WEC: Rebellion rejoices, Toyota suffers 🎥

CASTRIED WORLD CHAMPIONS The Swiss-flagged Rebellion Racing team won the 4 Hours of Shanghai ahead of the two Toyota works cars. These were slowed down by the regulations. The highlights of the 4 Hours of Shanghai, which began with a false start by the pole-setters from Rebellion Racing. Penalty for success The people from Toyota Gazoo Racing, including [...]

Editorial - November 11, 2019

The highlights of the Shanghai 4 Hours, which began with a false start by the pole-setters from Rebellion Racing.

Punishment for success
The people at Toyota Gazoo Racing, including world champion Sébastien Buemi, knew what they were in for. But the way the world champions were presented in China was almost pitiful.

In order to make the private LMP1 teams more competitive, the rule-makers have virtually castrated the Toyota TS050 Hybrid. For the third round of the 2019/20 season, the two works cars were given a maximum success handicap as a "reward" for their previous victories. Compared to 2018, this meant a reduction in hybrid power of 45 % (!), plus 7.5 % less energy from the fuel and a minimum weight that was 28 kilograms higher.

As world champion, the slowest sports cars in the field
This led to the almost grotesque situation on the Shanghai International Circuit that the high-tech sports prototypes were slower than all the private LMP1 and LMP2 cars in terms of top speed. The previous lap times on the GP circuit on the outskirts of the Chinese metropolis could not even be approached. With a best time 3.8 seconds slower than last year, one of the cars driven by Mike Conway, Kamui and José María López was only fourth on the grid, with the other of Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley just behind.

The two Ginetta LMP1s and a Toyota in between overtook the Rebellion too early at the start and incurred a penalty as a result (Photo: Adrenal Media).

Beginning bad, end good
Pole position went to the Rebellion R13 of Bruno Senna, Gustavo Menezes and Norman Nato, followed by the two Ginetta G60s of the British team LNT. However, Nato's flying start was a colossal failure because his tires were not up to temperature. As a result, the Rebellion with starting number #1 dropped back to sixth position on the first lap. However, because both Ginetta and a Toyota had out-accelerated him before the start line, all three had to serve a pit drive-through penalty in the course of the race.

Otherwise, the Rebellion drivers and their pit crew did a perfect job. The strategy was also right, and the Swiss-flagged sports car with Oreca chassis and 4.5-liter naturally aspirated Gibson V8 engine led the field for the first time after 40 laps.

Due to the different refueling stops, the lead then changed hands three more times to the #8 Toyota of Buemi, Hartley and Nakajima. From lap 75, however, the Rebellion was in front and then drove to victory with a 66-second lead over the Toyota of this year's world champions and Le Mans winners. Thrown back by the pit stop, the second Toyota crossed the finish line a lap down in third place.

The Rebellion team was allowed to cheer. They took advantage of the equal opportunities offered by the regulations.

Second victory for Rebellion Racing after Silverstone 2018
Although provoked with artificial help, it is a nice and well-deserved success for the team from England financed by Lausanne industrialist Alexandre Pesci. Only on the condition that the rule-makers make an effort to bring the private LMP1 teams closer to the technically superior works cars did Pesci allow himself to participate in the WEC (World Endurance Championship) for 2019/20, albeit with just one car.

For Rebellion Racing, this meant the first triumph on the track and the second in the company's history. On August 27, 2018, the rebels took both cars to the Silverstone round of the World Championship as one-two winners after the stewards subsequently disqualified both Toyota cars.

The American Gustavo Menezes already took victory back then (alongside Mathias Beche and Thomas Laurent). For Bruno Senna, the nephew of the legendary Ayrtin Senna, it is the first overall victory in the WEC, as it is for Frenchman Norman Nato. Senna is now also the first driver to have won at least one race in all four classes (LMP1, LMP2, GTE-Pro and GTE-Am).

Norman Nato, Bruno Senna and Gustavo Menezes celebrated their first and biggest victory to date together.

Toyota and Buemi remain in front
For Toyota, the two places of honor on the podium meant damage limitation. After two victories at Silverstone and Fuji with maximum points, Toyota Gazoo Racing continues to lead the world championship. The Vaud-based driver and his two team-mates also remain at the top of the standings, which they previously shared with the second Toyota trio.

Sébastien Buemi: "We did our best, that was all we could do. Congratulations to Rebellion. I had hoped that we would be able to fight for victory with them, but we simply didn't have the necessary speed. Hopefully we can make up for this handicap in the next race in Bahrain, which will be another six-hour race."