BMW ‘finally where it wants to be’ after Fuji success
BMW M Team WRT has expressed its delight at the breakthrough result for its Hypercar project in last month’s 6 Hours of Fuji, where Raffaele Marciello, Dries Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann sped to the German manufacturer’s first outright FIA WEC podium.
Prior to the penultimate outing of the 2024 WEC campaign, the #15 BMW crew had tallied just six points in total from the opening six rounds, with the team’s best finish a sixth place at Imola, achieved by the sister #20 entry.
Right from the outset in Japan, however, the BMW M Hybrid V8 was a leading protagonist. After posting the fastest time in free practice in the hands of Vanthoor, the Belgian proceeded to secure the car’s finest qualifying position in the headlining Hypercar category to-date to line up third on the grid, a mere 0.158 seconds adrift of pole position.
Wittmann then gained a spot to second at the start of the race, with the #15 crew remaining firmly up at the sharp end and in the mix for victory throughout, ultimately taking the chequered flag just over 16 seconds behind the triumphant #6 Porsche following a flawless performance.
“It was a mega weekend at Fuji!” enthused Head of BMW M Motorsport, Andreas Roos. “Simply fantastic! After already having the pace to compete at the front at COTA, the BMW M Hybrid V8 showed from the first lap in Japan that it is capable of a top result. To secure a second-place finish in our debut season in WEC makes me incredibly happy for everyone who has invested a lot of work into this project. I would like to thank them all very much.”
“We have finally arrived where we want to be,” echoed BMW M Team WRT Team Principal, Vincent Vosse. “It’s an incredible feeling. Everyone did an exceptional job and I am overjoyed for the team, which has been giving its all for this project for a year-and-a-half. Now we have reaped the deserved reward.”
While Vanthoor had a number of WEC appearances – including two class wins – under his belt prior to the current campaign, Marciello and Wittmann are rookies in the series, and both are hopeful that BMW M Team WRT can maintain its Fuji momentum through to the season finale in Bahrain and beyond.
“It’s great for the project and everyone at BMW M Motorsport to have secured the first Hypercar podium in WEC – especially for Vincent and Andreas, who pushed so hard,” reflected the Swiss star. “We’ve seen progress throughout the season and while we thought this track might not be the best for us, the improvements we have made paid off.
“It’s a big boost for us drivers and the team. It’s not just about the podium – it’s about being able to compete at the front and perform well. That’s a great feeling.”
“Looking at where we started [with the Hypercar programme] and the progress we’ve made, we can really be proud,” added his German team-mate. “We gave a strong performance throughout the weekend – beginning in practice and qualifying – and had good pace in the race. The first podium felt incredibly good, and the entire team has done a fantastic job. I’m super-happy. Now, we want to achieve a similarly strong result in Bahrain.”
