Toyota wins 6 Hours of Portimao, but Porsche gets first podium after #7 breaks down

The second stage of the 2023 World Endurance Championship confirms the supremacy of Toyota which won the 1,000 miles of Sebring and the 6 Hours of Portimao by even taking the pole position which had eluded them in the previous race.

Although the Japanese brand lost the double, its performance remains impressive. However, the second Toyota , no . WEC .

There were five different brands ranked in the top five positions at Portimao

Leading the race, there was little uncertainty as the #8 Toyota didn't have much opposition and overtook the #50 Ferrari who was in second place. Although under pressure from its marquee sibling, the Toyota swept through Portimao with ease, while Spaniard Miguel Molina moved into second place overall.

However, the fight for third place was the most interesting. Porsche and Cadillac both had a chance until the final minutes of the race. The #6 Porsche was in third place, but the #2 Cadillac was close behind waiting for the German car to make its final pit stop.

Eventually, the number 6 car managed to leave the pits with a slight advantage, thus earning the top spot on the podium for Porsche with its LMDh , which marks the start of this new era of the WEC. On the other hand, Cadillac is content with a fourth place, which is similar to their previous result at Sebring, and the podium continues to resist the American mark.

However, it should be pointed out that the battle for the podium was influenced by the problems encountered by the #7 Toyota. The second car from the Japanese brand was forced to retire due to a problem with a transmission sensor, which required prolonged repairs. Unfortunately, the FIA ​​decided not to let the car resume racing, resulting in a considerable loss of time for the team.

The problems encountered by the second Toyota as well as the second Ferrari in sixth position led to an unexpected event during the 6 Hours of Portimao: five different brands took the first five places. Indeed, Peugeot managed to erase their poor performance at Sebring by driving with some consistency, which allowed them to finish in fifth place with the number 94 car.

Safety Car came out for the first time today as Jacques Villeneuve is in the wall due to problems with his car. #WEC  #6HPortimao  pic.twitter.com/KBgwCILeI9

— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC)  April 16, 2023

Small manufacturers in the LMH category are facing difficulties. For example, Vanwall failed to finish the race due to a broken brake disc which caused Jacques Villeneuve to crash into the wall. Moreover, Glickenhaus finished in eighth place, even behind the second Peugeot.

The results of the 6 Hours of Portimao race in 2023

WEC general classification

1. Toyota #8, 53 points
2. Ferrari #50, 42 points
3. Toyota #7, 38 points
4. Cadillac #2, 30 points
5. Porsche #6, 27 points