The 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship enters its title-deciding weekend. Thursday’s FP1 and FP2 sessions at the Bahrain International Circuit offered the first look at how the showdown in the desert might unfold. Ferrari, Porsche, and Cadillac are still locked in a three-way battle for the Hypercar crown, with a tight LMGT3 battle as well.
Aston Martin Steals the Show in FP1
During the intense Bahraini afternoon heat of WEC’s FP1 session, The Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin Valkyrie surprised the normal Hypercar front-runners by setting the benchmark. Marco Sorensen clocked a 1:49.697s lap to top the 90-minute session, continuing Aston Martin’s late-season surge.
Behind the green machine, the title-contending #83 AF Corse Ferrari, piloted by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Phil Hanson, led the championship fight, finishing P2 overall. Peugeot’s #93 placed third ahead of the #8 and #7 Toyotas, while Alpine and Porsche completed the top ten. Ferrari’s championship-leading #51 crew remained fairly quiet, focusing instead on long-run performance over one-lap pace.
In LMGT3, Ben Barker put the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang on top with a 2:02.681s lap. That time only narrowly edged out the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus by just 0.056s. FP1 hinted at a closely matched GT3 field, but title contenders #92 Manthey 1st Phorm and #21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari also stayed under the radar with their long runs.
BMW and Lexus Take Control in FP2
As the sun set over Sakhir, the competition intensified. Sheldon van der Linde powered the #20 BMW M Team WRT Hypercar to the P1 in FP2 with a blistering 1:48.780s. The track temperature may have been key, as that time was nearly a full second quicker than the FP1 pace.
The Aston Martin stayed in the thick of it, with Sørensen just 0.262s back in P2. Meanwhile, #93 Peugeot and both Toyotas continued to hover near the front. The #51 Ferrari finished P6 overall, still the strongest of the title challengers. Antonio Giovinazzi handled their nighttime duties. Porsche’s title-defending #6 crew struggled to extract pace, only claiming P16, while Cadillac’s #12 car was consistent through the session and took P8.
In LMGT3, the #78 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus dominated proceedings under the lights. Finn Gehrsitz delivered a commanding lap of 2:02.613s, half a second clear of the field. The #78 stayed ahead of the #85 Iron Dames Porsche and #33 TF Sport Corvette. The championship-leading #92 Manthey 1st Phorm managed only P12, with the rival #21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari bouncing back from a difficult FP1 to claim P8.
Title Fight and Upcoming Sessions
With the upcoming qualifying and Hyperpole sessions, all eyes turn to Ferrari’s quest to secure both the Hypercar Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles. The #51 Ferrari trio of Giovinazzi, Calado, and Pier Guidi still holds the upper hand, 13 points clear of the #83 AF Corse entry and 21 points ahead of #6 Porsche’s defending champions Estre and Vanthoor.
In LMGT3, the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm camp clings to an 11-point lead over #21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari, setting up a potential winner-takes-all finale. However, no one can overlook either the Corvette or Lexus entries as they look to disrupt the order.
Friday’s FP3 and Hyperpole sessions will set the starting grids for Saturday’s 8 Hours of Bahrain. The desert heat, mixed strategies, and nighttime endurance will decide not just the race winner but a team and drivers’ champion in both classes.
Feature Image Credit: Porsche Press Centre