WEC Full Access from Bahrain goes live tonight!

Offering fans a fascinating insight into the stars of the show, WEC Full Access covers everything from team briefings to heated mid-race discussions. It is the ultimate YouTube series, documenting the most private areas of the WEC paddock.

Bahrain was a high-stakes weekend from the outset, with Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ glory in the headlining Hypercar category up for grabs and a fierce fight in prospect between big-hitters Porsche, Toyota and Ferrari.

Brendon Hartley drew first blood for the Japanese marque in qualifying, and WEC Full Access invites you to ride on-board with the New Zealander during his pace-setting Hyperpole lap in the Toyota GR010 Hybrid, while similarly joining teams in their pit garages for debriefs and technical talks.

Those discussions – particularly around the hot topic of tyre choice – continued right up to the start of the eight-hour race. As everybody focused on trying to outwit one another, the tension on the grid was palpable.

You can put yourself in Laurens Vanthoor’s boots as the title-chasing Belgian found himself forced off-track on the opening tour – and later share in his relief as he is informed that he and Porsche Penske Motorsport team-mates Kévin Estre and André Lotterer are world champions, the latter in his final outing for the famous German brand.

If Porsche won the Drivers’ battle, then the Manufacturers’ duel went right down to the wire, as Toyota turned its race around in spectacular fashion. The contact from behind that pitched Sébastien Buemi into an early spin from the lead prompted an inspired recovery charge that carried the #8 car from the tail-end of the top ten to an outstanding against-the-odds triumph. Buemi gave it his absolute all – the effort etched across his face after climbing out of the cockpit.

That, very much, was the story of the event – a tale of mixed emotions and honours even. WEC Full Access goes behind-the-scenes to capture the highs and lows, the delight and the despair, accompanied by in-car radio communications and the thoughts of official commentator Anthony Davidson, who has personal experience of winning the title in Bahrain – much like Estre, Lotterer and Vanthoor, sealing the deal by crossing the finish line 11^th back in 2014.

And the story doesn’t end there. Less than 24 hours after the chequered flag fell, motorcycling legend Valentino Rossi sampled BMW M Team WRT’s Hypercar for the first time. To hear the Italian’s initial reaction, check out our YouTube channel tonight from 20:45 CET. In the meantime, you can watch the previous instalment of WEC Full Access from Fuji in Japan here.