WEC 8 Hours of Bahrain
FIA World Endurance Championship
The WEC has established itself as one of the premier championships under the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the leading global series for endurance racing.
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Record crowds at BIC witness Toyota Gazoo Racing take one-two in thrilling Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain
Record crowds at BIC witness Toyota Gazoo Racing take one-two in thrilling Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain
- Over 33,000 fans flock to ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ over WEC race weekend
- Toyota’s #7 crew of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries take win ahead of teammates in #8 Hypercar
- Akkodis ASP Team’s #87 trio of Petru Umbrarescu, Clemens Schmid, and Jose Maria Lopez finish first in LMGT3 class
- Four WEC titles decided in Bahrain, with Ferrari winning both manufacturers’ and drivers’ Hypercar crowns and Manthey 1st Phorm clinching both LMGT3 teams’ and drivers’ championships
Toyota Gazoo Racing powered to a sensational one-two in the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain this evening to bring the curtains down on an epic 2025 season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Toyota’s #7 crew of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries steered their GR010 Hybrid Hypercar to first place overall following eight hours of intense wheel-to-wheel battles in both daylight conditions and at night under the bright state-of-the-art floodlights at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
BIC enjoyed an historic WEC weekend as a record crowd of over 33,000 fans flocked to ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ over the two days of world-class racing and family entertainment. They watched from the edge of their seats tonight as Toyota’s triumphant #7 trio took the chequered flag just ahead of their teammates Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa in their #8 GR010 Hybrid.
Waving the chequered flag at the end of this year’s Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain was former racing driver and four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Frenchman Yannick Dalmas.
Taking the win in the WEC’s LMGT3 category were Akkodis ASP Team’s #87 trio of Petru Umbrarescu, Clemens Schmid, and Jose Maria Lopez, who shared the duties in their Lexus RC F LMGT3.
Following the race, the winners in the Hypercar category were awarded their respective trophies by Bapco Energies Group CEO Mark J Thomas, while the LMGT3 class winners were presented their accolades by BIC Board Member Tariq Jaleel Alsaffar.
At the end of the Le Mans-inspired spectacle, four WEC titles were decided in Bahrain.
Ferrari won the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, while Ferrari AF Corse’s #51 crew of Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi, and James Calado clinched the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship.
Manthey 1st Phorm claimed the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams, and their #92 crew of Riccardo Pera, Richard Lietz, and Ryan Hardwick lifted the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Drivers.
Also champions were AF Corse’s #83 crew of Robert Kubica, Yifei Yi, and Philip Hanson. They had already secured the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams heading into the final round.
Toyota got off to a strong start, leading the field into turn one with both their Hypercars rolling into action from the front row. Their #7 crew held on to the advantage after the first two hours, but then Aston Martin Thor Team’s #009 Valkyrie powered ahead mid-race. Heading into the concluding two hours, the pole-sitters were back in charge, and they held on until the end.
De Vries was in the #7 GR010 Hybrid to end the race, and he led Buemi in the #8 Toyota by 19.378 seconds.
Finishing third overall and taking the final step on the Hypercar podium were Ferrari AF Corse’s #50 crew of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, who were 26.342 seconds behind in their Ferrari 499P contender. Ferrari AF Corse’s #51 trio came fourth 26.504s back, and AF Corse’s #83 Hypercar were fifth 39.729s from the victors, both also in Ferrari 499Ps.
In the LMGT3 category, the Akkodis ASP Team #87 won just 0.786s ahead of Iron Lynx’s #61 Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Martin Berry, Lin Hodenius, and Maxime Martin.
Heart of Racing Team’s #27 trio of Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, and Mattia Drudi were third 1.837s adrift in their Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3. Completing the top five in class were newly crowned champions Manthey 1st Phorms’ #92 crew, who finished 14.205s from Akkodis in their Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3, and Vista AF Corse’s #21 trio of Francois Heriau, Simon Mann, and Alessio Rovera, who were 16.311s from the victors in their Ferrari 296 LMGT3.
This year’s Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain was the 14th WEC race to be held at BIC. It featured a stacked 36-car field.
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