By Carlo Platella
The Porsches dominated the inaugural race in Qatar, but in Imola the situation is very different. The best of the 963s closed the first test session 9 tenths behind the best time of Yfei Ye's Ferrari, and then get closer in the afternoon free time just over three tenths from Fuoco's record, but still remaining behind the 499P. Lusail's dominance seems to be a distant memory, but the change in situation is not solely due to the new Balance of Performance.
From the plains of Qatar to the small Nurburgring
In Italy Porsche discounts a more limiting Balance of Performance for the 963, based on the evidence that emerged in Lusail around the great progress made during the winter. The car from Zuffenhausen sees its weight advantage over Toyota and especially Ferrari reduced, also losing something in comparison with maximum power. The downsizing of Porsches, however, also depends on other factors.
Qatar was one of the tracks with the most leveled asphalt on the calendar, allowing the teams to bring the cars closer to the ground to extract maximum aerodynamic load from the surface. Imola, on the other hand, is full of bumps and high curbs that must be attacked decisively, destabilizing the height of the car. “The control of the platform over curbs and bumps It's definitely an area to work on”admits Kevin Estre, second at the end of the day with the official #6. “We undoubtedly have a performance lag compared to other machines.”
Already at the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring, the 963 did not appear at the same level as the competition on the bumps of Florida. Not even the next events on the calendar will be easy from this point of view, despite being less difficult than Imola. “Le Mans is not as smooth as Qatar”, Estre continues. “It's true, there are fast corners there too, but you have to attack the curbs and part of the track is quite bumpy, while in Lusail it wasn't like that at all. Asphalt is also very different. Spa is in the middle. In Eau Rouge there is also a need to dampen and control the car's height variations, while in Qatar the problem did not arise. We will see”.
Different challenges
Furthermore, in Imola an aspect in which Porsche had made the difference during the inaugural race takes second place: “In Qatar it was difficult to put the tires in the correct operating windowas well as go fast enough at the start of the stint to avoid damaging the tire too much”, adds Estre. The Qatari track then rewarded the progress made by Porsche in high-speed corners: “Surely we took a step forward in the fast corners compared to last year. […] Qatar shows that we are strong on those types of tracks and Le Mans is closer than Imola.”
Critical brakes
In Imola, in addition to the absence of fast corners and the abundance of bumps, there is another aspect that reduces Porsche's competitiveness: “In braking we are not second compared to the other LMDhs, but some Hypercars are better than us”explains Estre. “Last year, when Toyota wanted to overtake us, it decisively hit the braking point. At the moment we can't do it and I'm not sure we ever willit's a different concept of machine.”
According to the Porsche standard bearer, the difference lies entirely in the different architecture between the two platforms: “In an LMDh we have the electric motor at the rear, while the LMHs can regenerate from the front axle and it makes a big difference when braking. When I look at the races and the times in some sectors, I have the impression that they can brake and enter the corners better than us”. In addition to the BoP, there are therefore several reasons that explain the downsizing of the 963s on the banks of the Santerno, which in any case in free practice on Friday afternoon showed that they have the potential to challenge Ferrari and Toyota for the victory.
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