Porsche Clinches WEC Championship in Austin, Ferrari views decision as unjust

Porsche Claims First WEC Victory of the Season in Controversial Overtaking Maneuver

In a thrilling turn of events at the 6-hour WEC race at Austin, Porsche secured its first win of the season in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), thanks to a controversial overtaking maneuver performed by Porsche World Champion Kevin Estre.

The incident occurred in the LMGT3 class, where Estre overtook the #51 Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi with a slight contact. Pier Guidi, who was initially leading the race, fell back to 13th place after an unscheduled pit stop due to the damage sustained from the collision.

Estre, who took the lead for the first time during the race, watched the on-board footage for the first four hours to plan the overtaking maneuver. He knew from his teammates where the wet spots were to make a good restart after the safety car phase on the wet track. Pier Guidi lifted off a bit in the last corner before the overtaking maneuver.

The race stewards investigated the situation and issued a warning to Estre, but did not penalise him. Ferrari driver Davide Rigon was blamed as the main culprit for the incident. Calado, another Ferrari driver, expressed disappointment that Estre didn't receive a penalty.

Estre described the tire damage on the Ferrari as a racing incident and Calado referred to a contact in the LMGT3 class that resulted in a 5-second penalty for the #54 AF-Corse Ferrari and cost them the class win.

Pier Guidi, however, was unhappy with the overtaking maneuver performed by Estre. Despite the setback, he managed a miraculous comeback to finish in 5th place. Estre's winning maneuver would have retained the win for Porsche even with a 5-second penalty for the #6 Porsche.

This controversial overtaking maneuver marked a significant moment in the penultimate race of the season, leading to Porsche's first victory of the WEC season in Austin.