With the LMP1 Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo set to be discontinued after its withdrawal from the WEC, the works team decided to take a modified variant on a world tour. And this variant has just lapped the legendary Belgian Grand Prix circuit of Spa Francorchamps quicker than a Formula One car.
Driven by 34-year-old Swiss Neel Jani, the 919 lapped the 7,004 km track in 1 minute, 41,770 seconds. That’s 0,783 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton’s record time in his Mercedes F1 W07 Hybird, set on 26 August 2017 during qualifying.
Other remarkable stats from Jani’s lap include a top speed of 359 km/h and an average speed of 245,61 km/h. The record was set at 10h23, with a cool track temperature of 13 °C.
Fritz Enzinger, VP for LMP1, said: “Today’s track record impressively proves the ultimate performance of the most innovative race car of its time. Our target was to show what the Porsche 919 Hybrid is able to do when we loosen the restrictions that normally come from the regulations.”
The Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo will continue its tour this year to various racetracks, after which the LMP1 programme will come to an end in order to make way for possible Formula E projects.
Watch the video of the lap time, here:
