Opinion: How to Rebalance One-Sided LMGT3 Battle

Could the FIA's medallion-based driver ratings system need a re-think amid arrival of LMGT3 class?

There may be three races remaining in the FIA World Endurance Championship season but the race for the LMGT3 title is already starting to look as if it may be a foregone conclusion.

True, the 25-point lead held by Manthey PureRxcing Porsche trio Klaus Bachler, Joel Sturm and Alex Malykhin is not insurmountable by any means. But, based on recent form, it feels like only bad luck or something truly extraordinary could deny the No. 92 trio crew.

In five races, Bachler, Sturm and Malykhin have taken two class victories, one in the Qatar 1812km and one in the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, both of which were relatively straightforward races with little in the way of cautions. At Imola and Spa, which were disrupted by weather and a red flag respectively, they finished third and second. And in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a gearbox problem left them well down the finishing order.

Remove the double-points Le Mans from the equation, and the No. 92 crew would be a massive 43 points clear in the title race, a more accurate reflection of their dominance.

No doubt Manthey deserves credit for a superb job so far this season, with the sister No. 91 EMA crew second in the standings having won at Le Mans and Spa. And Silver-rated Sturm has been impressive, matching or even surpassing Bachler’s pace at times.

Nevertheless, the pace of Bronze-rated Malykhin has undoubtedly been a key component in the success of the No. 92 squad. And the team’s dominance makes you wonder whether changes might need to be considered to make LMGT3 a more attractive show.

Put simply, the combination of Manthey, the Porsche 911 GT3 R and Malykhin has proven irresistible so far in 2024, with the UK-based Belarusian driver’s speed rivaled only by Iron Dames driver Sarah Bovy among the Bronze drivers on this grid.

Malykhin’s speed and consistency belies the fact this is only his third year in GT3s, and his fourth in sports car racing in general, the 37-year-old having only begun racing in 2021 driving in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain in a 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.