The 2019 FIA Prize Giving ceremony was held ast night at the Carousel du Louvre in Paris, during which the champions from the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season were officially crowned.
Proceedings for the FIA WEC were headlined by Fernando Alonso, Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi, who received their title after driving the championship-winning #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid on stage.
Alonso, Nakajima and Buemi took the title after wins at Spa-Francorchamps, Sebring as well as Le Mans victories in both 2018 and 2019. The second Le Mans win, back in June of this year, sealed the title for the trio
“I remember every lap of this championship, which was strange as it lasted one year and a half!” Alonso commented. “In 2018 I was combining two World Championships – F1 and Endurance – which was very intense, but I loved the experience. Every World Championship is unique, and it’s nice to sit here as World Champion again.
My first Prize Giving was in 1996 when I came with an FIA Karting World Championship, and now 23 years later, I’m sitting here with the FIA World Endurance Championship. It’s been a long career but, as long as you love what you do and you are performing at your best level, it doesn’t matter which category you are here for. The spirit and atmosphere you find in endurance racing is quite special – the friendship you have with your team-mates in both cars – all this is unique and you can’t compare with the experiences I had before.”
The LMGTE champions were also crowned as Porsche's Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen were also officially crowned for winning the GT World Endurance Drivers' Championship with a win in Fuji and a class win at Le Mans in 2018. Porsche also won the manufacturers title.
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