Audi celebrates second one-two win in the FIA WEC

Returning after a three-month break, Audi once again triumphed in the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), held at the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, U.S.A.

A sudden downpour of rain, red flags after a series of spins and a tactically challenging course on a drying track converted the night race in Texas into a real thriller.

After six hours of racing, the victorious Audi driver lineup of Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer in the #2 Audi R-18 e-Tron quattro crossed the finish line with a thin margin of 53 seconds ahead of their team mates - Lucas di Grassi, Loic Duval, and Tom Kristensen - in the #1 Audi R-18 e-Tron quattro.

Audi put down an early tactical marker and opted not to change tyres at the first pit stop, and advanced position by position. One and a half hours into the race, drizzling rain set in and that soon changed into a downpour.

Audi made a timely switch from slicks to wets on both its R18 e-tron quattro cars. While Benoit Treluyer (Audi #2) took the lead with Tom Kristensen (#1 Audi) in third place, numerous competitors slipped into the gravel and came to a halt in dangerous places - resulting the race to be red-flagged.

About 50 minutes later, racing action resumed behind the safety car. Both Audi racers held on to their rain tyres when the race restarted. 15 minutes later, the #2 Audi switched to intermediates. On the tyres designed for mixed conditions, Treluyer defended the lead before changing to slicks an hour later. In the case of the sister car, the team opted for a different strategy - jumping to slicks straight from the rain tyres when the track was dry enough.

This tactical option resulted in one less pit stop. However, Tom Kristensen also had to first change to intermediate tyres before being able to switch to slicks at the next pit stop. Following a recovery by Lucas di Grassi at the end of the race, car #1 Audi finished as the runner-up.