Shanghai Pre-Race Notebook

Photo: Vision Sport Agency

***An atmospheric boost pressure change made to the turbocharged GTE-Pro cars on Saturday, that was at the heart of Ferrari’s dispute, has gone back to Friday’s level of 1018 millibar. FIA technical delegate Denis Chevrier told Sportscar365 that it was changed according to the ambient temperature to ensure a proper balance between turbos and normally aspirated cars.

***It marked the first time the WEC has changed the atmospheric boost pressure over the course of a weekend. The same levels were maintained throughout race week at Le Mans, which arguably contributed to the turbos advantage, particularly in qualifying.

***Chevrier said the 8 millibar change, between Friday and Saturday, was in the range of 1.5 horsepower, while Ferrari claims it was closer to 4 horsepower, or one-tenth of a second per lap. Note that the atmospheric boost pressure change is not considered a Balance of Performance adjustment, as Ferrari inaccurately reported in its post-qualifying press release.

***Ford Chip Ganassi Racing has been given a 5,000 Euro fine following a breach in the GTE-Pro technical regulations due to the team having failed to update its homologation file for the class pole-sitting No. 67 Ford GT. A similar penalty was given to one of the Audis at the Nürburgring round in July.

***Porsche is on the brink of locking up both the Drivers’ and Manufacturer’s World Championship, with a double podium finish for the pair of Porsche 919 Hybrids in Sunday’s race more than enough for the German manufacturer to clinch back-to-back titles one round early.

***With a 23-point lead, a win for Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb would also see the trio become Drivers’ World Champions. They could also clinch the title through a number of different scenarios, depending on the finishing positions of the No. 6 Toyota TS050 Hybrid and No. 8 Audi R18.

***The LMP2 championship can be locked up if the Signatech Alpine trio of Nico Lapierre, Gustavo Menezes and Stephane Richelmi finish third or higher in class, even if the the RGR Sport Ligier JS P2 Nissan scores victory. The French squad currently has a 38-point lead over RGR Sport.

***GTE-Pro sees the tightest points race of the four categories, with Aston Martin Racing’s Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen holding a ten-point lead over Davide Rigon and Sam Bird of AF Corse. Darren Turner, meanwhile, is a further five points behind in third, meaning the title will likely go down to the wire in Bahrain.

***AF Corse, however, could clinch the GTE-Am title one race early, if Emmanuel Collard, Francois Perrodo and Rui Aguas finish second or better. If the No. 98 Aston Martin Vantage GTE fails to win, AF Corse will be champions with a fourth place class finish.

***Rene Rast has become a father, with his wife Diana having given birth to their first child, Liam James Rast, on Oct. 28. The Audi factory driver, who drives for G-Drive Racing in LMP2, missed this weekend’s race due to the pending birth.

***Watch the Six Hours Shanghai live on the FOX Sports family of networks. The first three hours will be carried on FS2, beginning tonight at 11 p.m. ET before switching to FS1 Sunday at 2 a.m. ET.

***Eurosport will carry the final 90 minutes of the race, including what-you-missed highlights, with Mark Cole and Martin Haven, starting at 7:30 a.m. BST. Eurosport International viewers can also see it love in Asia and Australasia.

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