The FIA Endurance Committee has released the Success Handicaps for the final round of the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship in Bahrain, with the #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid set to be slowed by 0.54s a lap compared to the sister car.
The two Toyotas are the only LMP1 cars signed up for the season finale, but the Success Handicap has still been calculated for the two cars. What has changed, however, is the way in which the Handicap has been calculated.
Previously, the rate at which the cars were slowed was calculated through a so-called ‘Virtual Car’. This was the case when Rebellion and Ginetta were still on the grid and the points difference between both Toyotas and the last-placed car in the championship exceeded 40 points.
Since Rebellion and Ginetta have both opted to not take part in the last round of the season, this virtual car is no longer necessary. Instead, the Handicap for the leading Toyota of Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley has been calculated against its sister car.
Since the #7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid of Jose Maria Lopez, Mike Conway and Kazuki Nakajima has no cars lower on the championship table at Bahrain, it will not be handicapped.
Both Toyotas will be running at a lower minimum weight than they have been for most of the season, with both cars weighing in at 878 kilograms. The advantage for the #7 Toyota has come from the fact that the leading car has been allocated a reduced amount of maximum ERS energy, as well as a reduced max petrol energy and flow, less fuel per stint and a smaller fuel restrictor diameter.
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