[WEC] Porsche Prototype Discussion

[Spyderman]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116018

[TF110]

Here you go Porsche fans, 30 minutes of onboard from the #20 @Austin

http://youtu.be/JuzdKbO5Lh0

At around the 3 minute 20 mark you can watch the #7 overtake the #14 around the outside- that imo was the pass of the race. A few minutes later the battle with the Audi is shown too.

[TF110]

Sorry for the double post, but motorsport-total has a good write up with Fritz Enzinger. He's talking of the third car decision in the coming weeks and the GT pilots who tested the 919.

[Spyderman]

Thanks!
Austin was quite disappointing for me.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Porsche LMP1 team principal Andreas Seidl said: "The statistics say you need to do it, but you also can't overburden the team. It is important not to compromise the chances of the existing two cars by running a third."

Furthermore, in bad google translation from this
http://www.motorsport-total.com/wec/...-14092702.html

-- According to the strategy of the sister company Audi, Porsche wants to use a third vehicle at WEC race in Belgium and the classics in France. "About the third car is finally decided in the coming weeks," says Porsche LMP1-conductor Fritz Enzinger.

"We would like to use such additional car at Spa and Le Mans," says the Austrian clear. That it will come to such use, is considered highly likely. The recent history of the 24-hour race of Le Mans has shown: a third car at the climax in Le Mans never hurts quite sure. The increased probability that at least one of the vehicles comes without major incident ends meet, at the same time also increases the chances of winning. --

-- "If we have a third car with GT-occupied people could - that their own offspring - then that would be top notch for the entire program," said the Austrian.

The prospects sound much more positive on this one.

[Simmi]

Good news. I can live with 11 works LMP1s.

[Spyderman]

Looks like 8MJ for the 919 in 2015
https://translate.google.com/transla...html&edit-text=

[Deleted]

Nobody should be surprised by this.

[wolfhound]

In Japan on the BBC Eddie Jordan has said that Nico Hulkenberg is talking to Porsche about a drive next year.

[Spyderman]

Nice!

[Spyderman]

http://sportscarracingnews.com/2014/...of-mount-fuji/

[rdjones]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

In Japan on the BBC Eddie Jordan has said that Nico Hulkenberg is talking to Porsche about a drive next year.

Interesting, however they maybe another soon to be ex-F1 driver on his way to Porsche in 2015 Jenson Button - http://mobile.f1today.nl/en/news/ham...aren-for-2015/

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by rdjones

Interesting, however they maybe another soon to be ex-F1 driver on his way to Porsche in 2015 Jenson Button - http://mobile.f1today.nl/en/news/ham...aren-for-2015/

So you have to first believe the rumor that Hamilton is moving back to McLaren which is quite a stretch IMHO.

Regardless, while I am a Button fan I think his days in F1 are likely numbered. Question is if Button wants to go prototype racing after his F1 career is over, or does he want to do something else? I do think he would make an excellent endurance racer.

Richard

[Deleted]

1) First of, what Richard said
2) This little quote
3) How serious is this alleged rumor, or has it just been taken from pure guessing circles like here

[Maelochs]

Vettel is pretty definitely heading to Ferrari, and Alonso is likely leaving for McLaren, where he used to be happy, back in the day, is what I hear.

Whether Button meant what he said about endurance racing and whether he still means it when that is his best bet to continue racing, we shall see.

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by Chiana

1) First of, what Richard said
2) This little quote
3) How serious is this alleged rumor, or has it just been taken from pure guessing circles like here

I "thought" I had read that he wasn't interested in prototype racing (point #2 above), but couldn't find the quote via a very quick Google search. I even thought I had read somewhere that he speculated as to what he would do after F1 and again, can't point to a link but thought he said maybe driver management? But I might be making that up so don't quote me.

Regarding the guessing circle, I got a chuckle out of the MotoGP suggestion. I generally think that silly season is in full bloom and various websites enjoy tossing out crazy ideas just to get eyeballs.

I do hope I am wrong as I would love to see him in a Porsche prototype.

Richard

[Maelochs]

I just read the quote somewhere else, but can't find it. basically he said he didn't like the idea driving with a bunch of cars in different classes, weaving his way through slower cars all the time. He might reconsider if he gets a good offer, I don't know.

Chiana posted it http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...28683&page=379

Originally Posted by Jenson Button on Autosport in January:

"Le Mans never really ticked the boxes for me, You are racing with cars that are so much slower, in different categories, and dodging cars throughout the whole race is not something that I have ever got that excited about. -- Maybe I will when I drive one of them and drive at Le Mans, because I'd love to drive around the Le Mans circuit in a sportscar, but it's just having different categories racing together that I am not keen on".

[Spyderman]

I'm continuing the Porsche discussion from the Fuji thread.

Although it has been reported that the Porsche's had some sort of power issues, there is no mention of this in any of the driver and management quotes nor the official PR.

There is however, a continuous theme throughout the quotes that indicate tire ware issues. There is still a lack of capacity to double stint the tires, and when they try and do this, they loose a lot of time.
From what I can gather (from reading the various race reports and quotes, the tire ware issue has improved, but it is still far from optimal.

[TF110]

I wonder if its harder to double stint this year with the decreased width and more power. Thats just my theory. I think Audi may be contemplates and sometimes achieves double stinting because they dont have the huge amount of instant power from a big hybrid system.

[Spyderman]

Possibly, but I think that the Porsche issue has more to do with suspension design/set-up.
Hopefully this will be much improved in the new car.

[Maelochs]

Reposting form the Fuji thread because it belongs here:

"I don't care what Porsche put in its press releases ... I watched the race and the #14 slowed way down, and the driver radioed in about his problem, then did an electronic reset and radioed that he had it going. Shortly after there was radio comms between the #20 driver and the pits about a similar issue.

"Unless FIA taped some fake stuff in a studio and inserted it into their race broadcast, the #14 almost stopped on course with an electronic failure and then reset. (Or maybe I hallucinated the incident ... but I stopped that stuff many years ago, so I doubt it.)

"Otherwise, I am not sure ... Maybe Porsche;s set-up didn't work as well as the track cooled, but it was pretty cool to start with. i don't know.

"I do know Mark Webber set a blazing fast lap early on, but that might have been because of the cycle of charge and recharge of the batteries, which couldn't be repeated under regular racing conditions (traffic etc)?"

Not saying Porsche's PR statements are just PR statements ... oh, wait.

I think Porsche has made great progress, to be running up front in its first season, and nobody has figured out how to mix pace and tire life.

Porsche claims it will have an all-new car in 29015, and Toyota is rumored to be doing the same, while Audi should have a considerably bigger ERS system ... everybody basically starting over.

[Spyderman]

Relax - I was unable to follow this race this weekend. I was trying to make head or tail of what happened.

[Maelochs]

Very relaxed .... no problem with differing opinions or sources of information. Cooperative efforts and all.

[Spyderman]

Is this just adding fuel to the fire?
http://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/b...che-in-the-wec

[airbusA346]

Originally Posted by Spyderman

Is this just adding fuel to the fire?
http://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/b...che-in-the-wec

If he joined Porsche, who's seat would he take, unless they run a third car?