Ganassi has revealed that only for the longer races — the Qatar 1812km or 10-hour season-opener next month, the Le Mans 24 Hours and then the Bahrain 8 Hours season finale — does it intend to run a third driver alongside Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn.
The news follows comments from the General Motors brand early this month that it would only confirm its full line-up ahead of each of the 2024 WEC races, at the same time as hinting at the two-driver plan.
“We’re only looking for an extra driver for Qatar, Bahrain and, of course, Le Mans,” said team founder Chip Ganassi.
“Keep it simple, that’s what we are trying to do.”
Asked if the team was aiming for a performance gain by maximising seat time with a two-driver line-up, Ganassi replied: “Everything we do around here is the quicker way, or is trying to be the quicker way.
“It’s racing, that’s what it is all about.”
When asked which driver or drivers might fill the seat occupied by Richard Westbrook in 2023 for the longer races, Ganassi said: “You’re going to see some familiar drivers sprinkled in there.”
That is clearly a reference to its line-up in the V-Series.R Ganassi fields in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in North America.
Full-season drivers Sebastien Bourdais or Renger van der Zande would be obvious candidates for the Middle Eastern races at Qatar and Bahrain that bookend the WEC season.
Source: Autosport