Audi Leads at Halfway Mark in Bahrain

Photo: Audi

Audi leads the FIA WEC Six Hours of Bahrain at the halfway mark, with Andre Lotterer out front and currently leading the Drivers’ World Championship following a dramatic turn of events.

Lotterer’s No. 7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro holds a 20-second lead over the No. 18 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Marc Lieb, with Alex Wurz, in his final race, running a surprising third.

The pole-sitting No. 17 Porsche of Brendon Hartley, meanwhile, has moved up to 5th overall, following a engine actuator issue that delayed co-driver Timo Bernhard by more than eight minutes in the opening hour.

However, suspension problems for the No. 8 Audi of Loic Duval, who was wheeled to the garage with three hours and 15 minutes to go, has given Hartley, Bernhard and Mark Webber some title hopes.

The Audi, which was running second at the time, returned to action while under the race’s first Full Course Yellow for debris.

The No. 47 KCMG Oreca 05 Nissan leads LMP2, while the No. 92 Porsche Team Manthey Porsche 911 RSR of Patrick Pilet is in control of GTE-Pro, enough to give Porsche the GT Manufacturers’ Championship.

Proton Racing, meanwhile, runs 1-2 in GTE-Am, with Klaus Bacheler ahead of Marco Seefried in the pair of Porsche 911 RSRs.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John