After the Spa 24 Hours, DSC’s writers spent half a day at home before jumping back in a car, this time bound for Italy. The FIA WEC’s trip to Monza was held on a blisteringly warm weekend and it was clear from the very first day that significant fan interest had followed Ferrari’s Le Mans triumph. It is fair to say too though, that there was plenty of evidence that it’s not just Ferrari fans that are coming out in numbers.
Throughout the weekend the circuit saw thousands of spectators, with the race proper seeing the main stands well populated throughout and the podium ceremony mobbed. It was greeted sportingly by the local fans, despite Toyota taking the win.
The six-hour race was a cracker, particularly in Hypercar, with multiple cars from multiple teams and manufacturers leading the race at various points. Whilst the major action revolved around the undelayed Toyota and Ferrari, there was no shortage of strong performances from just about everyone else in the class.
The seemingly inevitable clash at the first chicane saw the #51 Ferrari turned around by Sebastien Buemi, with the #8 Toyota crew penalised for that contact and later a second time for the coming together with the #777 D’Station Aston Martin of Satoshi Hoshino.
The incident, also during Buemi’s clumsy stint, ended the TF Sport-run team’s race after a huge impact with the wall on the entry to Ascari. This left the #7 Toyota to do battle with the #50 Ferrari by the end of the race.
The ongoing needle match between the two teams is getting ever sharper. On and off track, this rivalry has rumbled on. Notably the sharpest exchanges are taking place in conversation with journalists and behind closed doors with rule-makers. Watch this space…
Toyota and Ferrari though will need to widen their focus from a season so far spent watching each other, because after a strong showing at Le Mans, the performance at Monza of Peugeot Sport was again head-turning.
The French make led the race on pace and was in the fight throughout. The 9X8 is by no means bulletproof now, but increased reliability has played dividends. It has finally enabled the team to focus on pace after battling mechanical woes in the opening races of the season. It would seem that there is more to come from Peugeot for next season too…
Porsche and Cadillac too had encouraging markers on their form books, though again the LMDh-spec cars do not appear to be able to take the fight to their LMH counterparts across a full stint or race distance.
The gaps though, are slowly closing. Tyre wear and straight-line speed remain the principal concerns for Penske and Ganassi. Those matters are going to be significantly more urgent at Porsche, in light of the fact that customer 963s are now coming on stream rapidly.
HERTZ Team JOTA led again in Italy, mirroring its performance at Le Mans in June, before steering wheel electronics issues ruined its day. Proton Competition, debuting its new 963, led too and on more than one occasion as the pit stop strategies played out. The results don’t tell the full story, as a throttle sensor problem forced the car into retirement late in the race.
Both privateer teams look hungry and capable of taking the fight to the factory opposition. A minor subheading is that Monza’s result sees HERTZ Team JOTA win the first Team’s Championship for non-factory entries, a classification which in future years should become more hotly contested.
After a strong showing at Monza in 2022, Glickenhaus Racing again ran well, the Pipo turbo-V8 powered 007 enjoying the wide open spaces and running as high as second place. The team’s omission from the Fuji entry may be the beginning of the end.
If that is so, then the FIA WEC and its fans owe a vote of thanks to the Glickenhaus family, Podium Engineering and Joest Racing
The FIA WEC and its fans owe a vote of thanks to the Glickenhaus family, Podium Engineering and Joest Racing for adding spice to the early days of what now looks like a smash-hit Hypercar formula
Vanwall on the other hand, was the sole Hypercar not capable of sticking with the pack. The #4 made the finish, having been overtaken on the final lap by the second Peugeot that had spent 17 minutes in the garage. The questions about the car’s future beyond this season are now being openly asked throughout the paddock.
This is in part because the category is set to receive a significant boost in numbers, with Lamborghini, Alpine, BMW and Isotta Fraschini all set to join the field. Isotta, in particular, deserves a mention here. It graced the paddock with a display featuring the Tipo 6 LMH Competitzione and Pista, as well as a scale model of the Tipo 6 Stradale.
In addition to showing off its new kit to fans and holding discussions with rule makers and members of the paddock, the LMH and Pista also took to the track for demo runs. They went a long way to display that this is a programme that is very real and serious about finding a place on the grid for 2024.
Paddock chatter is also adding significant spice to the prospects of multiple additional factory efforts with either live evaluation or in at least one case, a live programme. Seldom have the words ‘watch this space’ been more prescient.
Paddock chatter is also adding significant spice to the prospects of multiple additional factory efforts with either live evaluation or in at least one case, a live programme
In addition to its strong showing in Hypercar, JOTA won LMP2, in a race that was defined by misfortune, incident and reliability woes. The Monza paddock though, was a lively melting pot for views on the future of the class. Several WEC teams will have cars on the market at the end of this season, and there is no shortage of demand for those.
United Autosports and Inter Europol meanwhile are working towards their future programmes, with no immediate route for either into Hypercar.
Both look set to add LMP2 efforts in IMSA to their European and/or Asian programmes. Inter Europol in particular was in a feisty mood in Italy, well aware of background chatter related to its Le Mans win. The result has now been confirmed, with a subsequent team statement making it very clear that the ‘Racing Bakers’ were unimpressed by the tone adopted by some competitors and members of the media.
GTE Am was a class that saw plenty of action on track and plenty of chatter off track. The first indications of the now-confirmed placement by Porsche of Manthey Racing into LMGT3 came during the weekend. This will come as a devastating blow to the aspirations of more than one longtime FIA WEC team. Porsche would take a 1-2-3 in the race, with the #77 Proton car taking the win ahead of home team Iron Lynx and GR Racing, which enjoyed another strong performance.
Just off the podium, however, was the biggest story in the class. The #33 Corvette, despite running with a significant 40-kilo lump of success ballast, raced beautifully to secure the class championship title. It’s two in a row for Ben Keating and for the first time for his teammates Nico Varrone and Nicky Catsburg and Corvette Racing.
The title win continues a remarkable run of success for Catsburg. Three 24-hour race wins, including an overall victory in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, an Asian Le Mans Series title and now a WEC class title have been added to his CV, all within six months.
Fourth place was good enough to win the title, with the Corvette squad’s nearest rivals all finishing behind the #33.
Fuji next and a race that, once the daunting flight is done, almost everyone looks forward to. What dramas await?
