FIA WEC Prologue: Monday Paddock Notes
#51 Ferrari chassis ‘ok’
AF Corse Ferrari confirmed to DSC last night upon leaving the Sebring paddock that the #51 499P chassis will be ok to race this week in Florida.
The team was forced to ‘investigate the integrity of the chassis’ after James Calado’s off at Turn 1 during the morning session yesterday, which damaged the front-right corner of the car and cost the team almost an entire day of running.
The 2023 field assembles
33 of the 37 cars on the Sebring entry list were present for the annual group shot of the FIA WEC runners last night, the shot moved forward a day due to the threat of rain trackside.
Missing from the shot were the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, #28 JOTA ORECA, #21 AF Corse Ferrari 488, #54 Spirit of Race 488, all due to repair work being undertaken for accident damage during the day’s running.
Jeffries chosen for Northwest AMR’s third seat
Northwest AMR used this weekend’s Prologue test to evaluate two drivers to take the third seat in the #98 Vantage AMR alongside Nicki Thiim and Paul Dalla Lana for the season.
Axcil Jeffries and Thomas Merrill were present and spent a day each behind the wheel, with Jeffries running on the Saturday and Merrill turning laps on the Sunday. Jeffries completed 60 laps while Merrill was only in the car for 32.
Remarkably, both drivers managed to set times within a tenth of one another. Jeffries’ 2:00.874 was the quicker of the two, though Merrill’s best time was only a fraction slower, a 2:00.902.
The decision has already been made, with Jeffries posting on Instagram this morning that he has been chosen for the drive.
“Happy I can finally confirm my main programme for 2023!” he said.
“Honoured and Proud to announce that I will be driving for Northwest AMR in the Aston Martin GTE competing in the World Endurance Championship alongside Paul Dalla Lana and Nicki Thiim. Still pinching myself that we will be going to Le Mans this year.”
Number of Porsche chassis
Some recent posts on social media have led to speculation speculation on the number of Multimatic ‘spine’ chassis that have been delivered to Porsche (and Audi). DSC can reveal that the current number is in the mid to high 20s.
That number will include race cars and spares for the IMSA and WEC Porsche Penske Motorsport programmes, the ‘spines’ now in production for the initial batch of 963 customers (including HERTZ Team JOTA and Proton Competition, due to be delivered at the end of April), the single chassis for Audi Sport’s ill-fated LMDh programme and a number of other chassis around which showcars are built.
It is not clear whether those showcar chassis can also serve as race car spares.
LMP2 drivers watching the mirrors
DSC caught up with WRT driver Ferdinand Habsburg yesterday. The Austrian pointed out that driving an LMP2 class car feels notably different this year, due to the increase in the number of Hypercar class cars sharing the track.
“You really have to watch the mirrors more. Before occasionally a Toyota would come up behind you and that was it. Now, multiple times a lap a Hypercar is in your mirrors and you have to be aware. This must be what it feels like to drive a GTE car? It’s more challenging because you have to manage overtaking the GT cars and keep in mind at all times that a Hypercar is coming.”
Will a second Cadillac compete at Spa?
Cadillac Racing is set to launch a European test programme alongside its IMSA commitments in the near future, leading to questions over whether there might be an additional entry for a second car at the FIA WEC’s traditional Le Mans dress rehearsal at Spa.
When asked by the DSC editor whether this was on the agenda, GM Motorsports boss Laura Wontrop Klauser was smilingly non-committal.
Cadillac roof change
Cadillac Racing’s V-Series.R ran with a chrome roof during a portion of yesterday’s track action. The team opted to trial this change to see if it would make a difference in cockpit temperature here in Florida, where it has been around 30 degrees celsius each day during the afternoon.
We will know how effective it proved to be on Wednesday when the cars hit the track for the first practice session.
Faces in paddock
DSC has spotted a pair of interesting drivers around the paddock in Sebring today. The first is ELMS regular James Allen, who told DSC that he is in Florida to explore potential opportunities for 2023 and beyond. DTM ace Esteban Muth was also at the track for the Prologue.
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