Porsche 919 Hybrid breaks lap record at Spa

A few days ago, Porsche confirmed in a video the launch of the World Tour of its 919 Hybrid LM P1, a sort of homage to the prototype which reigned over the last three seasons in the World Championship.Endurance and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This Monday, the Weissach brand completed the first meeting of its 2018 program, namely the establishment of a new lap record on the Belgian track of Spa-Francorchamps. Previously produced by Lewis HamiltonWith the Mercedes W08 in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix last year, the reference time was 1'42″553 to complete the 7,004 km of the Ardennes slide.

With Neel Jani at the wheel, the 919 Hybrid “World Tour” clocked a 1’41″770, the prototype having been largely modified at the aero level (side skirts, revised rear wing, revisited front), but also at the level of its powertrain, which is no longer subject to any energy limit.

The Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo had the latest developments planned for the 2018 season. WEC before the decision to end the program is made. In the absence of regulatory barriers, several changes were made.

The engineers notably unrestrained the LMP1-H in terms of fuel pressure flow, allowing the 4-cylinder to go from 500 to 720hp. The boost of the hybrid, limited to 6,37MJ during the last 6 Hours of Spa, was pushed to the maximum to reach 8,49MJ, an additional power going from 400 to 440hp. The estimated total power is 1200hp.

The aerodynamics of the 919 Hybrid have also been reworked with an enlarged front diffuser and a more imposing rear wing with integrated DRS. The floor has also been redesigned. The Evo version of the Porsche 919 Hybrid has seen its downforce increase by 53%.

To help Neel Jani achieve this record, Porsche also revised the braking system, steering and suspension. The Evo version has had 39kg removed to reach 849kg on the scale with the removal of the air conditioning system, several sensors, electronic systems imposed by the race direction, lighting and even pneumatic cylinders. Michelin also produced specific tires with the same dimensions as those used in the WEC.

“The 919 Evo is very brutal. It's definitely the fastest car I've ever driven., confided Neel Jani. For me, we are entering another dimension with the level of grip achieved. I didn't imagine this possible before. Things happen so quickly in the 919 Evo that the reactions must be very different from what I was used to in WEC. We not only beat the pole of the 2017 season F1, we also gained 12 seconds compared to the average time of our pole in the WEC last year! I knew immediately this morning that the performance of the car was fantastic. The engineers have done a magnificent job and the Michelin tires are sensational. »

Porsche is not yet done with the 919 Hybrid since this lap record at Spa was only the first event of the « 919 Tribute Tour ". The classic LMP1-H version will be demonstrated at the Nordschleife Nürburgring on May 12 before the start of the 24 Hours before returning to the Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​(July 12-15), the Porsche Festival at Brands Hatch (September 2) as well as 'at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion in Laguna Seca (September 26-29).

Photos of the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo