Facts and figures of the Japan FIA WEC LMP1

– The WEC efficiency regulations limit the amount of energy that can be used per lap. On the 4.56 kilometres long lap of the Fuji International Speedway, the Porsche 919 Hybrid can use 4.15 megajoule of electrical power from energy recovery systems and 1.163 kg/1.606 litres of petrol.

– At normal race speed, the 919 Hybrid is due for refuelling after 37 laps.

– Refuelling and changing tyres may only be done sequentially, not at the same time. Only four mechanics may work simultaneously when changing tyres and also may use only one wheel gun at a time. That takes a lot longer than in F1, for example.

– The drivers are normally only changed when new tyres are needed.

– These different types of tyres can be used: three different compounds of slick tyres for dry conditions, a hybrid tyre (no profile either but softer cover) for mixed conditions and wet weather tyres. Four sets of dry weather tyres are available per car for qualifying and the race, this is two sets less than in 2016.

– A lap on the Speedway has ten right handers and six left handers.

FIA WEC 6H Fuji – Porsche 919 Hybrid, Porsche Team: Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, Marc Lieb

– The circuit opened in 1966 and had a reputation of being dangerous until its modernisation in 2005. In 1976 and 1977 it was the venue of the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix. In 1976 Niki Lauda gave up in heavy rain, James Hunt becoming world champion. One year later saw a terrible accident. Only in 2007 and 2008 did Formula One return again racing at the new track.

– From 1982 to 1988 the sportscar world championship held a round in Fuji. In 1983 Stefan Bellof, driving a Porsche 956, did the fastest ever lap there in 1:10.02 minutes on the old track that measured 4.360 kilometres.

– Mount Fuji is an active volcano that last erupted in 1707. It is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 metres and is regarded as a holy mountain.

– The circuit is located about 100 kilometres southwest of the capital of Tokyo on the Japanese main island of Honshu.

Review:

– In the 2016 qualifying, Timo Bernhard and Mark Webber came second. The Australian had chosen this weekend to declare he would step back from his professional driver career at the end of the season. The average time of their fastest lap in the 919 Hybrid was 1:23.595 minutes.

FIA WEC 6H Fuji - Porsche 919 Hybrid, Porsche Team: Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, Marc Lieb
FIA WEC 6H Fuji – Porsche 919 Hybrid, Porsche Team: Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, Marc Lieb

Neel Jani and Marc Lieb (DE) qualified sixth with the sister car (average 1:24.134 minutes). The overall fastest qualifying lap was achieved by Kamui Kobayashi in his Toyota (1:23.239 minutes). Pole position went to Audi with an average time of 1:23.570 minutes.

– Bernhard/Hartley/Webber finished third in what was an extremely exciting race. Dumas/Jani/Lieb, the 2016 world champions, finished fifth. Race winners after a distance of 244 laps on a consistently dry track with ambient temperatures of 20 degree Celsius were Toyota drivers Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Stéphane Sarrazin.