Porsche has concluded a recent test of its 919 Hybrid LMP1 ahead of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
Defending world champions Brendon Hartley, Mark Webber and Timo Bernhard were present at Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi to put the updated car through its paces.
The trio completed 4,142 km (2,573 miles) over five days, testing Michelin’s three LMP1 slick tyre compounds that will be available in the upcoming season.
Porsche also used the latest session to get further readings on the new 919’s aerodynamics and improved hybrid system.
This follows an initial test in February by Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas and Neel Jani which racked up 2,059 km (1,279 miles) at the same circuit.
“We are very pleased with this test,” said team principal Andreas Siedl. “It is a demanding and important task to make the right choices out of the variety of tyres, as we will spend the season on them. Consistent conditions are essential to get reliable results. In Abu Dhabi we didn’t only have dry conditions, but also constant temperatures. We can’t find such conditions in Europe at this time of the year.”
“During such comparisons changes to the car are very limited because they would falsify the results,” he added. “You have to strictly separate tyre testing from the car’s development. In the end, of course, both have to be brought together and work well as a package.”
Porsche will continue to develop the 919 Hybrid with a series of tests in Europe, before the car makes its public track debut at the Paul Ricard Prologue in March.
