Ferrari GT racing boss Antonello Coletta has said that the Italian manufacturer wishes for the Balance of Performance in the GTE Pro category to be changed ahead after its defeat in Saturday’s Six Hours of Bahrain.
AF Corse had its BoP allocation unexpectedly changed for the penultimate round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Bahrain. The two Ferrari 488 GTE Evos were handed a reduction in turbo boost pressure that cost them around 25 horsepower compared to the previous specification.
The change was notably made outside of the automated Balance of Performance process that has been in place since the 2018-19 Super Season. In order to make the adjustment, the ACO and FIA made use of its so-called ‘black ball’ rule.
It is only the second time since the institution of the current BOP system that such a change has been made. No reason for the alteration has been given by ACO or the FIA.
Ferrari’s championship rivals Porsche scored a dominant one-two on Saturday, with championship leaders Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado 35 seconds back.
The points gap between Pier Guidi and Calado and the chasing Porsche pair of Neel Jani and Kevin Estre has been reducded to only a single point with only the Eight of Bahrain left to be contested next weekend.
After Saturday’s race, Ferrari’s Attivita Sportive director Antonello Coletta said in an official statement issued by Ferrari that he hopes that the Balance of Performance will be returned to the previous specification ahead of the second round of the Bahrain double header.
As mentioned on the eve of the race, the Balance of Performance proved to be particularly punitive to our cars, as confirmed by the race pace and the result of this six-hour event,” said Coletta. “”
We regret not being able to defend the leadership acquired on previous occasions, the result of always beautiful and exciting races.”
“We hope that the correct criteria for the BoP will be restored in the last race so that we can try to fight on equal terms for the world titles.”
Calado: season’s work ‘in danger’
Ferrari factory ace Calado also weighed in on the issue, stating that he fears that the work that the team has done to make it to this point in the championship is in danger of being undone.
Until Saturday, Ferrari had the upper hand in an extremely closely fought battle between the two manufacturers. Both had picked up two wins each: Porsche won the season opener at Spa and outpaced Ferrari at its home race in Monza.
Ferrari, in turn, took a win in the eight-hour race at Portimao and crucially picked up the class win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, giving them the edge heading into the Bahrain double header.
After Saturday’s result, the momentum has swung back in Porsche’s favor with a single race left to be contested, which has left Calado disenchanted.
“I am obviously disappointed because today we weren’t put in a position to fight for the championship,” said Calado. “This decision can drastically change the standings, and it is a pity that a season’s worth of work by Ferrari, AF Corse, Alessandro and myself is in danger of being undone.
“Third place was the best we could aim for [Saturday], as I said before the race started. The Porsches could race without taking risks or exploiting their full potential.”
“We hope that they will at least reinstate the Monza BoP, which produced an evenly contested race that was spectacular for the public, something that cannot be said of today’s race.”
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