Six hot topics at Shanghai
Look out for these six crucial storylines at the 6 Hours of Shanghai this weekend as multi-class, all-action endurance action comes to China!
1. Can the No.7 Toyota crew claw back more points?
They have managed to get back into contention after a super pole and win double at Fuji last time out, but can Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López now gain further ground and ensure maximum pressure is applied to stablemates Sébastien Buemi, Fernando Alonso and Kazuki Nakajima in the No.8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID.
2. Will tyres be as crucial as ever?
Shanghai is notorious as being one of the hardest track surfaces for the WEC cars to deal with. A quirky asphalt means that tyre suppliers Michelin and Dunlop have to be on top of their game just as much as the teams they supply.
In addition to the surface, the demands of the high aerodynamic downforce turns and major braking areas after the main straight, plus the long start/finish straight, mean the allocation of just 18 tyres (from qualifying onwards) will need to be well looked after.
3. Porsche targets Shanghai revenge
Current GTE Pro points leader Porsche is targeting revenge after narrowly missing out on victory to the No.67 Ford GT last season.
The German manufacturer holds a healthy 52-point lead over Ford in the Manufacturers Championship, while Ferrari sit third ahead of Aston Martin and BMW.
Aston Martin Racing has been working hard on its new Vantage model and the progress has been rapid and encouraging. A slight BoP weight break and power increase should also assist its quest for a first win with the new-look car this weekend.
4. Can Corvette upset the regulars?
The mighty rumble of the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R will reverberate around the Shanghai circuit this weekend as the American marque makes a welcome cameo appearance for its first six-hour WEC race since COTA in 2014.
Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner race at the track for the first time and will be keen to mix it up with the Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche rivals with which they battled at Le Mans in June.
5. Will Jackie Chan DC Racing get a home win?
Home heroes Jackie Chan DC Racing arrive at their home track with plenty of extra motivation after coming so close to winning the LMP2 category last season.
On that occasion a potential victory looked possible but a controversial coming-together between Ho-Pin Tung and G-Drive’s Nico Muller saw the No.38 Jackie Chan car spin away its chances.
The Chinese team will also be looking to score a hat-trick of WEC wins after recent successes at Silverstone and Fuji; both the No.37 and No.38 cars have closed to within a point of the Signatech Alpine Matmut squad.
6. Aston Martin gun for Fourth Chinese Win
The No.98 Aston Martin is the undoubted Emperor of SIC when it comes to class victories as it looks for a fourth win in five starts this weekend.
Pedro Lamy and Paul Dalla Lana will be going for their fourth success after wins together in 2014 (with Christoffer Nygaard) and in both 2016 and 2017 with Mathias Lauda.
But the opposition will be fierce in the LMGTE Am class with both the Dempsey Proton and Team Project 1 Porsches looking for more victories to add to their Super Season tally.
