Why the 2016 6 Hours of Silverstone was won by a car that finished second

The 2016 6 Hours of Silverstone was won by a Porsche that finished second on the road. Audi's No. 7 car crossed the line first, but scrutineers found its skid block worn beyond the permitted limit, and the car was disqualified. Marc Lieb, Neel Jani and Romain Dumas inherited the win in the opening round of the 2016 World Endurance Championship.

Why was Silverstone the opening round of 2016?

Elsewhere, the 6 Hours of Silverstone was confirmed for the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship at the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris in December 2015. It was the first of nine scheduled endurance sports car rounds that season and the fifth running of the event within the championship.

The race ran on 17 April 2016 at the Silverstone Circuit after two days of practice and qualifying. The circuit is 5.891 km (3.660 mi) long and has 18 corners, which range from gentle sweepers to one sharp hairpin.

Porsche's defence of its titles was the main story before the race. Co-defending champion Mark Webber said Porsche's performance advantage over its two main rivals might disappear at Silverstone, but he believed the team could still retain both championships.

Audi's Lucas di Grassi expected Toyota to take a big step forward with its new TS050 Hybrid, after a difficult 2015 season. He thought the hybrid changes would help Toyota run at the front of the field.

The car that crossed the line first lost the race in scrutineering, and the Porsche that finished second took the opening round.

Which teams and drivers were on the grid?

Thirty-three cars were officially entered, with most of the entries in LMP1 and LMP2. Porsche, Toyota and Audi Team Joest each ran two LMP1 cars, and Rebellion Racing and ByKolles were the privateers in the top class. The entry list included 11 LMP2 cars, out of 33 in total.

James Rossiter returned to sports car racing for ByKolles, replacing Pierre Kaffer, who had other commitments for the first two rounds. Nelson Piquet Jr. took over from Mathias Beche and joined Heidfeld and Prost in Rebellion's No. 12 car for the first three rounds of the season.

LMP2 had eleven cars and 32 drivers in five chassis types. Manor made its series debut with two entries, and Gulf Racing appeared for the first time with Adam Carroll, Ben Barker and Michael Wainwright.

Patrick Long was committed to a Pirelli World Challenge event at Long Beach, so Klaus Bachler replaced him in the Abu Dhabi Porsche. Ford Chip Ganassi Racing ran two Ford GTs, and the LMGTE Pro class was made up of Aston Martin, Ford, Ferrari and Porsche.

What happened in practice at Silverstone?

There were three practice sessions. The first ran on a wet track, and lap times fell as it dried. Timo Bernhard in the No. 1 Porsche led that session with 1:42.182, eight-tenths ahead of Marc Lieb in the sister car.

In the second session Brendon Hartley set 1:39.655 in the No. 1 Porsche, which remained fastest. Romain Dumas spun into the turn seven gravel trap after an LMGTE car hit him, and he returned to the pit lane for repairs after the full course yellow.

The final session began with sleet, and Anthony Davidson in Toyota's No. 5 car drove off at Luffield and then aquaplaned into the Chapel gravel trap. Sleet later turned to snow, and the session was ended early with half an hour remaining, when no driver had set a timed lap.

How did the weather affect the Silverstone weekend?

Separately, the race began in dry and sunny weather, with the air between 8.4 and 11.5 C (47.1 to 52.7 F) and the track between 6.6 and 14.5 C (43.9 to 58.1 F). The forecast allowed for a late rain shower, even though conditions were expected to stay consistent through the race.

Practice had been affected by the weather in a different way. The first session started on a wet track from early rain and lap times fell as the track dried, while the final session was disrupted by sleet and then snow.

Qualifying also began on a wet track, which dried out as the session went on. Rast's pole lap on intermediate tyres showed how much the conditions had changed during the afternoon, and the teams adjusted their strategies accordingly.

Who took pole and how did qualifying go?

Andre Lotterer and Marcel Fassler gave the No. 7 Audi its first pole of the season, with an average lap of 1:53.204. It was the team's first pole since the 2013 6 Hours of Fuji and it ended Porsche's run of 11 consecutive pole positions, which had started at the 2014 6 Hours of Shanghai.

Di Grassi set the fastest lap of the session late on, but he went off at Vale corner while trying to go faster, and the gravel trap cost him pole. The two Porsches were third and fourth, with the No. 1 car ahead of the No. 2 entry.

Toyota's cars had unsuitable car control settings and a different set-up, which restricted them to the third row. Rebellion elected not to record any lap times, and Oliver Webb and Rossiter in the ByKolles completed the LMP1 cars on the grid.

In LMP2 Rene Rast used intermediate tyres before a stop for full wet tyres. His lap of 2:07.374 gave him and Roman Rusinov a pole-setting average of 2:08.479. In LMGTE Pro the pole went to Sam Bird and Davide Rigon of AF Corse, and Bachler and Khaled Al Qubaisi took the LMGTE Am pole.

How did the race start at Silverstone?

Lotterer kept his pole advantage into the first corner, but Webber soon moved into second and then took the lead. Webber stopped one lap after Lotterer's pit stop, and Hartley climbed aboard the No. 1 Porsche. The race had its first pit stops after 37 minutes, when Derani pitted and Senna moved into the LMP2 lead.

Cumming lost control of his Ligier at Club corner and spun, which let Rusinov move back to the LMP2 lead. The LMGTE field began its pit stops after 52 minutes, and both Ford cars climbed into second and third in LMGTE Pro while the Porsche needed fuel.

The race was turned upside down when Hartley and Wainwright collided at Farm Curve. Hartley's right-front quarter struck Wainwright's left-rear, and both cars went over the gravel and into the barriers at the end of the complex, which brought out a full course yellow.

Both Hartley and Wainwright retired from that incident. The stewards later reprimanded Hartley for causing the crash, and Wainwright said he had not known Hartley was near him until the contact happened.

How did the lead change in the closing hours?

Di Grassi stopped at Farm Curve with a hybrid system problem and retired, which left Jani in the lead. Treluyer then attacked Lieb, took the lead on the approach to Maggots and pulled away on the Hangar straight. The lead changed hands several times in the final hours.

Jani's front-right tyre was punctured in the race, which needed an unscheduled stop to change the wheel and add fuel. Fassler then made his final scheduled stop and retook the lead, and he finished first, 47 seconds ahead of Jani in second.

Kobayashi was third in the No. 6 Toyota. Toyota technical director Pascal Vasselon later described the team's day as an average one.

Why was the Audi disqualified after the race?

Scrutineers found that the front section of the No. 7 Audi's skid block had been worn beyond the permitted limit of 5 millimetres (0.20 in), and the car was disqualified. Audi offered an explanation to the stewards, but it was rejected.

Audi announced early on 18 April that it would appeal. Three days later the team dropped the appeal after analysing the problem, which showed the car had experienced unexpected vertical movement. Wolfgang Ullrich, who led Audi Sport, said the choice was made for the good of the championship.

The disqualification meant that Lieb, Jani and Dumas took their first victory of the season. Sarrazin, Conway and Kobayashi were promoted to second, and Rebellion's Kraihamer, Imperatori and Tuscher inherited third, the team's first series podium since the 2013 6 Hours of Fuji.

Who won each class at Silverstone?

Senna, Albuquerque and Gonzalez won LMP2 for RGR Sport by Morand. Senna took the lead in the closing stages, which earned him and Albuquerque their first WEC class wins and gave Gonzalez his fourth. The overall order was only settled after the appeal was dropped.

The Ferrari of Bird and Rigon won LMGTE Pro, unchallenged throughout the race, and they had qualified 1.3 seconds ahead of Lietz and Christensen in the Dempsey-Proton Porsche. Their AF Corse teammates Bruni and Calado finished second after a three-minute penalty that followed their engine swap after qualifying.

In LMGTE Am, Perrodo, Collard and Aguas won for AF Corse in the No. 83 Ferrari, leading the final half hour and taking the team's first win of the year in the class. The Aston Martin of Dalla Lana, Lamy and Lauda was second, and the margin was one lap.

What did Silverstone do to the title race?

Lieb, Jani and Dumas led the Drivers' Championship on 25 points each. Sarrazin, Conway and Kobayashi were seven points behind, and Kraihamer, Imperatori and Piquet a further three back. The result gave the three Porsche drivers the lead in the Drivers' Championship from the first round.

Toyota held the Manufacturers' Championship lead on 33 points, with Porsche eight behind and Audi on a single point.

How did the drivers react to the Silverstone result?

Hartley said he felt very upset for the team, although he praised his car and his teammate Webber for their work. He did not apportion blame for the crash, which he called a shocking moment and a true shame. The reactions came from drivers across the Audi, Porsche, Toyota and Ferrari teams.

Wainwright said he had been unaware Hartley was alongside, and that Hartley had seemed to be trying to pass him. Carroll said Hartley had not left enough room and that the crash could have been avoided.

Lotterer said Audi were amazed to finish first at such an early stage of the season, but he felt lucky because of Hartley's crash. Treluyer said the win was the best way to open a season, and Fassler called the race a riveting one.

Kobayashi called his first LMP1 race a positive start and was excited about the car's development. Conway said the result was a cool way to start the year, although it had not been easy, while Sarrazin said the team was closer to the front than the previous season.

Bird said Ferrari's win had looked easy, but nothing had been easy. Dumas said he was satisfied with his early battle with Jarvis, and Porsche's target was to stay with its rivals.

Silverstone 2016 class winners