WEC finale will be closest race yet

New World Endurance champion Anthony Davidson is expecting the closest race of the season at Interlagos on Sunday.

"We're expecting a proper fight - I think Porsche, us and Audi will be battling it out over the six hours," he told AUTOSPORT.

Toyota believes it is at its least competitive this season as a result of the 800m altitude of the Interlagos venue, which robs its normally-aspirated V8 of approximately 50bhp, and the track's new high-grip surface.

"People say that we have been dominant this year, but all we've had is better tire wear," explained Davidson. "Because of the grippy surface, we are seeing zero tyre degradation, which means it has levelled the playing field. We're going into the race not expecting to win, but you never know."

Porsche, which locked out the front row in qualifying, appears set to benefit the most from the new asphalt.

Porsche LMP1 team principal Andreas Seidl said: "High grip suits our car; there are some issues with our car that are not so apparent in a high-grip situation.

"We always put good laptimes in when the tires are at their peak, but we are less competitive over a stint as the we lose grip."

Audi driver Andre Lotterer believes the two Audi R18 e-tron quattros "should be in the game" for the first time since the Austin WEC round in September.

"The track configuration helps us: there is not so much stop and go and the extra grip means that we can carry more momentum through the corners, which means we are not accelerating from such low speed when the hybrid power counts," he said.

The WEC finale starts at 1pm local time (3pm GMT).

Toyota needs only three points to wrap up the manufacturers' crown even if the Audis were to finish one-two.

Originally on Autosport.com