Saturday’s FIA WEC season finale in Bahrain was followed up with the traditional Rookie Test held on Sunday.
This year’s event proved to be particularly busy. A full 71 drivers took part in the pair of multi-hour sessions, with the majority of the teams and manufacturers in the championship using it as a chance to evaluate new talent for the 2025 season and beyond.
Over the course of the day, Cadillac Racing’s Earl Bamber ran fastest. The Kiwi was the only driver to set a sub 1m50s, a 1m49.566s benchmark time for the GM brand’s set of “rookies” during the morning in the No. 2 V-Series.R.
Of the Hypercar newcomers present, Ferrari academy driver Arthur Leclerc ended up reeling off the quickest tour in the Le Mans-winning No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P. His 1m50.460s put him fifth in the combined rankings. It was a standout performance, which was particularly impressive given the 24-year-old admitted afterwards that his time to prepare was limited.
“I didn’t have much opportunity to use the sim because of my Formula 1 development work. Before the weekend I checked the data, though, and met with some of the team members to learn the steering wheel and how to drive this car,” he told reporters.
While there appears to be no room at the inn at Ferrari AF Corse for the time being, there are signs that he’s been earmarked for a future role in the factory team. This would more than suit him, as a full-time driver in Hypercar, he explained, would come as a dream.
“Hopefully one day I can drive the Hypercar. In the next two or three years, I hope one day to be behind the steering wheel,” he said. “If you gave me every chance, I’d do F1 and Hypercar. But Hypercar would be my dream with Ferrari because I’d love to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I have no idea what 2025 looks like, but something similar between single-seaters and endurance seems to be that you sign quite late,” he added when asked about his career plans in the short term.
Another driver who turned heads was MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, making his Hypercar debut with BMW Team WRT in the No. 20 M Hybrid V8. The Italian set a best time of 1m50.557s in the afternoon, putting him seventh in the combined times and 0.2s up on GP2 ace Victor Martins, driving the No. 36 Alpine A424.
”I am really happy about today,” Rossi said. “From my first moment, I had a good feeling with the car and tires. I expected to suffer a bit more in warming up the tires, but here, with [it being] 50 degrees C, I didn’t have that problem.
“I tried both tire options — set my quickest on the mediums but felt good with the hard. This car has a lot of horsepower, but you have a good feeling and I like the braking without ABS. Sometimes you make mistakes but you can adapt it more to your style. It’s a proper race car, more stiff and precise and you have a lot of aero so it’s impressive.
“As for my time, I was a bit unlucky because I had two sets and with the second you can improve. With the first, I had a red flag, and with the second I spun in traffic. Luckily I managed another lap and set the 50.5s but there’s more potential there.”
Whether or not this outing will lead to anything further in prototype racing in the future is unclear. A firm decision on his 2025 GT3 program with BMW needs to be made first. Whether he will be back in the FIA WEC or concentrate on GT World Challenge is one of the key storylines of the offseason. The Italian admitted he’s leaning towards the world championship as the deadline for his final call approaches.
Along with Rossi, works drivers Max Hesse and Dan Harper also featured in BMW’s run plan. The pair used the outing to get a taste of life in the Hypercar factory team. As for the future, both have clear ambitions to climb back into the M Hybrid V8, though there’s nothing confirmed at this stage. Instead, further outings in GT3 cars and background simulator work for the Bavarian brand appear to be on the immediate agenda.
Hesse told reporters: “I’d like to race the [Hypercar] car next year, but it’s not in my hands. We keep working; we have goals in GT racing. Whenever Andreas (Roos) feels like we are ready we will definitely say ‘yes’ but I don’t have a plan of how long.”
2024 Manufacturers’ World Champion Toyota hosted some interesting names, too. Their run plan featured track time for works-supported AKKODIS ASP driver Esteban Masson and LMEM nominee Reshad De Gerus in the No. 7 GR010 HYBRID.
For Masson, this test provided him with a first taste of Hypercar driving after a brief spell with Swiss team COOL Racing testing an LMP2 car at Portimao last month. That, plus half a day of sim work at TGR Europe’s headquarters in Cologne, helped him prepare for Sunday’s track action.
“The aim for me is to become a pro driver, so going to P2 and doing this places me one step closer. My aim is to race the Hypercar in the near future,” he said. “I was happy with my season, Toyota was as well, so everything came together.
“[It’s] different to what I’m used to in single-seaters where you don’t need to change anything while driving. GTs was a step, but this is a big step. That’s the main difference, as the Hypercar isn’t that different, it’s just got more settings and weight and is much better in every sense. I’m just grateful … to drive the title-winning car.”
De Gerus, meanwhile, was nominated by Le Mans Endurance Management to drive the car which clinched the manufacturers title, meaning he didn’t know until late last night which of the three contending Hypercars he’d be driving. As it turned out, the ELMS LMP2 regular was quietly relieved that Toyota won the race, as he was most prepared to drive the GR010.
“Toyota has been amazing, and they had the car I wanted to test because they allowed me to discover everything. I had a chance to prepare well for this test with a seat fit and sim prep even without knowing if I would be driving with them,” he said.
Both drivers set their best laps in the afternoon on fresh rubber after using used tires during the morning. Masson’s quickest was a 1m51.871s, while De Gerus managed a 1m52.619s.
Their 2025 programs are not yet signed off, but both expressed an interest in racing prototypes next year, with De Gerus specifically making it clear that he is keen to return to the ELMS’ LMP2 ranks.
Elsewhere, Sunday was a big day for Phil Hanson, who turned his first laps aboard the privately-funded No. 83 Ferrari 499P, following the news prior to the season finale that he will be joining the team after a season spent with HERTZ Team JOTA. Next year Hanson will race alongside another former JOTA driver, Yifei Ye, and likely Robert Kubica, in the seat that was filled by Robert Shwartzman in 2024.
With Shwartzman leaving Ferrari for what is widely expected to be a drive in IndyCar next year, Hanson told RACER that it opened the door for an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.
“Like anything in motorsport, it begins with a discussion, and once Ferrari knew it had a vacancy to fill it moved forward,” he said. “It’s an amazing chance for me, as it’s clear that AF Corse runs the No. 83 very closely to the No. 50 and No. 51. You can see that in the garage set-up and the results, and in terms of Le Mans performance, the 499P is the car to have.
“It’s sad to leave JOTA, but they are going to be in a really good place next year with Cadillac, and it’ll be interesting to see how it pans out. They will be a formidable force once they have the advantage of being a factory team.”
Across the day the Briton completed 65 laps, with a best time of 1m51.424s, set on the Michelin hard tires. His feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
“It was a really cool day. Driving a new car on a track I raced at the day before is rare,” he said. “Inherently the car is very different to the Porsche, but still delivers a very different lap time. It was an exciting challenge learning how to deliver the time in an alternate way. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve had to adapt so quickly to something after developing habits; I was on autopilot at times.”
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Hanson’s previous team, HERTZ Team JOTA, didn’t take part in the test, but its new manufacturer partner Cadillac did, with the Mitas Racing-led Chip Ganassi Racing crew rolling the V-Series.R out for 2025 Action Express signee Fred Vesti and Corvette factory drivers Daniel Juncadella and Charlie Eastwood.
Sunday was officially the final day for Stephen Mitas’ team running the Cadillac after a two-year spell as the factory FIA WEC service provider on behalf of Chip Ganassi Racing. With the garage now packed up for the last time this season, the transition to the new JOTA era will accelerate. While Mitas Racing’s staff are not set to return to the FIA WEC next season, the team leader explained to RACER that he is busy plotting a return. His company will be working on a significant engineering project in the background in the immediate future, plus moving its operation to a new location in Stuttgart. Then, he said, they plan to make a comeback.
“We have a big project which will involve most of my people,” he explained. “We are looking at an alternative motor racing program next year, with the firm intention to return to the WEC in the very near future. We are working very hard.
“I must say, at this point I’m so thankful for Chip Ganassi, Mike Hull and Mike O’Gara. Working with them has been fantastic and I can’t say enough for the support and trust they’ve all given us. We look forward to maybe working with them again in the future.
“The chance to work with them over the past two years has opened up opportunities for us in the future. I’m hugely proud, honored and thankful for this experience.”
As for Cadillac’s Rookie Test drivers, Eastwood — fresh from a stellar outing in Saturday’s 8 Hours with TF Sport — set the fastest time, a 1m52.512s in the afternoon.
“The car was great to drive,” he said. “So fast on the straights, which we see in the races as they come past the GT cars like we’re stopped. A tricky car to drive and complex as well, and I think once you start to drive it more and more it will become quite rewarding. I had a really good last run in the car, good consistency throughout the run, which isn’t straightforward here in Bahrain.
“All in all, just loved the experience and hopefully it’s not my last time.”
Both French Hypercar manufacturers were out in force. At Peugeot, Sunday was a chance to test up-and-comers Clement Novalak and Theo Pourchaire, as well as young Danish prodigy Malthe Jakobsen, who has an important winter ahead of him before he steps up to the full-time factory roster next season.
For Alpine, its Academy F2 racer Victor Martins was the big name testing the A424. The 23-year-old set a best time of 1m50.717s in the afternoon session, putting him amongst the quickest drivers of the day.
Martins said his previous F1 testing experience proved useful in preparing for his Hypercar debut, despite there being key differences between the two formulas.
“There are many things that are different, like energy management, but there is lift and coast in both. It’s easy to get used to it though,” he said.
“I just wanted to have a clean day, not make mistakes, give back the car to the team and get a first taste.”
Going forward, this doesn’t appear to be a prelude to a move into full-time sportscar racing. The Frenchman was keen to stress that fighting for a seat in F1 remains his goal.
“For next year I am not sure what I will be doing, but I will be doing what myself and my manager think is the best way to reach F1,” he explained.
“Being part of the academy brought me here (in Bahrain) and I am super happy. It was my first time in an endurance car and I had expectations, though working with so many people is quite new.
“It hasn’t changed what’s in my mind, though. I dream about F1. This is something to consider, but not in the short term — in the future.”
For the LMGT3 cars in the field, there was a wide array of talent on hand for the teams to work with as they push to sign up drivers for 2025 and sample Goodyear’s new ‘Medium Plus’ tyre compound, which is set to debut in the second half of next season.
With budgets quickly escalating — RACER understands that the money required to run a single car now exceeds the 5 million euro mark for most teams — the pressure is on to convince the Bronze and Silver prospects to commit before winter testing begins.
Of the 37 drivers who took to the track in the class, Lexus IMSA driver Ben Barnicoat’s 2m01.772s was the benchmark. The quickest “rookie” was AMR Driver Academy inductee Mahaveer Raghunathan, who set a 2m02.623s in the No. 55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari. He was just 0.02s quicker than Aurelien Panis in the No. 78 Lexus.
Looking ahead, following Sunday night’s annual end-of-season beach party in Manama, multiple tests for WEC teams in Bahrain are scheduled over the coming days.
First up is a Michelin tire development test Monday, which all but one of the manufacturers are believed to be staying on for.
The track time will include the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH’s first laps with other Hypercars on the same track. A number of prospective drivers for the program are due to take part as the British brand and partner team Heart of Racing prepare for the IMSA Sanctioned Test at Daytona later in the month.
The only omission is Cadillac, which will not run due to the clashing handover of the program from Ganassi to JOTA.
Lamborghini, meanwhile, is understood to be staying on after the tire test to complete more running as it continues to ponder what the future of its LMDh program looks like.
