The Bahrain 8 Hours’ Balance of Performance was eagerly anticipated across the World Endurance Championship paddock.
And for good reason, as the WEC titles - both for manufacturers and drivers - will be decided at Sakhir next Saturday, November 8, with Ferrari (204 points), Porsche (165 points) and, to a much lesser extent, Cadillac (143 points) still in contention. As a reminder, a manufacturer can score up to 66 points at each event. For Cadillac, it would take nothing short of a miracle to snatch the crown.
Bahrain BoP revealed
As always, BoP is influenced by a range of factors - data from the previous three races, circuit characteristics, homologation parameters... all making it tricky to interpret from the outside. Still, there’s value in comparing the new figures to those from the previous 2025 WEC round - the Fuji 6 Hours - and more notably, last year’s Bahrain 8 Hours.
You’ll find below a comparative table we’ve compiled, showing how next week’s parameters - unless there are last-minute changes - stack up against recent rounds and the 2024 Bahrain race. The power-to-weight ratio below 250km/h (155mph) is provided for reference only.
The biggest change since Fuji comes for Cadillac, which loses 24kW (32bhp) and gains 4kg. Porsche also suffers a drop in its power-to-weight ratio compared to Japan, whereas Ferrari and Toyota see slight improvements.
But we mustn't forget that Fuji Speedway is very specific, with a very long straight and a very twisty final sector where only mechanical grip makes the difference.
What does it mean for Bahrain?
Looking at the numbers versus last year, among the three manufacturers still in the title hunt, Ferrari appears the least penalised by comparison, with Cadillac hit the hardest. Already the favourite, is Ferrari now even more so ?
That’s hard to say with certainty. But on paper, things look trickier for Porsche. The 963 enters the finale as the heaviest and least powerful car in the field. That means that the ACO and FIA see the Porsche as the machine with the strongest underlying performance at the Bahrain International Circuit, which may seem surprising.
Porsche has evolved its 963 since last winter, but the benefits of those updates are unlikely to be fully felt at the Sakhir International Circuit. Indeed, the EVO Joker adopted last winter is primarily intended to increase top speed.
For context, Toyota won in Bahrain last year ahead of Porsche and Peugeot. The best Ferrari 499P officially finished eighth, but the #51 had actually crossed the line in second before being penalised for exceeding its tyre allocation by two tyres.
