Ginetta: Challenging for pole "ultimate target" in Bahrain
Charlie Robertson says scoring a first FIA World Endurance Championship pole position is the "ultimate target" for Ginetta in this weekend's 8 Hours of Bahrain.

The success handicap system has placed Ginetta in a favourable position compared to its LMP1 rivals Toyota and Rebellion, which are both heavily penalised in Bahrain.
The Rebellion R-13’s performance has been pegged back by 1.36s following its maiden on-the-road victory in Shanghai, while the #7 Toyota has been hit with a 2.51s penalty and the #8 TS050 Hybrid has been slowed down by 2.72s.
By comparison, the #5 Ginetta G60-LT-P1 has only received a handicap equivalent to 0.24s, while the sister Team LNT car is running no ballast at all, courtesy of being the last-placed LMP1 car in the standings.
Robertson and his Ginetta teammates Ben Hanley and Jordan King topped the first practice in Bahrain on Thursday, before finishing second to the sole Rebellion R-13 in FP2.
Read Also:
Robertson, who said last month that Ginetta can target a “big result” in Bahrain, believes the pace his squad has shown in practice makes it a prime contender for pole in Friday’s qualifying.
“In Shanghai we showed some really really strong pace for our both cars,” Robertson said after first practice. “Ben and I were straight away at the front in the opening stint.
“We learned a lot about what it takes to lead a race there and obviously learnt how managing tyres because in the second stint Toyota came back to us.
“So we are now looking now to keep the tyres in a better window and we know that here in Bahrain the thermal degradation is harder as well.
“I think we’ve come with a real chance of strong result this weekend and challenging for pole in qualifying is our ultimate target.”

#1 Rebellion Racing Rebellion R-13 - Gibson: Bruno Senna, Gustavo Menezes, Norman Nato
Photo by: Rebellion Racing
Despite Rebellion being slowed down by more than a second compared to the two Ginettas, Gustavo Menezes remains upbeat about the Swiss squad's prospects in Bahrain, particularly with Toyota unlikely to feature in the fight.
“Obviously I think Shanghai was a bit special,” Menezes said. “Regardless, I think we can finally see the success handicap coming into play. And I think it’s important for the championship as well as for us to have motivation and to see that there is a possibility to fight.
“Leaving Shanghai and coming into Bahrain obviously, it’s a different circuit first of all. So already the characteristics of the circuit suits the car differently.
Read Also:
“And obviously the success handicap we can feel it immediately, shifting the balance of the car as well. We are still trying to apprehend how we can kind of get the car exactly where we want to be.
“But I think it’s going to be an interesting race. Just looking at it with the stats and where the EoT and success handicap should be I think the boys right here on the right [Ginetta] should be quite strong but we’ll do everything we can to have a strong race.”
Catch qualifying LIVE on Motorsport.tv here. Some georestrictions may apply.

Previous article
Bahrain WEC: Senna, Rebellion lead second practice
Next article
Bahrain WEC: Toyota bounces back to top final practice

About this article
Series | WEC |
Event | Bahrain |
Author | Rachit Thukral |
Ginetta: Challenging for pole "ultimate target" in Bahrain
Trending
Ferrari enters LMH from 2023
Peugeot in sportscars
WEC: 2021 Entry list revealed!
WEC: What is a Hypercar?
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing: GR010 HYBRID HYPERCAR
Why Ferrari is ending its 50-year top-flight sportscar racing exile
Making a return to top-flight sportscar racing after 50 years away, Ferrari will enter the Le Mans Hypercar ranks in 2023. The Italian marque denies the link with Formula 1's new cost cap that frees up resources, but it's certainly no coincidence...
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
The ground-up refresh behind Toyota's new Le Mans challenger
Toyota's new GR010 contender for the World Endurance Championship's Hypercar era has little in common with the LMP1 TS050 that preceded it. But within the confines of the scaled back new rules, its latest challenger will be no less formidable a prospect
The tiny increments that decided the final LMP1-era WEC
The system of success handicaps devised by the FIA World Endurance Championship to level the LMP1 playing field in the category's swansong season ended up having a counterproductive effect, as COVID cancellations also played in the champions' favour.
Why Audi’s shock return promises a new age for sportscars
OPINION: The news that Audi will return to Le Mans means we'll at last get to see the fight promised in 2012 against Peugeot and Toyota. It also gives LMDh a tangible form, which could open the floodgates for more like-minded marques to follow suit…
The eternal debate revived after the 2019/20 WEC season
It may have been missed amid the clamour over Lewis Hamilton's seventh F1 title, but Britain had another world champion crowned last weekend. Mike Conway's WEC crown raises an old conundrum - does title glory make up for the pain of Le Mans defeat?
The 10 greatest LMP1 races ranked
As the LMP1 class prepares to bow out of top-line sportscar racing at the World Endurance Championship season finale in Bahrain this weekend, Motorsport.com looks back over the past two decades to pick out the 10 of its best contests
Why COVID-19 didn't stop Peugeot's Le Mans commitment
When the global pandemic hit, Peugeot was given the perfect excuse to back out of its stated intention to return to Le Mans in 2022. That it hasn't done so is telling both of its unfinished business and the opportunities presented by the Hypercar rulebook