Toyota Locking It Down Halfway Through Sebring 1000 Miles

We’re halfway through the 2023 FIA WEC season opener at Sebring and Toyota is firmly in control. The Japanese-flagged team has pulled away from the competition, which has lost time through a combination of mechanical woes, penalties and a lack of outright pace.

The two Toyotas are circulating a second apart, a lap ahead of everyone else in the class. The #7 leads the #8. It’s tight, but it almost wasn’t, as the #7 almost lost a lot of time after pitting under green in the fourth hour before the #8 pitted under an FCY called for debris on track.

However, the pit lane closed just as the #8 dived in, meaning an emergency splash was all that Brendon Hartley could take, forcing him back in a second time. That meant all the potential time gained by pitting with the field neutralised was lost when he came in with the race green again.

This leaves Kamui Kobayashi in the lead in the #7, and on course for victory with four hours to go.

Behind, it’s become a battle for third place between Porsche, Cadillac and Ferrari. The racing action when the cars have been together has been spectacular through the first half of the race. Laurens Vanthoor (#6 Porsche) and Alex Lynn (Cadillac) had a lengthy tussle, as did Miguel Molina (#50 Ferrari) and Kevin Estre (#6 Porsche). The cars look extremely tough to drive here when the tyres are worn at the end of a double stint. It’s anyone’s guess who will take that final podium place tonight….

Currently, the Cadillac has climbed to third, with the #6 Porsche fourth, and the #51 AF Corse Ferrari fifth. All three are within 20 seconds of one another.

At the bottom of the timing screens the Glickenhaus lost power and retired, the #93 Peugeot is a confirmed retirement too with mechanical woes, only 43 laps were completed by the French factory car.

In the other classes, both LMP2 and GTE Am saw dramas for leading cars between Hours 2 and 4.

In LMP2, through the first three hours, the #23 United Autosports ORECA built a comfortable lead from pole position, Oliver Jarvis and later Josh Pierson were quick and consistent during their stints. But early in Hour 4 Pierson slowed to a crawl and stopped between turns six and seven. The car was a retirement on the spot.

This opened the door for the #48 HERTZ Team JOTA ORECA to take the lead in the class. A real surprise, after the #23 had put a lap on almost half the LMP2 field. It’s opened the race up, as the top four are within 20 seconds of each other.

Second is the #36 Alpine of Matthieu Vaxiviere, third is Sean Galael in the #31 WRT, and just outside the top three is the #63 Prema ORECA of Mirko Bortolotti. The #63 is very much in contention, Doriane Pin had an extremely impressive run before Bortolotti climbed in.

In GTE AM, like LMP2, the leading car hit trouble while in complete control of the category.

The Iron Dames Porsche had built a solid lead of half a minute after Sarah Bovy’s stint, the team making a successful gamble to pit as the FCY came out for debris from an ORT by TF Sport puncture. But Rahel Frey effectively eliminated the car from contention when she had an off at the exit of Turn 1, which saw her run across the dust and grass, ripping the rear bumper and diffuser off the car.

Frey had to pit for repairs, costing the team two laps. It was a crying shame for the Iron Dames team, which had been fast all weekend, sat on pole position and looked on course for a win on the team’s debut with Porsche.

This left Corvette Racing’s C8.R to take control at the head of the field. Nicolas Varrone is now aboard after Ben Keating’s stellar first stint.

As it stands, the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche has come from seemingly nowhere to sit second, and D’Station’s Aston Martin is up to third.

Elsewhere in the class the Northwest AMR’s chances of a podium are over after a front-right puncture for Paul Dalla Lana cost the team multiple laps, the car needing a lengthy stop for a service after a slow in-lap.

RESULTS AFTER FOUR HOURS >>