After confirmation from the WEC on Monday that the winners of the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours race, Ferrari and home team Toyota Gazoo Racing, will be the biggest beneficiaries of the changes applied to all cars except the new Peugeots that underwent significant revisions. The Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercars will now weigh 34 kilograms less, dropping from their original weight of 1812 kg to 1041 kg at Imola. In addition, they will gain nine more horsepower (7 kilowatts). The Toyota GR010 Hybrid LMHs will also lose 29 kg and gain 6 kW, according to the latest Balance of Performance tables from the FIA WEC Committee.
Both Toyota and Ferrari were overshadowed by Porsches and Peugeots in the previous round, so these changes are expected to shake up the standings in the 2024 WEC season. The other Hypercar teams will also benefit from the Balance of Performance changes. The Alpine A424 LMDh will lose 28 kg, the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 will lose 27 kg, and the BMW M Hybrids LMDh will lose 25 kg. Even the Porsche 963 LMDhs, winners in Qatar, will be 15 kilograms lighter and have an additional 3 kW of power. The Cadillac V-Series LMDh will only receive a 2 kg weight reduction, bringing it to the LMDh class limit of 1030 kg, but will gain a significant 18 kW of power.
The redesigned 2024 Peugeot 9X8 will be 31 kg heavier than its 2023 counterpart, weighing 1061 kg, and will lose 10 kW of power. These adjustments are in line with the transition of the car from an unconventional ground effect configuration to a conventional configuration with wings. The Peugeot will also use its electric front axle hybrid system at the same speed of 190 km/h as its LMH competitors. Additionally, it will adopt standard tire measures in staggered sizes instead of using four smaller tires.
These changes are not only influenced by the characteristics of the Imola track, which is undulating compared to the flat desert track in Qatar, but also aim to level the playing field for cars that had an advantage in the previous race. WEC has not yet implemented its planned Balance of Performance component of “power gain”, which aims to equalize the straight-line speeds of different cars.
The only changes in the Hypercar entry list for the Imola race compared to Le Mans will be Carillac competing with only two drivers, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, while Sebastien Bourdais will be absent from the Italian round. Peugeot has also replaced the injured Ferdinand Habsburg with Jules Gounon for the Imola race.
All these factors contribute to the expectation that anything can happen in this weekend’s WEC round, the Road to Le Mans race at Imola. Each team will arrive with a different specification compared to the season opener in Qatar. The 6-hour race at Imola will start at 13:00 European time on Sunday, April 21st. For more information on live broadcast rates, visit fiawec.tv.
The coverage of the Road to Le Mans by Grand Prix 247 is presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing.
