when the pair became tangled while passing GT cars. To make matters worse, Felipe Nasr’s Porsche was also involved in the accident, knocking out all three front-runners! A win at the Sebring 12 Hours would have helped ease Porsche’s concerns about its WEC form. By the looks of it, the Action Express Cadillac clinched an unlikely win to make Pipo Derani a four-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner. The result also means Brits Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken have also landed a ‘Major’ sports car. Sweet for Aitken, a rising star on the sportscar scene after making his first and probably only F1 start for Williams in Bahrain in 2020 – and perhaps even sweeter for Sims, who is addressing the year-old’s professed troubles in Formula E after turning 35.
Final word on the Sebring super weekend when we return to WEC racing on Friday. Don’t forget Richard Dean’s United Autosports squad, who were on course for a win in the LMP2 class after a superb pole position from Oliver Jarvis. As he confidently led the race into the third hour, silver-rated teenage ace Josh Pierson suddenly found all the power in his ORECA had died. It turned out that a cockpit TV camera installed by the race organizer had come loose and hit the external kill switch from the inside. A second place for the sister car offered some consolation, but it was reigning LMP2 Championship team Jota who picked up the pieces. What a way to lose a race.
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