Nyck de Vries arrives at Le Mans to contest the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans as the newest FIA World Drivers Champion (and the first-ever Dutch FIA World Drivers Champion in any discipline) after clinching the 2021 Championship in Berlin yesterday, the first time the all-electric single-seater Championship has attracted FIA World championship status.
He’ll join the #26 G-Drive Racing effort in LMP2 for the 24 Hours and is the 17th driver holding an FIA World Drivers Championship title to join the entry.
The others:
WEC (LMP1): Hartley (x2), Buemi (x2), Dumas, Nakajima, Davidson, Bamber, Jani, Conway, Kobayashi, and Lopez (+WTCC see below)
WEC (GTE): Championship awarded as a world title from 2017: Calado, Pier Guidi, Estre, Christensen, Thiim, and Sorensen
WTCC: Lopez (x3)
Test Day Additions
Several drivers who are not currently set to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours did turn laps during the test day.
Gustavo Menezes completed 7 laps in the #708 Glickenhaus, Michael Fassbender turned 11 laps in the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche, and Pierre Sanciena was given 5 laps in the #84 SRT 41 Oreca.
2021 vs 2019
With the changes in the Prototype classes, a comparison between peak lap times seems appropriate, with no test day last year the previous figures come from a largely dry 2019 test.
That saw the overall fastest time set by the Toyota TS050 of Sebastian Buemi, a 3:19.440, 108 laps. By comparison, the heavier and less powerful Hypercars are, as expected, significantly slower, the top time in the test in 2021 falling to Olivier Pla in the #708 Glickenhaus with a 3:29.115 (faster, for instance than the pole setting factory Audi R10 TDI in 2006, albeit on a circuit that has changed and been resurfaced since).
In LMP2 2019 saw the fastest lap set by Ho Pin Tung in the #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca with a 3:28.504.
2021 with the cars heavier and with less power saw the LMP2 times topped by Paul Loup Chatin with a 3:31.105 in the #48 IDEC Sport Oreca (though it is perhaps worth noting that the 2021 time was faster than Chatin’s 2019 Test time, 3:31.332).
GTE Pro incidentally saw a fastest time of 3:54.001 in the #63 Corvette C7.R by Mike Rockenfeller whilst GTE Am was topped in 2019 by Toni Vilander in the #62 WeatherTech Racing Ferrari in 3:56.862.
2021 by contrast saw GTE Pro topped with a 3:52.901 by Kevin Estre in the #92 Porsche, GTE Am by Harry Tincknell in the #99 Proton Porsche with a 3:54.472 (around 3 tenths off Tincknell’s 2019 test time in the GTE Pro Ford GT, second fastest).
Top Speeds
The fastest speed recorded during Test Day, by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid and Glickenhaus Racing’s #708 and #709 Glickenhaus 007 LMHs were identical at 331.8 km/h.
Top speeds in the other classes:
LMP2: JOTA’s #38 ORECA 07-Gibson 321 kph
LMGTE Pro: Porsche GT Team’s #91 Porsche 911 RSR-19 298.8 kph
LMGTE Am: TF Sport’s #33 Aston Martin Vantage AMR 296.4 kph
Remembering Jaussaud
In a very poignant and classy gesture, Alpine Endurance Team are carrying the name of recently deceased double Le Mans winner Jean-Pierre Jaussaud alongside those o their 2021 driving trio.
