The 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship was the seventh season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars divided into four categories. The season marked the first move to a winter schedule for the championship, with the season starting at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in May 2018 and concluding at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2019. World championship titles were awarded for LMP drivers, GTE drivers, LMP1 teams and GTE manufacturers.
Schedule The series announced a provisional schedule on 1 September 2017 that shifted the season calendar from a spring to autumn layout with the 24 Hours of Le Mans marque event held in the middle of the championship, to one running from the May 2018 and to June 2019, including two runnings of Le Mans. This "super season" of eight races spans across more than a year instead of the usual eight months. This shift in calendar length would allow the following 2019–20 season to return to a shorter length by starting in the autumn and concluding at Le Mans in the summer.
The schedule did not include the Circuit of the Americas, Bahrain, Mexico City, or the Nürburgring which were all part of the 2017 championship. In addition to Le Mans being included in both 2018 and 2019, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is also run twice. Sebring International Raceway returned to the series for the first time since the inaugural season in 2012, although the WEC does not participate in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's 12 Hours of Sebring. The WeatherTech series ran their race the day after WEC's 8-hour, 1,000-mile event.
The schedule was revised two weeks later with the announcement of the eighth round of the championship, returning to Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom. The unannounced event was originally planned for February 2019, with negotiations taking place over a return to Mexico City. With the Mexico City deal failing to materialize, the event at Silverstone was moved to August 2018 to bridge the gap between Le Mans and the Asian rounds of the series starting in October. Further, the Fuji and Shanghai rounds had their dates changed, however Fuji was later returned to its originally scheduled date.
Rnd Race Circuit Location Date Prologue Circuit Paul Ricard Le Castellet, Var 6/7 April 2018 1 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Stavelot 5 May 2018 2 24 Hours of Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe Le Mans 16–17 June 2018 3 6 Hours of Silverstone Silverstone Circuit Silverstone 19 August 2018 4 6 Hours of Fuji Fuji Speedway Oyama, Shizuoka 14 October 2018 5 6 Hours of Shanghai Shanghai International Circuit Shanghai 18 November 2018 6 1000 Miles of Sebring Sebring International Raceway Sebring, Florida 15 March 2019 7 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Stavelot 4 May 2019 8 24 Hours of Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe Le Mans 15–16 June 2019Sources:
Teams and drivers
LMP1 Entrant Car Engine Hybrid Tyre Drivers Rounds Rebellion Racing Rebellion R13 Gibson GL458 4.5 L V8 1 André Lotterer 1–5, 7–8 Neel Jani All Bruno Senna All Mathias Beche 6 3 Thomas Laurent All Gustavo Menezes All Mathias Beche 1–5 Nathanaël Berthon 6–8 ByKolles Racing Team ENSO CLM P1/01 Nismo VRX30A 3.0 L Turbo V6Gibson GL458 4.5 L V8 4 Oliver Webb 1–5, 7–8 Tom Dillmann 1–2, 4–5, 7–8 Dominik Kraihamer 1–2 René Binder 3 James Rossiter 4–5 Paolo Ruberti 7–8 CEFC TRSM Racing Ginetta G60-LT-P1 Mecachrome V634P1 3.4 L Turbo V6 5 Charlie Robertson 1–2 Dean Stoneman 1 Léo Roussel 2 Mike Simpson 2 6 Oliver Rowland 1–2 Alex Brundle 1–2 Oliver Turvey 1–2 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid Toyota H8909 2.4 L Turbo V6 Hybrid 7 Mike Conway All Kamui Kobayashi All José María López All 8 Fernando Alonso All Sébastien Buemi All Kazuki Nakajima All DragonSpeed BR Engineering BR1 Gibson GL458 4.5 L V8 10 Ben Hanley 1–6, 8 Henrik Hedman 1–3, 6, 8 Pietro Fittipaldi 1 Renger van der Zande 2–3, 5–6, 8 James Allen 4–5 SMP Racing BR Engineering BR1 AER P60B 2.4 L Turbo V6 11 Mikhail Aleshin All Vitaly Petrov All Jenson Button 2–5 Brendon Hartley 6 Stoffel Vandoorne 7–8 17 Stéphane Sarrazin All Egor Orudzhev All Matevos Isaakyan 1–2, 4–5 Sergey Sirotkin 6–8
LMP2 In accordance with the Le Mans Prototype LMP2 regulations for 2017, all cars used the Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 engine. Entrant Car Tyre Drivers Rounds TDS Racing Oreca 07 28 François Perrodo All Matthieu Vaxivière All Loïc Duval 1–3, 5–6, 8 Jean-Éric Vergne 4 Norman Nato 7 Racing Team Nederland Dallara P217 29 Giedo van der Garde All Frits van Eerd All Jan Lammers 1–2 Nyck de Vries 3–8 DragonSpeed Oreca 07 31 Roberto González All Pastor Maldonado All Nathanaël Berthon 1–2 Anthony Davidson 3–8 Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 36 Nicolas Lapierre All André Negrão All Pierre Thiriet All Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 37 Jazeman Jaafar 1–5 Weiron Tan 1–5 Nabil Jeffri 1–5 David Heinemeier Hansson 6–8 Jordan King 6–8 Will Stevens 6–7 Ricky Taylor 8 38 Gabriel Aubry All Stéphane Richelmi All Ho-Pin Tung All Larbre Compétition Ligier JS P217 50 Erwin Creed All Romano Ricci All Julien Canal 1 Thomas Dagoneau 2 Yoshiharu Mori 3 Keiko Ihara 4 Enzo Guibbert 5 Gunnar Jeannette 6 Nicholas Boulle 7–8
Afiq Yazid was scheduled to compete for Jackie Chan DC Racing's all-Malaysian #37 entry, but did not appear at any rounds.
LMGTE Pro Entrant Car Engine Tyre Drivers Rounds AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 4.0 L Turbo V8 51 James Calado All Alessandro Pier Guidi All Daniel Serra 2, 6, 8 71 Sam Bird All Davide Rigon All Miguel Molina 2, 6, 8 Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT Ford EcoBoost D35 3.5 L Turbo V6 66 Stefan Mücke All Olivier Pla All Billy Johnson 1–2, 6, 8 67 Andy Priaulx All Harry Tincknell All Tony Kanaan 1–2 Jonathan Bomarito 6, 8 BMW Team MTEK BMW M8 GTE BMW P63/1 4.0 L Turbo V8 81 Nick Catsburg All Martin Tomczyk All Philipp Eng 2, 8 Alexander Sims 6 82 António Félix da Costa All Tom Blomqvist 1, 4–5 Augusto Farfus 2–3, 6–8 Alexander Sims 2 Bruno Spengler 6 Jesse Krohn 8 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR Porsche M97/80 4.0 L Flat-6 91 Gianmaria Bruni All Richard Lietz All Frédéric Makowiecki 2, 8 92 Michael Christensen All Kévin Estre All Laurens Vanthoor 2, 8 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 95 Marco Sørensen All Nicki Thiim All Darren Turner 1–2, 6, 8 97 Alex Lynn All Maxime Martin All Jonathan Adam 1–2, 8
LMGTE Am Entrant Car Engine Tyre Drivers Rounds Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 4.0 L Turbo V8 54 Francesco Castellacci All Giancarlo Fisichella All Thomas Flohr All Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR Porsche M97/80 4.0 L Flat-6 56 Jörg Bergmeister All Patrick Lindsey All Egidio Perfetti All Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 4.0 L Turbo V8 61 Matt Griffin All Keita Sawa 1–5 Weng Sun Mok 1–5 Luis Pérez CompancDaniel Lloyd, 34 Cars on Provisional 1000-Mile Sebring Entry, 6 December 2018, sportscar365.com Retrieved 10 May 2019 6–8 Matteo Cressoni 6–8 MR Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 4.0 L Turbo V8 70 Olivier Beretta All Eddie Cheever III All Motoaki Ishikawa All Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR Porsche M97/80 4.0 L Flat-6 77 Matt Campbell All Christian Ried All Julien Andlauer 1–6, 8 Riccardo Pera 7 88 Matteo Cairoli All Giorgio Roda 1–4, 6–8 Khaled Al Qubaisi 1–2, 5 Gianluca Roda 3, 6–7 Satoshi Hoshino 4, 8 Riccardo Pera 5 Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 RSR Porsche M97/80 4.0 L Flat-6 86 Michael Wainwright All Ben Barker All Alex Davison 1–3 Thomas Preining 4–8 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GTE Aston Martin AM05 4.5 L V8 90 Charlie Eastwood All Salih Yoluç All Euan Hankey 1–2, 7–8 Jonathan Adam 3–6 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTE Aston Martin AM05 4.5 L V8 98 Paul Dalla Lana All Pedro Lamy All Mathias Lauda All
Results and standings
Race results The highest finishing competitor entered in the World Endurance Championship is listed below. Invitational entries may have finished ahead of WEC competitors in individual races.
Rnd. Circuit LMP1 winners LMP2 winners LMGTE Pro winners LMGTE Am winners Report 1 Spa-Francorchamps No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing No. 38 Jackie Chan DC Racing No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK No. 98 Aston Martin Racing Report Fernando Alonso Sébastien Buemi Kazuki Nakajima Ho-Pin Tung Gabriel Aubry Stéphane Richelmi Billy Johnson Stefan Mücke Olivier Pla Paul Dalla Lana Pedro Lamy Mathias Lauda 2 Le Mans No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing No. 36 Signatech Alpine Matmut No. 92 Porsche GT Team No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Report Fernando Alonso Sébastien Buemi Kazuki Nakajima Nicolas Lapierre André Negrão Pierre Thiriet Michael Christensen Kévin Estre Laurens Vanthoor Julien Andlauer Matt Campbell Christian Ried 3 Silverstone No. 3 Rebellion Racing No. 38 Jackie Chan DC Racing No. 51 AF Corse No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Report Mathias Beche Thomas Laurent Gustavo Menezes Ho-Pin Tung Gabriel Aubry Stéphane Richelmi James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi Julien Andlauer Matt Campbell Christian Ried 4 Fuji No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing No. 37 Jackie Chan DC Racing No. 92 Porsche GT Team No. 56 Team Project 1 Report Mike Conway Kamui Kobayashi José María López Jazeman Jaafar Nabil Jeffri Weiron Tan Michael Christensen Kévin Estre Jörg Bergmeister Patrick Lindsey Egidio Perfetti 5 Shanghai No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing No. 38 Jackie Chan DC Racing No. 95 Aston Martin Racing No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Report Mike Conway Kamui Kobayashi José María López Ho-Pin Tung Gabriel Aubry Stéphane Richelmi Marco Sørensen Nicki Thiim Julien Andlauer Matt Campbell Christian Ried 6 Sebring No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing No. 37 Jackie Chan DC Racing No. 91 Porsche GT Team No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Report Fernando Alonso Sébastien Buemi Kazuki Nakajima David Heinemeier Hansson Jordan King Will Stevens Gianmaria Bruni Richard Lietz Julien Andlauer Matt Campbell Christian Ried 7 Spa-Francorchamps No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing No. 31 DragonSpeed No. 97 Aston Martin Racing No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Report Fernando Alonso Sébastien Buemi Kazuki Nakajima Anthony Davidson Roberto González Pastor Maldonado Alex Lynn Maxime Martin Matt Campbell Riccardo Pera Christian Ried 8 Le Mans No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing No. 36 Signatech Alpine Matmut No. 51 AF Corse No. 56 Team Project 1 Report Fernando Alonso Sébastien Buemi Kazuki Nakajima Nicolas Lapierre André Negrão Pierre Thiriet James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi Daniel Serra Jörg Bergmeister Patrick Lindsey Egidio PerfettiSource:
Drivers' championships Four titles were offered to drivers, two with world championship status. The LMP World Endurance Drivers' Championship was reserved for LMP1 and LMP2 drivers while the GTE World Endurance Drivers' Championship was available for drivers in the LMGTE categories. FIA Endurance Trophies were awarded in LMP2 and in LMGTE Am.
Entries were required to complete the timed race as well as to complete 70% of the overall winning car's race distance in order to earn championship points. A single bonus point was awarded to the team and all drivers of the pole position car for each category in qualifying. Furthermore, a race must complete two laps under green flag conditions in order for championship points to be awarded.
+Points systems Event 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Pole 6 Hours 25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 0.5 1 8 Hours 32 23 19 15 13 10 8 5 3 2 1 1 24 Hours 38 27 23 18 15 12 9 6 3 2 1 1Source:
World Endurance LMP Drivers' Championship