The 2020 8 Hours of Bahrain was a race that, originally, wasn’t really supposed to happen. At least, not as the season finale for the 2019/20 campaign. But after the 1000 Miles of Sebring was cancelled, a replacement round was needed. Flash forward to December, and the WEC is back at the Sakhir circuit.
Of course, it was always going to be different than the 2019 edition of the race, for obvious reasons. With this season finale in the Middle East, the FIA World Endurance Championship is one of the first major international racing championship to venture outside of Europe since the pandemic began.
Formula 1 is racing at Istanbul Park this weekend and ventures towards the island nation in the coming weeks, but WEC holds the distinction of getting there first.
With the pandemic still raging on globally, holding such an international event was always going to be a risky operation. Teams, personnel and media travel from all over the world. It goes without saying that this is not without its dangers.
To their credit, however, WEC, the Bahrain International Circuit and local authorities have recognised the potential health hazards and have come up with a commendable solution.
Upon arrival at the airport (on Monday night), all WEC-related travelers were greeted by circuit staff and brought to a dedicated testing location at the airport. Expectations of a tent on the parking lot were somewhat blown away upon arrival, as guests were taken to an enormous temporary facility right outside the terminal.
Inside what could easily have doubled as an army field hospital, guests were tested for the virus before sent to their hotels to wait for the results. By the following morning, the results were available on an app set up by the Bahrain government.
While it’s easy and arguably justifiable to point out and criticize protocols that aren’t working correctly, good procedures should be applauded, which is the case here. Drivers and media alike have taken to social media since Monday to express their appreciation of the process.
Setup day
Unfortunately, as good as the protocols may be, it can’t protect everyone from the dangers of the pandemic, as Aston Martin reminded us this morning.
The team revealed that Alex Lynn, one of their star drivers and winner of September’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in GTE Pro, tested positive for the virus over the weekend and will not be racing in the season finale.
In his place is Richard Westbrook, who debuted for the team at Le Mans and was slated to drive the team’s GTE Am car.
“It’s incredibly disappointing to end the FIA World Endurance Championship season in this way, especially after the amazing high of the Le Mans victory that brought us back into title contention, said Lynn. “I wish all my team-mates the best of luck this weekend, but especially Maxime and Richard.”
For his part, Westbrook expressed his regards to Lynn while also looking forward to the weekend ahead.
“I feel really sorry for Alex. It’s terrible for a driver to have the chance to fight for a championship taken away by something like this. I am looking forward to getting back in the Vantage GTE and having had a plenty of miles under my belt at Le Mans, I’m certain that I will be able to give Maxime the support he needs as he goes for the championship. Bahrain is one my favourite tracks; I won my first GT race there 2005. Hopefully I can do it again this weekend!”
It’s brought about some shuffling in Aston Martin Racing’s line-up, as Westbrook’s move to the #97 Vantage AMR has left a space open in the GTE Am team he was scheduled to drive for. Instead, Aston Martin has brought in Pedro Lamy to partner Paul Dalla Lana and Ross Gunn.
It’s clearly left Aston Martin with a bit of work to do, which was evident from the look of the #98 Aston Martin Vantage AMR as it sat in the pit lane on Wednesday afternoon. Only Dalla Lana’s name was visible above the door, with Gunn and Lamy’s names nowhere to be found.
With track action starting on Thursday, Wednesday felt like the usual calm before the storm. In most ways, it was a day like any other in WEC’s post-COVID paddock. The only difference was the sight of the Bahrain flag flying at half staff over the Sakhir Tower in deference to the passing of Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the country’s prime minister, who passed away on Wednesday.
