2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship
Auto racing series
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The 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship was the seventh season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars divided into four categories. The season marked the first move to a winter schedule for the championship, with the season starting at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in May 2018 and concluding at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2019. World championship titles were awarded for LMP drivers, GTE drivers, LMP1 teams and GTE manufacturers.
| 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship | |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile Automobile Club de l'Ouest |
| Discipline | Sports car endurance racing |
| Number of races | 8 |
| Champions | |
| LMP1 Team |  Toyota Gazoo Racing |
| GTE Manufacturer |  Porsche |
| LMP2 Team |  Signatech Alpine Matmut |
| LMGTE Am Team | Team Project 1 |
Schedule
The series announced a provisional schedule on 1 September 2017 that shifted the season calendar from a spring to autumn layout with the 24 Hours of Le Mans marque event held in the middle of the championship, to one running from the May 2018 and to June 2019, including two runnings of Le Mans. This "super season" of eight races spans across more than a year instead of the usual eight months. This shift in calendar length would allow the following 2019–20 season to return to a shorter length by starting in the autumn and concluding at Le Mans in the summer.[1]
The schedule did not include the Circuit of the Americas, Bahrain, Mexico City, or the Nürburgring which were all part of the 2017 championship. In addition to Le Mans being included in both 2018 and 2019, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is also run twice. Sebring International Raceway returned to the series for the first time since the inaugural season in 2012, although the WEC does not participate in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's 12 Hours of Sebring. The WeatherTech series ran their race the day after WEC's 8-hour, 1,000-mile event.[2][3][4]
The schedule was revised two weeks later with the announcement of the eighth round of the championship, returning to Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom. The unannounced event was originally planned for February 2019, with negotiations taking place over a return to Mexico City. With the Mexico City deal failing to materialize, the event at Silverstone was moved to August 2018 to bridge the gap between Le Mans and the Asian rounds of the series starting in October. Further, the Fuji and Shanghai rounds had their dates changed,[5] however Fuji was later returned to its originally scheduled date.[6]
| Rnd | Race | Circuit | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Circuit Paul Ricard | Le Castellet, Var |
6/7 April 2018 | |
| 1 | 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |  Stavelot |
5 May 2018 |
| 2 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Circuit de la Sarthe | Le Mans |
16–17 June 2018 |
| 3 | 6 Hours of Silverstone | Silverstone Circuit |  Silverstone |
19 August 2018 |
| 4 | 6 Hours of Fuji | Fuji Speedway | Oyama, Shizuoka |
14 October 2018 |
| 5 | 6 Hours of Shanghai | Shanghai International Circuit |  Shanghai |
18 November 2018 |
| 6 | 1000 Miles of Sebring | Sebring International Raceway |  Sebring, Florida |
15 March 2019 |
| 7 | 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Stavelot |
4 May 2019 |
| 8 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Circuit de la Sarthe | Le Mans |
15–16 June 2019 |
| Sources:[7][8] | ||||
Teams and drivers
LMP1
LMP2
In accordance with the Le Mans Prototype LMP2 regulations for 2017, all cars used the Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 engine.[33]
- Afiq Yazid was scheduled to compete for Jackie Chan DC Racing's all-Malaysian #37 entry, but did not appear at any rounds.[49]
LMGTE Pro
LMGTE Am
Results and standings
Race results
The highest finishing competitor entered in the World Endurance Championship is listed below. Invitational entries may have finished ahead of WEC competitors in individual races.
- The LMP2 class winner for Spa-Francorchamps was the No. 26 G-Drive Racing invitational entry. As it was not a full-season WEC entrant, the points for the win were awarded to the No. 38 Jackie Chan DC Racing entry.[67]
Drivers' championships
Four titles were offered to drivers, two with world championship status. The LMP World Endurance Drivers' Championship was reserved for LMP1 and LMP2 drivers while the GTE World Endurance Drivers' Championship was available for drivers in the LMGTE categories. FIA Endurance Trophies were awarded in LMP2 and in LMGTE Am.[69]
Entries were required to complete the timed race as well as to complete 70% of the overall winning car's race distance in order to earn championship points. A single bonus point was awarded to the team and all drivers of the pole position car for each category in qualifying. Furthermore, a race must complete two laps under green flag conditions in order for championship points to be awarded.[69]
| Event | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Other | Pole |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Hours | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 8 Hours | 32 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 24 Hours | 38 | 27 | 23 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Source:[69] | ||||||||||||
World Endurance LMP Drivers' Championship
Bold - Pole position |
World Endurance GTE Drivers' Championship
World Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers
Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am Drivers
- Following the 6 Hours of Fuji, Dempsey-Proton Racing was penalized for exceeding the minimum refueling time during pit stops. Upon further investigation, the FIA data loggers for the team's cars were found to have been altered to manipulate the refueling times for the cars for at least two races. The team failed to disclose their consultant who tampered with the loggers, therefore the FIA nullified all points earned by the team prior to the Shanghai round.[70]
Manufacturers' and teams' championships
A world championship for LMGTE manufacturers was awarded, while the former title for manufacturers in LMP1 was replaced by a world championship for LMP1 teams.[69][71] FIA Endurance Trophies were awarded for LMP2 and LMGTE Am teams,[69] while the former trophy for LMGTE Pro teams had been eliminated for 2018.[72]
World Endurance LMP1 Championship
Points were awarded only for the highest finishing competitor from each team.[69]
| Pos. | Team | SPA |
LMS |
SIL |
FUJ |
SHA |
SEB |
SPA |
LMS |
Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota Gazoo Racing |
1 | 1 | DSQ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 216 |
| 2 |  Rebellion Racing |
3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 134 |
| 3 |  SMP Racing |
5 | Ret | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 109 |
| 4 |  ByKolles Racing Team |
4 | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | 34 | Ret | 22.5 | |
| 5 | DragonSpeed |
DNS | Ret | 25 | Ret | 6 | Ret | Ret | 8.5 | |
| 6 | CEFC TRSM Racing |
WD | 41 | 1 | ||||||
| Source:[68] | ||||||||||
World Endurance GTE Manufacturers' Championship
The two highest finishing competitors from each manufacturer were awarded points.[69]
| Pos. | Manufacturer | SPA |
LMS |
SIL |
FUJ |
SHA |
SEB |
SPA |
LMS |
Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porsche |
2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 288 |
| 4 | 2 | 9[N 1] | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | |||
| 2 |  Ferrari |
3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 194 |
| 11 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | |||
| 3 | Ford |
1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 178 |
| Ret | 12 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 18 | 10 | 4 | |||
| 4 | Aston Martin |
6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 136 |
| 7 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 14 | |||
| 5 | BMW |
5 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 114 |
| 8 | Ret | Ret | 7 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 15 | |||
| Source:[68] | ||||||||||
- Following the 6 Hours of Fuji, Dempsey-Proton Racing was penalized for exceeding the minimum refueling time during pit stops. Upon further investigation, the FIA data loggers for the team's cars were found to have been altered to manipulate the refueling times for the cars for at least two races. The team failed to disclose their consultant who tampered with the loggers, therefore the FIA nullified all points earned by the team prior to the Shanghai round. This included some of Porsche's Manufacturers' Championship points for Silverstone being cancelled. The points were redistributed to the next best team.[70]
Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams
| Pos. | Car | Team | SPA |
LMS |
SIL |
FUJ |
SHA |
SEB |
SPA |
LMS |
Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 36 | Signatech Alpine Matmut |
2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 181 |
| 2 | 38 | Jackie Chan DC Racing |
1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 166 |
| 3 | 37 | Jackie Chan DC Racing |
3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | Ret | 138 |
| 4 | 31 | DragonSpeed |
5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Ret | 117 |
| 5 | 50 | Larbre Compétition |
6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 85 |
| 6 | 29 |  Racing Team Nederland |
7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 85 |
| 7 | 28 | TDS Racing |
4 | DSQ | 7 | 4 | Ret | NC | 4 | 3 | 66 |
| Source:[68] | |||||||||||
Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am Teams
| Pos. | Car | Team | SPA |
LMS |
SIL |
FUJ |
SHA |
SEB |
SPA |
LMS |
Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 56 | Team Project 1 |
9 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 151 |
| 2 | 77 | Dempsey-Proton Racing |
4 | 1 | 1 | DSQ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 110[N 1] |
| 3 | 90 | TF Sport |
2 | Ret | 2 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 99 |
| 4 | 54 | Spirit of Race |
8 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 99 |
| 5 | 61 |  Clearwater Racing |
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | DNS | 3 | 3 | 95 |
| 6 | 86 | Gulf Racing |
7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 79 |
| 7 | 98 | Aston Martin Racing |
1 | Ret | 4 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | Ret | 77 |
| 8 | 70 | MR Racing |
5 | 5 | 7 | Ret | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 71 |
| 9 | 88 | Dempsey-Proton Racing |
6 | Ret | 8 | DSQ | 3 | 7 | 9 | Ret | 26[N 1] |
| Source:[68] | |||||||||||
- Following the 6 Hours of Fuji, Dempsey-Proton Racing was penalized for exceeding the minimum refueling time during pit stops. Upon further investigation, the FIA data loggers for the team's cars were found to have been altered to manipulate the refueling times for the cars for at least two races. The team failed to disclose their consultant who tampered with the loggers, therefore the FIA nullified all points earned by the team prior to the Shanghai round.[70]