All five drivers' championships remain up for grabs as the WEC makes its annual visit to the Middle East, which retains its now-traditional season finale calendar slot. And it couldn't be closer in the Hypercar World Endurance Drivers' Championship, as the two leading crews from rivalling brands arrive in Bahrain level on points.
The Signatech-run Alpine A480 began the season in the best possible fashion with victory at Sebring, with Nicolas Lapierre, Andre Negrao and Matthieu Vaxiviere taking another maximum score at Monza to extend their advantage heading to Japan. But on the first running of the Fuji 6 Hours since 2019, Alpine was no match for the Toyota GR010 HYBRIDs as a 1-2 led by the Le Mans 24 Hours-winning #8 trio of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa set up a winner-takes-all title decider.
The form book certainly favours Toyota for the into-the-night race, only the second eight-hour race on the calendar after Sebring. It has won seven times in the desert since the WEC began in 2012, with Buemi claiming the spoils on three of those occasions, while Alpine finished third in both of last year's six- and eight-hour editions. But any reliability blip, such as the one that caused the #8 crew to retire at Spa, will surely be pounced on by the ultra-consistent Alpine which has never finished lower than fourth this season.
The #7 Toyota of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose María Lopez remains in mathematical contention, although the champions of 2019-20 and 2021 are 26 points behind, needing a non-finish for their competitors to secure a third title on the spin.
Bahrain marks the third race outing of Peugeot's two 9X8 Le Mans Hypercars, and the first opportunity to see Nico Muller in action with the French marque. The long-time Audi racer will make an early debut with Peugeot to replace James Rossiter, who has retired from driving to focus on his new role as team principal of fellow Stellantis brand Maserati's Formula E effort. Teaming up with Gustavo Menezes and Loic Duval, a winner in Bahrain on Audi's WEC farewell in 2016, Muller will be eager to make a good first impression as Peugeot seeks to claim a first podium of its prototype racing return.
In the manufacturers' championship battle, calculated on the basis of the highest finisher from each manufacturer, Toyota has a 26-point advantage over Alpine.
The class battles
No less closely-fought will be the GTE Pro contest, as the class bows out with one final bout between the Ferrari and Porsche factory teams before they enter the Hypercar arena next year.
Reigning champions Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado in the #51 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo hold an 11-point advantage over Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen’s #92 Porsche 911 RSR-19, while Porsche's second car is also in contention. Ex-Ferrari man Gianmaria Bruni in the #91 machine is a further three points back and could become the first driver to claim the title solo since Richard Lietz in 2015 after the Austrian - Bruni’s regular co-driver - missed Monza due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Momentum has ebbed and flowed between the two rivalling manufacturers all season long, each winning two of the five rounds held to date. It was only in Fuji that Pier Guidi and Calado became the year's first double-winners, while the sister #52 Ferrari of Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco limited 2018-19 champions Estre and Christensen to third by capably backing up their team-mates.
It remains too tight to call, especially with the sole Corvette Racing C8.R of Monza winners Nick Tandy and Tommy Milner looking to get into the mix. They will be equally determined to end the year - and the GTE Pro era - on a high ahead of the American brand’s move into the GTE Am ranks next year, and could have a decisive role to play in the final outcome.
The point for pole will also be highly prized. If the #51 Ferrari snares the top spot, it can afford to finish second and still claim the title.
Ferrari is only one point ahead of Porsche in the makes' standings as the Italian marque seeks a seventh GT Manufacturers' crown in the WEC era. Porsche has won it twice before, the last coming in the 2018-19 campaign.
Aston Martin may no longer have a presence in GTE Pro but the British brand will claim GTE Am title spoils for the first time since 2017, with TF Sport and the Prodrive-run NorthWest AMR squads battling between themselves for the honour.
The dramatic crash for Henrique Chaves at Monza has been the only major blight on a superb season to date for TF point leaders Ben Keating and Marco Sorensen, who added Fuji success to their Le Mans victory and have not finished below second this season. They hold a 20-point lead over Sebring winners Paul dalla Lana, Nicki Thiim and David Pittard, so can secure the title by finishing fourth - with 38 points available for victory over the eight-hour distance.
Only a major mishap will prevent the #38 Jota ORECA crew of Antonio Felix da Costa, Will Stevens and Roberto Gonzalez securing the LMP2 title. The trio has a 28-point advantage after finishing second in Fuji last time out - only missing out on victory to a splash-and-dash with four minutes to go - and can clinch the crown with a sixth place finish.
Still, the chasing #23 United Autosports ORECA that Oliver Jarvis and Josh Pierson will share with Alex Lynn has plenty to occupy it as the Anglo-American team seeks not only to prise open Jota’s armour but also to see off the challenge to their second place. Realteam by WRT - with Ferdinand Habsburg, Norman Nato and Rui Andrade - are just six points behind while victory in Fuji boosted WRT drivers Robin Frijns and Sean Gelael to fourth, a further two points back.
The LMP2 Pro/Am sub-division remains undecided too, with reigning GTE Am champions Francois Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen and Alessio Rovera currently heading the standings. To secure Perrodo a fourth title in the WEC, after three previous GTE Am triumphs, the #83 AF Corse crew will have to defend an eight-point advantage over Algarve Pro Racing trio Steven Thomas, James Allen and Rene Binder.
Full 2022 8 Hours of Bahrain session timings
Thursday 10 November 2022
Free Practice 1: 09:15-10:45 GMT (12:15-13:45 local)
Free Practice 2: 14:30-16:00 GMT (17:30-19:00 local)
Friday 11 November 2022
Free practice 3: 08:00-09:00 GMT (11:00-12:00 local)
Qualifying 1: 13:50-14:00 GMT (16:50-17:00 local)
Qualifying 2: 14:10-14:20 GMT (17:10-17:20 local)
Saturday 12 November 2022
Race: 11:00-19:00 GMT (14:00-22:00 local)
How can I watch the 8 Hours of Bahrain?
The 8 Hours of Bahrain can be viewed via the Motorsport.tv streaming service, which brings fans a weekly schedule of live races and on-demand content. A monthly subscription that includes live WEC coverage, access to the Duke Motorsport Archive and the exclusive full 24 Hours of Le Mans archive costs £4.79, or £39.99 on an annual basis.
Fans can download the official WEC App, which provides fans with English-language commentary of all sessions, as well as access to live timing and highlights. Within the app, a full season pack costs £23.99, which allows users to watch the live feed and access exclusive onboard camera footage on five devices. For more information, click here.
The race will also be available to watch via streaming service discovery+, which costs £6.99 per month or £59.99 annually.
Reports will follow every session on Autosport.com, and a full race analysis will be available to read on Monday.
Weather forecast for the 8 Hours of Bahrain
The weather is forecast to be hot and sunny for the 8 Hours of Bahrain, before the night descends, with a very low chance of rain throughout and highs of 32 degrees centigrade.
