BMW, Cadillac Downplay Barcelona Testing Benefits

Photo: Julien Delfosse/DPPI

BMW driver Rene Rast and Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA co-owner Sam Hignett have downplayed the benefits either marque gained having been able to test at Barcelona ahead of this weekend’s penultimate FIA World Endurance Championship round.

Barcelona is set to host its first-ever WEC race after being hastily added to the calendar, along with Monza, to replace the cancelled Qatar and Bahrain rounds.

Although the Spanish circuit has been a popular testing venue over the years, only three of the current eight Hypercar teams have visited Barcelona this year, with BMW, Cadillac and Genesis all in action there for a two-day test on Aug. 26-27.

Cadillac only took part in the second day of running, which according to Hignett was “hastily added to the schedule” when it became clear the WEC would race there.

But he believes the advantages relative to the manufacturers that haven’t tested there will be limited come race week.

“It was good to test there and learn,” Hignett told Sportscar365. “It’s always valuable for the drivers as well, as a lot of them haven’t been there since their junior formula days.

“But I don’t think we can take much from it because it’s going to be a very different weather window when we get there in a month’s time. I don’t think we found any silver bullets that are going to put us head and shoulders above those that didn’t test.”

Rast, who was one of the drivers present for BMW at the Barcelona test, also said the likelihood of cooler weather and possible rain means any advantages of having driven at the circuit are likely to be relatively limited.

“For sure it’s not a disadvantage,” Rast told Sportscar365. “But I don’t think it’s a huge advantage. You can fine-tune your set-up in certain directions, but without the competition you don’t know where you are at.

“So in terms of lap times, we have no indication of how competitive we will be. We will only see once the competition is there and everyone puts their cards on the table. And the weather is a question mark. It might even be raining, so let’s see.”

Other teams such as Ferrari and Peugeot have chosen to spend their limited allocation of test days around developing their 2027 cars, and Alpine has not tested since the 24 Hours of Le Mans amid the Renault-owned marque’s impending withdrawal.

Toyota however said it was logistical problems that prevented them the Cologne-based firm from being able to travel to Barcelona, where it has not tested in several years.

“When it was announced that Barcelona would be on the calendar, it was difficult to organize a test there because we had logistics already in Brazil on the way here [to Japan],” said Floury. “So it’s a bit difficult. We could not organize a test there.

“We will try our best. We will work on the simulator before the race to prepare. We need to maximize free practice to get stronger.”

Asked if he had concerns about Toyota’s main title rival BMW having tested there beforehand, Floury replied: “For sure they should have a performance advantage.”

On the other hand, Aston Martin driver Harry Tincknell said he wasn’t concerned about other manufacturers heading to Barcelona with a head start around a circuit that he feels could be a strong match for the Valkyrie.

“Naturally, if you’ve run the track and you’ve sort of been able to optimize the setup on that day, then I think there’s definitely some advantage,” Tincknell told Sportscar365.

“But at the same time, by the time we do get there, we’re coming into winter and track temperatures and stuff can be quite different. No doubt, I think you go into FP1 sort of a little bit more prepared, but I think we can catch up pretty quick.

“The new layout [with no chicane] is definitely much better for us with the quick last two corners. It’s a high tire deg track as well, and we’re generally pretty good on our tires.

“There’s no doubt that Qatar would have been a really strong race for us, but I think we’ve got a pretty decent replacement.”

Source: Sports Car 365