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Heading into the eighth and final round of the season, Ferrari, Porsche and Cadillac are all in the hunt for both Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ Hypercar honours.
Bahrain International Circuit, the venue for the title showdown, is a well-established staple on the FIA WEC calendar, having welcomed the series on 13 previous occasions.
The track’s wide nature encourages overtaking manoeuvres. Key challenges include the sandy and sometimes slippery surface, racing from day into night, and high temperatures inside the cockpit. Its demanding 5.412 km layout asks a lot of drivers, cars, brakes and tyres, with top speeds exceeding 300 km/h down the four long straights and over 60% of the 15-turn lap spent at full throttle.
FERRARI FAVOURITE FOR HYPERCAR HONOURS
As it has done all season long, it is Ferrari that leads the way, holding a 39-point advantage over second-placed Porsche in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, with two of the Prancing Horse’s three crews also in contention for the Drivers’ title.
The Ferrari 499P won the first four rounds of the year, and while the scarlet and yellow machines have since reached the podium just once – the #50 taking the chequered flag second at COTA – with only 66 points left in play in the Middle East, the famous Maranello-based marque remains the firm favourite to lift the laurels.
Porsche, however, has not given up the fight. The German manufacturer arrives in Bahrain with momentum on its side, off the back of victory in Austin and podium finishes in Le Mans, São Paulo and Fuji.
While Cadillac might be an outside bet, with 61 points to make up on Ferrari, the American manufacturer continues to show strong form, especially in qualifying, having clinched three pole positions out of the last four events.
FOUR-WAY FIGHT FOR DRIVERS’ GLORY
The situation is slightly closer in the Drivers’ ranking. Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari sit 13 points ahead of the privately entered #83 AF Corse 499P piloted by Le Mans winners Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson.
Courtesy of their stellar recent streak, defending title-holders Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor have clawed their way to within 21 points of the championship leaders following a slow start to the season, while Will Stevens, Norman Nato and 2025’s standout qualifier Alex Lynn are flying the flag for Cadillac, 34 points adrift at the top of the table. Notably, the event will mark the final race of #38 V-Series.R driver Jenson Button’s long and illustrious career in motorsport. The Briton triumphed in Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix in 2009.
CIRCUIT SPECIALIST KEEN ON SAKHIR SUCCESS
Beyond the main battle, outgoing Manufacturers’ world champion Toyota has just one more chance in 2025 to take away something tangible from what has so far been a silverware-free campaign.
Ten of the 13 races held to date in Sakhir have been won by the Japanese carmaker, including the last eight in succession. Kamui Kobayashi holds the Hypercar lap record in Bahrain – achieved during qualifying in 2021 – while Sébastien Buemi unleashed a phenomenal performance last year to earn Toyota another world championship trophy against almost inconceivable odds.
WINNER TAKES ALL IN LMGT3?
There is a three-way tussle in prospect in LMGT3, with the same marques in the mix as Porsche and Ferrari bid to stave off a growing challenge from Cadillac’s sister GM brand, Corvette.
It is GT racing benchmark Manthey that has once again worked its way to the head of the order, with the ever-consistent #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche shared by Richard Lietz, Riccardo Pera and Ryan Hardwick leading the way from the #21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari of Alessio Rovera, Simon Mann and François Hériau – the Italian-entered trio having lost seven points due to a late-race penalty last time out in Japan.
That leaves the gap between the two crews at 11 points going to Bahrain – the same as the difference between first and second place in the forthcoming eight-hour contest – potentially setting the scene for a winner-takes-all finale. In the Corvette camp, meanwhile, Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy’s last-gasp victory at Fuji means the trio go into the desert decider just 24 points off the pace in the #81 yellow-and-black machine.
KEY INFO
WECEndurance8 Hours of BahrainWEC
SEASON 2025SportCircuit1SportWorld Endurance ChampionshipCircuitWECSEASON 2025WECEndurance8 Hours of Bahrain01Wednesday, November 5, 2025 – 11:25amWednesday, November 5, 2025 – 11:25am
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