The triple DTM champion believes that the victory achieved by Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Andre Lotterer for Porsche Penske Motorsport within the Qatar 1812km season-opener offers BMW “hope” within the first yr of its WEC programme with the M Hybrid V8 run by WRT.
However he burdened that following a greatest results of tenth on the Losail Worldwide Circuit, promoted into the factors by Cadillac’s disqualification, BMW nonetheless has work to do.
Requested by Autosport for his views on the impression Porsche’s victory has had on the BMW camp, Rast mentioned: “It positively offers hope as a result of you’ll be able to see that the LMDh automotive truly can combat for total victory, we’re the identical automotive class roughly, so the potential is there.
“However in all probability we want a bit extra time.
“Our check programme within the winter or final yr for this season was a bit compromised as a consequence of numerous climate. I’m not saying that that is the rationale, however we weren’t very fortunate with the climate circumstances and didn’t do numerous dry working.
“Each check we get now in dry circumstances helps lots to only make one other step.
“Despite the fact that it’s only for driver consolation or extra consistency within the automotive, that helps already. We simply want extra time and extra testing to get on that degree.”
Picture by: JEP / Motorsport Images
BMW Motorsport boss Andreas Roos additionally urged warning on the Bavarian marque’s first WEC programme since its M8 GTE contested the GTE Professional class within the 2018-19 ‘superseason’ with the MTEK squad.
The M Hybrid V8 makes use of the identical spec rear axle hybrid system as Porsche’s 963, and was raced within the IMSA SportsCar Championship final yr by the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing squad, however Roos pointed to the a number of operational variations between IMSA and the WEC to justify a necessity “to be life like”.
“We’ve all of the elements that we want,” he mentioned.
“However whether or not we are able to extract every part from these elements, that’s the query. We nonetheless have numerous work to do, we’re not the place we wish to be.
“Qatar for certain didn’t go as everybody wished, nevertheless it was our first race within the championship. It was additionally the primary time WRT was working the vehicles beneath race circumstances.
“We realized lots, however we nonetheless have to enhance lots.”
WRT boss Vincent Vosse expressed optimism that the group is “getting in the appropriate route” following its commencement as champion of the LMP2 class that was dropped from the championship this yr.
“When you got here to the field throughout the race at Qatar, it was a traditional race, nothing hectic,” he informed Autosport.
“The drivers weren’t complaining in regards to the automotive, it was not like we had been having massive points. I’ve to say it’s a part of the method.
“I keep in mind a kind of groups that I’ve numerous respect for, Penske is an efficient instance, the primary three or 4 races [in 2023], they struggled.
“We had been saying that isn’t what we had been anticipating from Porsche and Penske. That proves it takes time.”