(Motorsport-Total.com) – BMW has made significant progress in Austin: In qualifying, the Munich-based company managed to bring both BMW M Hybrid V8s into the Hyperpole for the first time. And the opening phase of the 6-hour race (race report) also looked promising, when Rene Rast was even able to overtake the factory Ferrari #50 (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen).
BMW was even able to take on Ferrari in the race Zoom
“We were among the only ones who could keep up with the Ferrari in the first half of the race,” said WRT team boss Vincent Vosse, while BMW Motorsport boss Andreas Roos added: “I think, especially at the start of the race, you could see that our car was not only fast on one lap, but that we were also able to keep up consistently throughout the race and fight with the Ferraris.”
In the end, however, BMW missed out on its first podium in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) by a long shot – because the BMW #20 (S. van der Linde/Frijns/Rast) received two penalties in the final phase! “Unfortunately, we made mistakes towards the end of the race that we need to analyze and that cannot be allowed to happen when it comes to top results,” admits Roos.
Two penalties cost possible podium
What happened? First, the BMW trio received a drive-through penalty for driving too fast in a full-course yellow, then Sheldon van der Linde also had to serve a 100-second penalty because the BMW had not adhered to the maximum permitted amount of energy per stint (set in the BoP).
BMW has significantly improved its performance Zoom
In the end, the BMW #20 only managed 14th place overall. “On the one hand, it was positive that we had the pace to be in the top 5 and also to fight for podium places,” says Rast. “How the race ended is of course frustrating.”
At least: The second BMW #15 (D. Vanthoor/Marciello/Wittmann) not only collected World Championship points with eighth place, but also achieved its best result of the season so far. “Austin showed that we have gained speed,” praised Raffaele Marciello. “We were able to fight harder this weekend.”
“We finished the race within the lead lap, which is positive. It was the first time we achieved this,” said the Swiss, who sees progress. “We are going in the right direction and have scored a good number of points.”
“Taken a step in terms of performance”
BMW Motorsport Director Roos speaks of a “weekend with ups and downs” because “from the first training sessions onwards we showed with a strong performance that our BMW M Hybrid V8 could have a say here with top lap times.” This good performance continued on Sunday.
Photos: WEC 2024: Lone Star Le Mans
“One positive thing we can take away from this is that the vehicle performance was good and the hard work to further develop the car paid off,” praised Roos. “We definitely took a step forward in terms of performance. A big thank you to the whole team, whose work made this possible.”
“Of course we are not happy with the final result, but there are also some very positive things,” WRT team boss Vosse sums up. “Now we have to learn to keep it up until the end of the race without making any mistakes. But we remain confident and are focused on the next race in two weeks in Fuji.”
