Cadillac wins at Monza as Toyota’s #8 secures drivers’ title

The #38 Cadillac converts its grid position into victory

Starting third, Aitken moved past pole-sitter Miguel Molina in the #50 Ferrari on the opening lap, then took the lead from Genesis driver Daniel Juncadella at the end of lap six. Aitken held first through his two-hour stint before handing the car to Bourdais.

Bourdais kept the Cadillac ahead while defending against Victor Martins in the Alpine and Sheldon van der Linde in the BMW. Bamber took over still in the lead and held off a late challenge from Martins to bring the #38 home first.

The victory was the trio’s first together in the FIA WEC. The report also described it as Bourdais’ first win in more than a decade and JOTA’s 12th consecutive season with a championship race victory.

Toyota secures the Drivers’ title

Neither Toyota scored points at Monza, but the manufacturer’s title had already been secured. The #8 crew of Hirakawa, Buemi and Hartley did enough at the event to claim the Drivers’ trophy. The report said it was a fifth title for Buemi and Hartley.

The Toyota result and the Cadillac race win were separate outcomes: the #8 did not score points at Monza, while its season-long work had already put the manufacturer’s crown beyond reach and secured the drivers’ championship.

Penalty changes Aston Martin’s outcome

The #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble took the chequered flag in third, but a post-race penalty for a tyre-pressure infringement dropped the car behind the #51 Ferrari. The supplied report does not specify the amended finishing position, so no further placing is stated here.

The #36 Alpine of Martins and Jules Gounon finished second. Alpine’s other A424, driven by Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi, retired after Milesi made heavy contact with the Parabolica barriers during the fourth hour.

Corvette and TF Sport take the LMGT3 titles

In LMGT3, The Bend Manthey won for the second race in a row. Its second victory and fifth podium of the campaign were not enough to prevent TF Sport and Corvette from securing the season’s prizes.

A third-place finish for Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar and Nicky Catsburg was sufficient for TF Sport to take the Teams’ trophy and for Edgar to secure the Drivers’ title.

Late contact ends in incident for Cadillac and Peugeot

The report also described a dramatic closing phase for the #12 Cadillac and #94 Peugeot 9X8, which made contact more than once. A heavier collision between Alex Lynn and Malthe Jakobsen sent Lynn into the barriers and left debris on the track.