24h Le Mans
If ever there was a class within which the standings had been thrown for a loop and the standings were entirely upset, it's LMP1: Toyota arrived at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the lead of the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) but left with a significant deficit.
Toyota suffered and Porsche triumphed, even though only one 919 Hybrid scored points. Yes, it amounted to 50 for the win since the 24 Hours of Le Mans counts double in the Manufacturers standings, but the #1 car was forced to retire, and the point for the pole will not pick up the slack for the Japanese manufacturer.
In LMP1, the overall standings are taken into account to determine the points earned. So only eight points (four, counting double) were attributed to the #8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID, eighth, but second in LMP1. The Japanese manufacturer's 8.5-point lead has become a 32.5-point deficit, which can nonetheless be made up in one race (25 points for victory) since both cars earn points.
Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley (2015 World Endurance Champions) and Earl Bamber (now two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner) have snatched the lead with their 50 points at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, ahead of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi (2014 World Endurance Champions) and Kazuki Nakajima, and Ho-Pin Tung, Thomas Laurent and Oliver Jarvis, who though in LMP2 have accumulated 50 points thanks to their second place finish at Le Mans.
In the Drivers standings in the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), drivers in the LMP1 and LMP2 classes mark points according to the overall standings, that is why only two driver line-ups entered in LMP1 find themselves within the top four. It will be difficult for a trio competing in LMP2 to win the world crown at the end of the year, but...is a podium finish perhaps possible?
