P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Aston Martin’s Alex Riberas lead the 8 Hours of Bahrain at the half way mark,after taking the lead on new tyres after a safety car period, but he was forced to relinquish it after receiving a drive through penalty for a procedural error. The Spaniard, in the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie, went from fifth to […]
At the halfway mark of the 8 Hours of Bahrain race, Aston Martin’s Alex Riberas held the lead after a strategic move on new tires post a safety car period, swiftly transforming from fifth to first by overtaking Toyota’s Sebastien Buemi on lap 113.
Riberas, piloting the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie, extended an 11-second lead over Buemi in a short span before incurring a drive-through penalty for a procedural mistake under Virtual Safety Car conditions, dropping to fifth position.
Currently, Buemi leads for Toyota with Nyck de Vries in second place, both consistently strong contenders throughout the competition, with the advantage to GR010 due to tire management efficiency.
Alessandro Pier Guidi, in the #51 Ferrari, trails Buemi by a mere 7 seconds in fourth place, positioning himself and teammates James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi well for the drivers’ world championship title.
As the race unfolds, Ross Gunn’s recent pit stop elevated Riberas, placing him 16 seconds behind Buemi, in contention for a potential victory or a podium finish.
Further down the rankings, Yifei Ye in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari holds fifth place, with Alex Lynn in the #12 Cadillac close behind in sixth. The two Alpines, Charles Milesi and Mick Schumacher, round up the top eight.
In the LMGT3 category, the #87 ASP Lexus retains the lead with Jose Maria Lopez and Clemens Schmid showcasing a robust performance, followed closely by Lin Hodenius in the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG and Richard Lietz in the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche, respectively in second and third place.
