The 2022 8 Hours of Bahrain was an endurance sportscar racing event held on 12 November 2022, as the sixth and final round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. It was the eleventh running of the 8 Hours of Bahrain, and the fourth running in an extended 8 hours format.
Background The provisional calendar for the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship released in August 2021. It saw a few changes, with the return of the Sebring and Fuji races, whilst the Portimao and second Bahrain races were dropped. The FIA WTCR Race of Bahrain, the penultimate round of 2022 World Touring Car Cup, was a support race for the 8 hours.
Entry list The No. 44 ARC Bratislava squad returned for the final round of the 2022 season after missing the 2022 6 Hours of Fuji. Miroslav Konopka returned as well. Konopka was joined by Mathias Beche and Richard Bradley.
After missing the Fuji race due to a clash with the 2022 DTM Spa round, René Rast returned to the No. 31 WRT car.
Nico Müller, who was originally entered with the No. 10 Vector Sport car, replaced James Rossiter in the No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 car ahead of his first full season with the team in 2023. Renger van der Zande replaced Müller in the No. 10 Vector Sport car.
Glickenhaus missed the 8 Hours of Bahrain for unknown reasons.
The No. 56 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR-19 saw the departure of Ollie Millroy and Brendan Iribe, with Phillip Hyatt and Gunnar Jeannette taking over their place.
Schedule Date Time (local: AST) Event Thursday, 10 November 12:15 Free Practice 1 17:30 Free Practice 2 Friday, 11 November 11:00 Free Practice 3 16:50 Qualifying - LM GTE Am & Pro 17:10 Qualifying - LMH, LMDh, LMP2 Saturday, 12 November 14:00 Race Source:
Free practice Only the fastest car in each class is shown. Free Practice 1 Class Entrant Driver Time HY 93 Peugeot TotalEnergies Jean-Éric Vergne 1:50.536 P2 83 AF Corse Nicklas Nielsen 1:52.144 Pro 92 Porsche GT Team Michael Christensen 1:58.025 Am 56 Team Project 1 Ben Barnicoat 1:59.636 Free Practice 2 Class Entrant Driver Time HY 93 Peugeot TotalEnergies Paul di Resta 1:49.613 P2 83 AF Corse Alessio Rovera 1:51.787 Pro 92 Porsche GT Team Michael Christensen 1:57.192 Am 46 Team Project 1 Matteo Cairoli 1:59.717 Free Practice 3 Class Entrant Driver Time HY 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Mike Conway 1:48.384 P2 31 WRT Robin Frijns 1:51.792 Pro 91 Porsche GT Team Gianmaria Bruni 1:57.089 Am 46 Team Project 1 Nicolas Leutwiler 2:00.079 Source:
Qualifying Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold. Class Team Time 1 Hypercar 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing 1:46.800 - 1 2 Hypercar 93 Peugeot TotalEnergies 1:47.610 +0.810 2 3 Hypercar 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing 1:47.738 +0.938 3 4 Hypercar 94 Peugeot TotalEnergies 1:48.334 +1.534 4 5 Hypercar 36 Alpine Elf Team 1:48.343 +1.543 5 6 LMP2 41 RealTeam by WRT 1:50.330 +3.530 6 7 LMP2 38 JOTA 1:50.467 +3.667 7 8 LMP2 22 United Autosports USA 1:50.497 +3.697 8 9 LMP2 Pro-Am 83 AF Corse 1:50.546 +3.746 9 10 LMP2 Pro-Am 44 ARC Bratislava 1:50.619 +3.819 10 11 LMP2 23 United Autosports USA 1:50.661 +3.861 11 12 LMP2 10 Vector Sport 1:50.766 +3.966 12 13 LMP2 31 WRT 1:50.802 +4.002 13 14 LMP2 1 Richard Mille Racing Team 1:50.857 +4.057 14 15 LMP2 9 Prema Orlen Team 1:51.110 +4.310 15 16 LMP2 Pro-Am 45 Algarve Pro Racing 1:51.479 +4.679 16 17 LMP2 34 Inter Europol Competition 1:51.661 +4.861 17 18 LMP2 Pro-Am 35 Ultimate 1:51.821 +5.021 18 19 LMGTE Pro 91 Porsche GT Team 1:56.143 +9.343 19 20 LMGTE Pro 52 AF Corse 1:56.419 +9.619 20 21 LMGTE Pro 92 Porsche GT Team 1:56.439 +9.639 21 22 LMGTE Pro 51 AF Corse 1:56.472 +9.672 22 23 LMGTE Pro 64 Corvette Racing 1:57.539 +10.739 23 24 LMGTE Am 85 Iron Dames 1:59.186 +12.386 24 25 LMP2 28 JOTA 1:59.503 +12.703 25 26 LMGTE Am 33 TF Sport 1:59.698 +12.898 26 27 LMGTE Am 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing 1:59.708 +12.908 27 28 LMGTE Am 46 Team Project 1 2:00.030 +13.230 28 29 LMGTE Am 54 AF Corse 2:00.489 +13.689 29 30 LMGTE Am 86 GR Racing 2:00.597 +13.797 30 31 LMGTE Am 21 AF Corse 2:00.715 +13.915 31 32 LMGTE Am 71 Spirit of Race 2:00.733 +13.933 32 33 LMGTE Am 98 Northwest AMR 2:01.100 +14.300 33 34 LMGTE Am 60 Iron Lynx 2:01.303 +14.503 34 35 LMGTE Am 56 Team Project 1 2:01.307 +14.507 35 36 LMGTE Am 88 Dempsey-Proton Racing 2:01.361 +14.561 36 37 LMGTE Am 777 D'Station Racing 2:01.730 +14.930 37Source:
Race
Race report
Hour 1 The #8 of Buemi controls the start leading the way from pole, with the #93 goes for a dive around the outside of the #8 at the start, but failing to take the lead. Its sister car, the #94 has a slow start and gets jumped immediately by the #36 Alpine - which proceeds to overtake the #7 at turn 4 when it runs wide, putting itself in 3rd - but Lopez would take the #7's lost place back from the #36 with a dive at turn 1 at the start of lap 3, successfully defending its position on the following run from turn 3~4. The #22 United Autosports LMP2 would overtake the #41 off track on the first lap - resulting in a 10-second penalty an hour later.
A safety car was immediately called out due to a spin from the #77 GTEAm - at the exit of turn 10 on lap 1 - the driver only managing to get the car going after the safety car was called.
A battle between the #91 and #52 sitting in 2nd and 3rd ensues on lap7, with the Porsche of Bruni briefly pushing the #51 off at turn 6, with the latter bailing off track and ending up ahead of the #91, but would end up giving its place back later. No further action was taken after investigation.
DiResta in the #93 Peugeot starts to put on pressure to the #8 of Buemi as the LMHs come up to traffic on the Lap 9. The attacking #93 isn't exactly free of worries however, as the #7 is already tight on its tail - it's a ~1.5 second gap between each of the top 3 LMHs by lap 10, with the drivers' championship contender #36 around 2.5 seconds behind.
LMP2 title contender #41, sitting in 2nd place of its class goes for a dive on the #777 D'Station GTEAm at the final corner on lap 12, making contact and briefly taking both cars off track, lightly damaging its own bodywork in the process, Though the #777 would somehow get a warning 11 laps later for being hit from behind.
15 laps in and Ferrari seems to be struggling with its tyres, with Calado of the #51, points leader of the two Ferraris and favorite for Ferrai's title battle - now in 4th place around 6 seconds off the leader #92 - complaining on radio about the rear tyre temperatures rising. No such problem at Porsche however, with Estre reporting to be happy about the car just a few seconds later. Meanwhile, the #64 Corvette is still far off pace, trailing at the back of the GTEPro grid.
Calado would complain further more about tyres and not having enough power compared to their teammate 2 laps later; said teammate - the #52 would reignite the battle between it and the #91 Porsche, tussling for a few laps and diving down the inside of the #91 on the final corner of lap 19, successfully securing themselves a 2nd position. In hour 1 it's the supposed-to-be-supporting Ferrari in GTEPro fighting for the positions, while the title contender only being able to watch from the back.
Despite the woes Calado had a few laps earlier, his #51 Ferrari was back on the rear of the #91 Porsche on lap #23, which just lost its position to the #52 earlier. The #52 has caught up to the #92 already on lap 25 fighting for the lead, trying around the outside on the run from turn 3 to 4 but failing to take the position - but a dive down the inside at turn 9 would nail the lead down for the #52, the #91's switchback not enough for it to retake its lost place at turn 10, and Estre haing to back out of the fight, now being caught up by his teammate in the #91.
Meanwhile, the #36 Alpine pits on lap 27, changing the left hand side tyres and Vaxivere taking the place of Lapierre in the car.
Hour 2 The next LMH to pit would be the #93 Peugeot two laps later, no driver change but filling up fuel and changing the left hand side tyres. Next up would be the #7 and #94 on lap 31, both cars taking fuel and the #7 taking left side tyres only, while the #94 takes a full set of tyres. The #8 would be the last to pit, coming out just ahead of its teammate.
The #92 pits while the #51 has engaged with the #91 in a fight for 2nd place on lap 32, with the latter coming out on top after a full lap of wheel-to-wheel battle, as the #92 goes for the pits at the end of the lap.
FCY was deployed on lap 34 for a tyre that came off the #71 GTEAm Ferrari on the entry to turn 14 - result of a contact between it and the #44 ARC Bratislava LMP2; the latter would later go into the pits for a long stop and losing 7 laps, while the #71 itself would get a drive through penalty later. The #64 Corvette - far off on pace in the first hour - takes the opportunity to pit, coming out in 2nd place right after the #51 Ferrari.
The FCY would end 3 laps later, with the #51 now 16 seconds ahead of the #64, with the rest of the field - #92 #52 and #91 all with around a 30-second gap from each other.
Menezes in the #94 Peugeot takes advantage of its full set of new tyres from the pitstop earlier - passing the #36 on the final corner of lap 41 and taking 4th position. The running in LMH would be the Toyotas - 8 leading the 7 by 1.5 seconds, which in turn in 12 seconds ahead of the two Peugeots, 10 seconds apart and the #36 in last place, 7 seconds behind the previous car.
Meanwhile, Fuoco piloting the #52 has successfully managed to pass Estre in the #92, Ferrari now leading both the manufacturers' and drivers' title with the two Porsches now last in GTEPro, 6 hours and 30 minutes to go.
A brief yellow flag would be called on lap 48, as the #86 GTEAm Porsche - in the middle of a 3-way fight for 3rd in GTEAm - and #1 LMP2 comes into contact at turn 9, the latter being spun and the former earning a drive through penalty later. The trio of #56, #86 and #46 would stick together in that formation for almost half an hour, with the #46 making moves on lap 56~58, passing first the #86 and #56 for a 3rd place in class.
6 minutes to the 6 hour mark and the Alpine comes into the pits for a second time, with Negrao now taking the wheel.
3 minutes to the 6 hour mark and Peugeot falls victim to their constant reliability issue streak again. The #93 grinds to a halt at turn 1 of lap 59, with DiResta stating on the radio that "the gearbox is completely broken". The second FCY of the race was called on lap 60, but the #93 manages to get going again right after FCY period started, returning to the pits - DiResta gets out of the car for a driver change, while the car itself goes into the garage.
Hour 3 In GTEPro, the #64, #52 and #91 takes to the pits during this FCY period; The two Toyotas pit on lap 61, with the #94 Peugeot coming in right after - but it wouldn't manage to complete its out lap without interruptions, the car almost spinning on the exit of turn 1 and then stopping on the run from turn 3~4; but the car would get going again after a power cycle, with the green flag dropping again shortly after.
The #93 Peugeot of Vergne would come out of the garage around 10 minutes after it went in, setting the then-fastest lap of the race of 1:49.709. In GTEPro it's the #64, #92 and #52 all within a second, with the #51 Ferrari comfortably leading by around 30 seconds. Despite their pace deficit in the first hour, Corvette is now fending off the #92 nicely, as the #52 takes the chance and tussles with the #92 on turn 1 of lap 66, even running wide off track at turn 2, and eventually taking its place in 3rd - this incident would be under investigation by the stewards, though no further action would end up being taken. All the while, Tandy runs away slightly in front with the #64, pulling out a gap of around 2 seconds.