Buemi eyes up fourth WEC drivers’ title in Bahrain
Toyota sealed the Hypercar manufacturers’ championship in Fuji, Japan, last month but now the focus has moved to the drivers’ championship which will be decided in Bahrain.
Four crews can mathematically win the coveted Hypercar drivers' title next month including the No. 8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid (133 points), the sister Toyota No. 7 crew (118 points), the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari (102 points) and No. 50 Ferrari 499P Hypercar (97 points).
Mathematically, 4 cars are still in with a chance of claiming the 2023 FIA WEC World Champions title. Who are you rooting for?
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) October 10, 2023
All to be decided at the WEC Season Finale on November 4th in Bahrain #WEC #Toyota #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/gNxaSJprnq
Since the birth of the WEC in 2012, Sebastien Buemi has built a stellar track record by supporting Toyota and this year could secure his fourth drivers' title for the team. If they were crowned for the fourth time, both Buemi and his team-mate Brendon Hartley would become joint holders of the record for world titles in the WEC's top category.
Buemi was crowned in 2014, 2018-2019 (LMP1 prototypes) and 2022 (Hypercar). Last year, Hartley won his third title with Buemi after two LMP1 titles with Porsche in 2015 and 2017. They would join François Perrodo, the most successful driver in the WEC in all categories.
“Bahrain is an amazing place to have the WEC season-finale,” explained Buemi. “As drivers, we all enjoy going to this circuit and I have known the track for a long time – from racing there in F1, and now in the WEC. I have won two of my championships in Bahrain in the past so I have some great memories there and I also have some family living in Bahrain. Of course racing at night is something special as well. I can't wait to go back and obviously fight for the championship.
When asked about the circuit itself, Buemi added: “It's a great layout. The temperature and the sand are key factors in how you set up the car. We race in the day and finish in the night so this is really special. The layout is a good mix of nice long straights for overtaking opportunities, tight corners, a few elevation changes around turns 5/6 and turns 11/12. As a driver, you get a bit of everything – high speed corners towards the end of the track. There's not much margin for error, if you touch the curb you can lose some lap time but still lots of great overtaking opportunities.”
The WEC season-finale will take place from 2-4 November, click HERE for the latest entry list.
