The Porsche #6 car, piloted by Kevin Estre, will start the 8 Hours of Bahrain from pole position after a dramatic qualifying session on November 7, 2025. Estre set a blistering lap time of 1:49.823, securing the top spot for the German manufacturer in the penultimate round of the 2025 World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.

Tight Qualifying Battle

The qualifying session was incredibly close, with the top five cars separated by less than half a second. The Ferrari #51, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, qualified second with a time of 1:50.009, just 0.186 seconds behind Estre. The Porsche #64, with Laurens Vanthoor at the wheel, rounded out the top three with a 1:50.117.

Toyota’s Tough Session

Toyota Gazoo Racing experienced a challenging qualifying session. The #7 Toyota GR010 HYBRID Hypercar, driven by Mike Conway, will start from fourth on the grid with a time of 1:50.219. More concerning for the Japanese manufacturer, the #8 Toyota qualified in eighth position, indicating potential performance issues heading into the race.

Hypercar Grid Lineup

The full Hypercar qualifying order saw the Hertz Team JOTA Porsche (#12) in fifth with a 1:50.319, followed by the Alpine A424 (#36) in sixth (1:50.641), and the BMW M Team WRT BMW (#20) in seventh (1:50.741). The #8 toyota GR010 HYBRID Hypercar qualified eighth with a 1:51.019.

Looking Ahead to the Race

The 8 Hours of Bahrain is a crucial race in the championship battle. Porsche’s strong qualifying performance puts them in a prime position to challenge for the win, but the close competition suggests a thrilling race is in store. Toyota will need to address the issues that hampered their qualifying performance if they hope to contend for the victory and maintain their championship hopes. The race is scheduled to begin on November 9, 2025.