WEC – The #18 Porsche had problems in Austin qualifying

Neel Jani and Marc Lieb managed to achieve the best average in qualifying for the 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (Texas) with an average of 1'46"211 achieved on the Porsche n°18, a tenth better than their teammates Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley at the wheel of #17.

The Swiss pole-sitter, however, encountered a mechanical problem during his first attempt which disrupted the smooth running of qualifying for the crew of the No. 919 18 Hybrid. “I was embarrassed by the red flag (KCMG Oreca 05 stopped on track) and I no longer had a turbo afterwards. I still tried to make the best time possible. The problem was resolved for Marc. I came out at the end because the Audis were too close, but I didn't think that pole was still achievable with a set of worn tires.", confided Neel Jani.

“Neel lost time on his first lap due toa concern about the hybrid system, but then he was able to show what he was capable of”, said Alexander Hitzinger, Porsche technical director. “We have an impressive run of qualifying doubles under our belt. Track temperatures and tire performance will be the most important parameters for the race. »

The start of the 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas will be given this evening at midnight.