Final WEC Weekend in Bahrain: Aston Martin Shakes Things Up

It’s the final race weekend of the WEC in Bahrain, where the Hypercar titles of this spectacular 2025 season will be decided. The first free practice sessions took place this morning at the Sakhir Circuit, and there were already a few surprises. Aston Martin seems to be in excellent form ahead of this season finale. The Valkyrie, a brand-new entry in the championship this year, has shown remarkable progress since the start of the season. Of course, free practice sessions can mean everything and nothing… but in the end, you don’t end up on top by accident.

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WEC Free practice results

Ferrari finds itself chasing right from the start, with the yellow AF Corse #83 car holding a decent gap—about 1.5 seconds—from the car ahead. In third place is the other Aston Martin, the #007, rounding out the top three. Porsche and Cadillac, on the other hand, seem to be struggling in this first outing on track. Both teams will need nothing short of a miracle to keep their championship hopes alive. The first Porsche 963 sits down in P10, while the Cadillacs finish P16 and P17. Could it be a tactic to appear less competitive and catch everyone off guard? In the WEC, anything’s possible.

In the second practice sessions, the Hypercar standings saw some changes. The BMW M V8 Hybrid #20 driven by Sheldon van der Linde came out on top, followed by the strong Aston Martin Valkyrie #009. The overall picture looks intriguing, with potential surprises still to come. Competitors made the most of another 90 minutes of running in Sakhir, racking up laps around the 5.412 km BIC layout as they continued their preparations ahead of Friday’s qualifying and Hyperpole sessions.

Let’s quickly recap the gaps and the overall standings among the top three contenders for the 2025 championship: Ferrari, Porsche, and Cadillac. The Maranello squad leads the way with 204 points, followed by Porsche on 165 and Cadillac on 143.

Bahrain timetables

The weekend schedule is already set: FP3 at 10.00 CET, followed by qualifying at 14.00, where the Hypercar and GTLM pole positions will be decided.
Finally, the 8 Hours of Bahrain will go green on Saturday at 12.00 CET. A long and decisive race that will crown the 2025 WEC world champion.