LMP1 beats 2017 F1 lap record: Spa

Modified title-winning Porsche WEC LMP1 car beats Spa F1 lap record.

Porsche's 919 Hybrid LMP1 car has broken the unofficial lap record of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, beating Lewis Hamilton's pole position time for last year's Formula 1 race.

World Endurance champion Neel Jani was at the wheel of a modified 919 Hybrid 'Evo' on Monday, and recorded a lap of 1m41.770s around the Belgian Grand Prix venue.

That compares to Hamilton's 2017 F1 pole time of 1m42.553s, which is the official fastest time set by a car around the cirrent 4.352-mile configuration.

Porsche is embarking on a 'world tour' with is now-retired LMP1 car this year following its withdrawal from the WEC's top division, and has made numerous changes to the 919 in a bid to demonstrate what the car is capable of free of its usual restrictions.

"This additional success is the result of the LMP team's hard work and a proud day for the engineers," said Porsche LMP1 boss Andreas Seidl.

"One can only congratulate Neel and the entire crew for achieving it.

Jani registered a top speed of 223mph thanks to the 2.0-litre V4 engine being tuned to produce around 720bhp - compared to the 500bhp it had previously under restrictive LMP1 fuel flow regulations.

The hybrid system was also tweaked to deliver an additional 40bhp compared to the 2017 version.

"The 919 Evo is brutally impressive," said Jani. "It is definitely the fastest car I ever drove.

"The grip level is at a fully new dimension for me, I couldn't imagine this amount beforehand.

"The speed on which everything happens on a single lap with the 919 Evo is that fast that the demand on reaction speed is very different to what I was used to in the WEC.

"We are not only faster than the F1 pole from 2017. Today's lap was 12 seconds faster compared to our WEC pole position from last year."

The 919 Evo will next be in action ahead of the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May, with further runs planned at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, at Brands Hatch in September and at Laguna Seca in October.

"All six 2017 LMP1 drivers contributed to the project. It was our target to show the Porsche 919 Hybrid's abilities when we ease the restrictions that came from the WEC regulations."

Among the changes made to the 919 Evo are an enlarged front diffuser and rear wing, the addition of DRS at the front and rear, and considerably more power.

https://www.autosport.com/wec/news/135299/modified-porsche-lmp1-car-beats-spa-f1-record

 

crazy. good for Porsche doing this. proves what they can do engineering wise, and proves that WEC regulations were too restrictive (12 second lap gain!?!?!)

 

I just wish they ran like this in WEC and in F1; open the fuel flow rates as a start. I dislike this efficiency crap.....its racing FFS.

 

A few more high-res images of the 919 Evo LMP1:

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I think that F1 will get the record back in this year's qualifying.

 

Maybe, but it isn't the greatest look for F1 in my mind. It's not like they spent a couple of years making a one-off F1 beater and finally unleashed it the other day. Definitely shows how great these LMP1 cars really are when the shackles are taken off!

 

Current 2017 F1 laptime at Spa: 1.42.553 (102.533)
Jani laptime at Spa: 1.41.770 (101.770)
% difference: .77%

Now look at 2017/2018 F1 laptimes "so far"

Australia Pole 2017: 1.22.188 (82.188) (Hamilton)
Australia Pole 2018: 1.21.164 (81.164) Hamilton)
% difference: 1.24%

Bahrain Pole 2017: 1.28.769 (88.769) (Bottas)
Bahrain Pole 2018: 1:27.958 (87.958) (Vettel)
% difference: .91%

So if we avg the 2017/2018 differences we get (1.24 + .91)/2 gives 1.075%

So estimated 2018 F1 pole time at SPA will be around 101.43 or a 1.41.43.
So .34 secs faster. (.42% faster than the Porsche LMP2 car)

So bloody close but tips to the F1 car. We shall see......

And if the F1 car is faster Porsche will just do some more development work on car and go back to Spa and regain lap record.... (Maybe...)

 

It's truly amazing to see the helicopter shots of the P1 hybrid prototypes.

Last year at Le Mans, you could graphically see when the hybrid motors kicked in and the
Toyota and Porsches took off like rockets. Added to this, the incredible cornering capabilities
of these cars is staggering.

Interesting to note that Porsche announced their withdrawal from FIA P1 in July (IIRC) so
they evidently had this car in the works already such was the pace of their development.
Otherwise, why would they be doing anything with it now?

BHW

 

the number that amazes me is the 12 second delta from WEC spec to "evo" spec. I'm sure that doesn't surprise you but to think that one of the most technically advanced forms of motorsports on the planet is still that restricted is silly.

on a similar note, thoughts on the "unrestricted" GTLM exhibition race at Sebring later this year?

 

Kudos to Porsche but what could an F1 car do if similarly modified/unrestricted?

 

I'm sure Chas this only for short distances on this "evo" spec. The WEC spec is for reliability and efficiency....spending less time in the pits.

 

still 12 seconds is huge.

 

I had to google this... is this what you are referring to?

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2018/04/01/michelin-to-run-post-imsa-season-non-bop-gtlm-race.html

If so...you know it was posted on April 1st right?

 

The F1 car would beat it. They can make more power and take out ballast, but they have to hold back due to restrictions on fuel consumption as well as engine longevity. It is impressive the gain Porsche made compared to the restricted 919 last year, but they are comparing apples to oranges against F1.

 

hahahahaha I'm a dumbass.

(in my defense I saw it over the weekend and didn't look at the dates)

 

I would love to see what those cars could do without all the BoP

 

Sure, but the way F1 is marketed being the pinnacle of motorsports, there shouldn't be all this untapped performance in an F1 car where teams are spending millions upon millions to extract every 10th. I would have thought F1 cars were untouchable even to a 919 EVO but apparently not.

 

F1 cars are not the ideal bodywork because of the massive drag created by their tires. It's not the pinnacle in design due to that among other things, but regulations require open wheel design. LMP cars have the advantage on area with the covered wheels. Even with that they can still be faster. I think safety is their issue, which is why they cut back engine size over the years and will probably have to slow them down again soon.

 

Shameless promo stunt by Porsche, trying to get some more clicks from a dead project.

Remove fuel flow and put skirts (shameless!!!) in a F1 and it would drive circles around this thing.

 

And a no rules car would be faster than any F1 or LMP car by far and not look like either. So we are arguing about pointless things here. Just enjoy the effort and results that Porsche is getting from this. I have to give them massive kudos for doing this. Really no logical reason but so utterly cool that you have to smile!

 

I told you guys: not too far off WEC cars will be the new F1 cars.
It will happen, it may take 10 years, or even 15-20, but it WILL happen.
Manufacturers want the prestige of racing in 'F1' - but they don't sell F1 cars,
they sell saloon cars....
Anybody want to bet me?

 

How fast could an F1 car from 1982 go, with full ground effects, sliding skirts, unlimited horsepower,
full rear wings, and then add ride control, and today's tires and other engine management, transmission
and other new things?
Or apply the same to the 1973 Panzer Porsche 917-30?

 

What is the closest design currently out there that a no-rules car would probably look like? Is it the Red Bull X2014? That was the first thing that came to mind.

 

For a company with the deep pockets of Porsche, this was a walk in the park. Like when Ferrari broke whatever record at the Nurburgring with a 599XX. Yeah, nice video, so what?

I´m interested in cars, not in marketing.

 

I wonder how fast this car would go on the Mulsanne straight with NO chicanes.....