Webber: We’re not out of the WEC title race yet

The defending WEC champions have scored just 1.5 points in the first two rounds of the season at Silverstone and Spa, having suffered problems while leading in both races.

The trio came away with no points at Silverstone after Hartley suffered a big accident as he made contact with Mike Wainwright’s GTE-Am class Porsche 911 RSR while trying to lap it.

Three weeks later at Spa, the #1 car was in the thick of the lead battle along with the #5 Toyota until it suffered two punctures in quick succession, which then necessitated a long spell in the pits for a change of front gearbox.

Webber, Hartley and Bernhard still just about covered the required laps to be eligible to score half a point to add to the point earned for pole.

But, speaking to Motorsport.com, Webber was adamant that it’s too early to rule him and his teammates out of the title battle, especially with double points on offer in next month’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

Asked if he felt the #1 crew was still in with a chance of winning the championship, the Australian replied: “With a win at Le Mans? Yes.

“In general we’ve been pretty good [in terms of reliability], our car has run pretty well, but we’ve just had two incidents.

“There was a touch with a backmarker with Brendon at Silverstone with a 40-second lead, which can happen.

“Then here [at Spa] Brendon drove an exceptional first stint, and Timo was on fire as well – but you’ve got to be there at the end.

“[Without the punctures] there would have been a good battle with the Toyota, but then they had an engine failure – it was a ‘should’ve, could’ve, would’ve’ kind of race for everyone.”

“We can’t expect anything”

Hartley, meanwhile, remains cautious about the #1 crew’s chances of sealing back-to-back wins at Le Mans for Porsche, saying he expects a three-way battle between all the LMP1 manufacturers.

“I’m confident in the team and my teammates,” the Kiwi driver told Motorsport.com.

“But you can never go to Le Mans thinking you’re going to win it, because it’s such a challenging thing in itself just to get to the end without dramas.

“It’s going to be tough – Toyota seem to be putting all their focus on Le Mans, maybe a little more than we are, and the Audi is quick in a straight line too.

“Mark, Timo and myself have all been in good form, but you can’t expect anything. We just have to do our best and see what happens after 24 hours.”

Additional reporting by Filip Cleeren