Aston Martin confident of pre-Le Mans BoP change

The British manufacturer believes that the test day for the 24 Hours on June 16/17 provided conclusive proof that the second-generation Vantage GTE needs a helping hand under the Balance of Performance in GTE Pro. 

It claimed that the speed trap figures from both Le Mans at the weekend and the opening round of the WEC at Spa last month proved that new car needed a revised BoP to boost straightline speed.

Aston Martin Racing managing director John Gaw told Motorsport.com: "The Automobile Club de l'Ouest and the FIA know we are missing top speed, because it was the same as at Spa. 

"They clearly wanted to see it again with the car in Le Mans configuration, so we are confident that there will be a change in time for the race."

The rulemakers reserve the right to change the BoP for Le Mans, which operates outside of the automatic system for the six-hour WEC races, ahead of and during the week of the race. 

The new Aston was 15km/h slower through the speed trap than the quickest of the GTE Pro contenders, the Ford GT, over the course of the test. 

This figure is misleading because the Ford, which was 5km/h clear of its nearest rival, posted these speeds in the morning when it was running with ultra-low downforce. 

Gaw said that new Aston's split times through the Porsche Curves proved its competitiveness elsewhere on the long Le Mans lap. 

The best time for an Aston, Lynn's 3m57.488s, compared with 3m52.551s set by Porsche driver Patrick Pilet to top the test day classification in GTE Pro.

Porsche, which blocked out the top two times at the test, has expressed confidence that the organisers will not be fooled by a manufacturer trying to hide performance ahead of the race to obtain a favourable BoP. 

Porsche's director of GT factory motorsport, Pascal Zurlinden, explained that all the cars with the exception of the Aston were known quantities. 

"Our car and the Ford are well known, and so too is the Ferrari [488 GTE Evo] because it is only really an aerodynamic upgrade," he told Motorsport.com.

"The BMW is new, but it has already done four races in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, so there is a lot of data available. There is no reason for us to worry."