Austin powers

After a dominant one-two finish for the LMP1 team in Mexico City, our WEC campaign heads over to Austin, Texas. There are some unknowns in store this weekend, however, as the six-hour race moves from the relative cool of its usual evening running to the high temperatures of a southern Texan noon.

Team Principal Andreas Seidl summed up what lies ahead at the 3.4 mile Circuit of the Americas: “We have a great deal of respect for the race in Austin. The circuit isn’t only regarded as a demanding one from our drivers, it also puts huge loads on our 919. Especially if it is as hot as last year and we cannot hope for dropping temperatures for the second half of the race at night anymore. We have done intense preparation work for these conditions at a test in Barcelona, also together with our tyre partner Michelin. The topic of reliability gets a special dimension in the heat. Of course we use the maximum potential to optimize cooling, but the options are limited. Also set-up work requires good compromises to make the car fit for the fast sections as well as for the slower parts. I know our team and drivers will deal with these challenges in the best possible way. Full throttle until the finale – that’s our motto.”

With the 919 Hybrid in its fourth and now final season in the top tier of endurance racing, Porsche Motorsport is looking to secure a third consecutive championship and goes into the race with a 56.5 point lead over Toyota. But their tireless rivals are expected to be much closer than in Mexico, with the long straights limiting top speed on the high downforce 919s.

The race begins at 12pm on Saturday.