Porsche 919 Hybrid in action at Silverstone. [Photo by Porsche Motorsport]
And so a new season begins for the FIA-WEC this weekend at Silverstone in the UK. In the P1 class, it looks to start off right where it left off last year, with close competition among the top factories, with new cars from Porsche, Audi and Toyota. Also coming soon will be the new Nissan, which is still undergoing development and is going to miss the first couple of rounds.
Last year, Audi won Le Mans, Toyota won the championship and Porsche won the last race of the season, setting up what promises to be an outstanding 2015 season.
One could argue, and quite accurately, that the FIA-WEC series has eclipsed Formula One in both technical development and on track competition. The cars that the factories have prepared for combat in the 2015 season are quite different interpretations of the rules from one another and each manufacturer has come up with outstanding and unique cars.
As far as competition goes, it promises to be close once again. Qualifying has just concluded at Silverstone and the Porsche 919 Hybrids are at the top of the charts, securing the first and second positions on the grid. Closely following is Audi, with their two new R18 entries that qualified third and fifth, with the Toyotas in fourth and sixth. The top six factory entries are separated by less than 2 seconds, which is remarkable considering how different the cars are.
This series has captured the imagination of race fans from around the world and will likely be playing to much larger crowds at their races. To make the comparison again to Formula One, the driver line up in the FIA-WEC is second to none and the depth of talent racing in this series is certainly the equal of Formula One, if not superior.
Perhaps F1 could take a lesson from the FIA-WEC and come up with a rules package that encourages innovation and forward thinking. Perhaps F1 could make its sport more accessible to the fans. Attend a FIA-WEC race and you get to see the cars up close in the paddock. You get to meet the drivers, actually talk to them, and get photos or an autograph.
Yes, Formula One could certainly learn some lessons from the FIA-WEC.
So this season will it be Porsche, Audi, Toyota or Nissan that takes the championship? Hard to call at this point, but one thing is for sure, it will be a titanic clash of the titans all season long and the manufacturer and drivers who do win will have certainly earned the right to be called champions.
The following two tabs change content below.