Ferrari’s long-awaited return heralds thrilling new era for WEC’s Hypercar class

2023 WEC Hypercar preview

Posted on

| Written by

After weathering the storm of the post-LMP1 Hybrid boom and bust cycle, and responding with an extensive overhaul of its regulations, the FIA World Endurance Championship enters 2023 poised to reap the benefits. With the new season comes brand new teams and manufacturers, the prospect of more to come in the future, and the promise of another golden era of endurance sports car racing.

The driving force behind this promising new era is the convergence of two different sets of prototype regulations: Le Mans Hypercar (LMH), the LMP1 successor conceived by the FIA and the Automobile Club l’Ouest (ACO), and the new top category of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), known as Le Mans Daytona hybrid (LMDh). LMH is an open formula for major auto makers and privateer constructors to build their own chassis, engines and – if they choose – their own hybrid systems. LMDh allows manufacturers to build around customer LMP2 chassis “spines” with their own uniquely-styled bodywork and their own powertrains, all equipped with a control hybrid system.

In theory, the implementation of a ‘Balance of Performance’ system will allow these two similar yet unique prototype platforms to race against one another on equal terms at the biggest endurance races in the world: The Daytona 24 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours, and of course, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This freedom of choice has genuinely piqued the interest of major manufacturers to go racing on their own terms. Five manufacturer teams will compete in the top class of the WEC, beginning this Friday with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring.

Cadillac

2: Cadillac V-Series.R – Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Richard Westbrook

Cadillac, General Motors’ premium luxury label, enjoyed terrific success during the DPi (Daytona Prototype International) era of IMSA’s premier category of prototype racing from 2017 to 2022. Their new V-Series.R appears to be a worthy successor to the decorated DPi-V.R. Built by Italian constructor Dallara around their LMP2 chassis base, the V-Series.R has a purpose-built, 5.5 litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine coupled to the spec LMDh battery and MGU components. It has an imposing appearance and a thunderously loud engine note typical of a large displacement American muscle car.

Chip Ganassi Racing runs this team under the Cadillac Racing banner, with one full-time entry in WEC, and one in IMSA. New headquarters in Europe will be up and running later this year for their WEC programme. The ‘blue deuce’ of two-times Le Mans winner Bamber, two-times Sebring 12 Hours winner Lynn, and endurance racing stalwart Westbrook entered the Daytona 24 Hours earlier this year and finished fourth overall. This was the only car other than the Toyota GR010 Hybrid to lead any session of the WEC Prologue pre-season tests held at Sebring last weekend.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Vanwall

4: Vanwall Vandervell 680 – Tom Dillmann, Esteban Guerrieri, Jacques Villeneuve

Colin Kolles has tried to swim against the tides as a privateer prototype constructor for the past decade. His team’s efforts have often gone under the raging waters – or rather, they’ve often gone up in flames. After a few years of dormancy, the team formerly known as ByKolles acquired the trademark of dormant British constructor Vanwall and rebranded as Vanwall Racing Team – but that’s now come into question after an EU Intellectual Property Office court case ruled against them. Their new Vandervell 680 prototype, as it’s currently known, is a no-frills racing car with no hybrid system and a 4.5-litre, naturally-aspirated engine from expert builders Gibson.

Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula 1 world champion, is the most prolific driver they have, but with minimal testing and a long layoff from top-level endurance racing, his individual pace at the Prologue projects to make him a liability unless he improves. Formula V8 3.5 champion Dillmann and WTCR race winner Guerrieri have been able to get this car within reach of the manufacturer prototypes – but the reality is that simply being able to finish most races, Le Mans included, without major problems should be their primary aim.

Porsche

5: Porsche 963 – Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen, Frédéric Makowiecki
6: Porsche 963 – Kévin Estre, André Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor

Six years since the aftershocks of Dieselgate drove the triple WEC and Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid to extinction, Porsche return to top-tier endurance racing with the 963 – a nomenclature that evokes memories of the all-conquering Porsche 962. The chassis was designed by Canadian-American constructor Multimatic, whose previous designs included the striking and controversial Ford GTE. The 4.6 litre twin-turbo V8 engine in the 963 can trace its roots back to the powerplant of the Porsche RS Spyder – an LMP2 that regularly defeated more powerful LMP1s in the American Le Mans Series. Its design pushes the limits of innovation within the LMDh platform, being more than just an LMP2 with Porsche stickers and an engine swap.

Penske Motorsport are in charge of operations for the factory Porsche team, with two-car operations on both sides of the Atlantic. And they’ve spared no expense in recruiting the best possible drivers from within their ranks to drive the 963 in its first full season in WEC. Christensen, Makowiecki, Estre and Vanthoor each have GTE class wins at Le Mans, Cameron is a three-time IMSA series champion and the ageless Lotterer is a three-time overall winner at Le Mans from his time with Audi.

The 963 had a Daytona debut that showed flashes of promise, but was ultimately derailed by mechanical problems. It didn’t top the time sheets at Sebring, but it was close enough to make rivals take notice in anticipation of its WEC debut.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Toyota

7: Toyota GR010 Hybrid – Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez
8: Toyota GR010 HybridSébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa

When Audi, Porsche, and Nissan all went away, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s commitment to the WEC’s immediate and long-term future saved the series from extinction. They were the first manufacturer to commit fully to the new LMH regulations in 2021 with the launch of the GR010 Hybrid. A raft of aerodynamics upgrades to the car were made for 2023 in the face of the first real competition they’ve had from other manufacturers in some time. With its bespoke hybrid system mated to a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, the GR010 is a reflection of how Toyota’s international racing efforts have transformed since their fruitless F1 endeavours.

Where they once spent years chasing Audi and Porsche, Toyota are now the benchmark by which every other new challenger will be measured. Their experience was reflected in the fastest times from the Prologue pre-season tests, leading three out of four sessions without any major dramas. Every driver in each of their two cars has won the World Endurance Hypercar Drivers’ Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall.

Conway, Lopez, and driver/manager Kobayashi in the number seven gave the GR010 Hybrid its first Le Mans victory in 2021 and won back-to-back world titles with the GR010 and the previous TS050. Former teenage prodigy Hirakawa immediately stepped into the shoes of Kazuki Nakajima and won both Le Mans and the World Endurance Hypercar Championship alongside Hartley, now a three-time world champion and Le Mans winner, and Buemi, a four-time Le Mans winner, in the number eight. They are the favourites to repeat as champions again, even in the face of the most competition they’ve ever seen.

Ferrari

50: Ferrari 499P – Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen
51: Ferrari 499P – Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

The Ferrari 499P is a prototype racer 50 years in the making. Ferrari as a manufacturer have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans nine times, but they’ve not entered the top level of endurance racing with all of their factory force since 1973. A stunning commitment to the Hypercar class in the spring of 2021, eventually led to the world premiere of the 499P last autumn. It’s a graceful-looking car that shares the same three-litre turbo V6 from the 296 GTB sports car, with its own originally designed chassis, body, and hybrid system.

To help run this landmark programme, they’ve entrusted AF Corse – Ferrari’s premier GT racing clients – to run the trackside operations. They’ve logged upwards of 20,000 kilometres in testing in preparation for the 499P’s first ever race on Friday. That includes the Prologue, where the 499P had good pace – but also a setback when Calado crashed the number 51 car on Sunday morning. Testing is one thing, but it will be another thing entirely when the first Ferrari sports prototype in many generations makes its proper debut.

The line-up of drivers is a collection of trusted Ferrari GT drivers with proven track records of success: Double World Endurance GT Champions Pier Guidi and Calado (himself an accomplished single-seater racer), Fuoco (a Ferrari Driver Academy alumnus), Molina, and Nielsen. Giovinazzi comes over after six seasons as a Formula One race and reserve driver, primarily linked with Ferrari.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Peugeot

93: Peugeot 9X8Paul di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Éric Vergne
94: Peugeot 9X8 – Loïc Duval, Gustavo Menezes, Nico Müller

When it debuted after Le Mans last year, Peugeot’s 9X8 prototype captured the attention of many with its wild, wing-less design, using only ground effect under the car to generate the necessary downforce. What a way for Peugeot to re-enter the sport after a tumultuous exit 10 years ago!

But while the 9X8 looked like nothing else on the grid, and boasted the kind of driver line-ups needed to compete for victories, it had a troubled first partial season, lacking in pace and reliability while suffering from porpoising. And even at the Prologue this year, Peugeot still had a sizeable deficit to the likes of Toyota at the front of the field – and continued to encounter mechanical problems which cost them valuable testing mileage.

With a crew headlined by the likes of Le Mans overall winner Duval, two-time Formula E champion Vergne, DTM champion Di Resta and runner-up Müller – plus underrated youngsters Menezes and Jensen – the talent on hand isn’t in question, it’s simply a matter of whether Peugeot’s radical design concept can succeed in practice.

Glickenhaus

708: Glickenhaus 007 – Romain Dumas, Ryan Briscoe, Olivier Pla

Film maker and enthusiast car designer Jim Glickenhaus is as brazen and bombastic as privateer team principals go, but Glickenhaus Racing have had serious backers in their corner since the start of their Hypercar endeavours. Joest Racing, the force behind Audi’s Le Mans dominance in the 21st century, is in charge of trackside operations for this third-year programme. The Glickenhaus 007 itself is a fascinating car, an Italian design and construction with a French-built engine – a 3.5 litre twin-turbo V8 with no hybrid.

Veteran prototype racer Pla, Daytona 24 Hours winner Briscoe, and two-time Le Mans winner Dumas are a driver trio that any factory team would love to have at the wheel of their own cars – but here they are, representing this iconoclastic American upstart team that finished on the overall podium at Le Mans last season. But the pace has been below par from them in the Prologue, and they are another team for which expectations are lower than their factory-backed rivals.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

More to come?

Who’s next? Look to LMP2 and GTE for inspiration

More Hypercar and LMDh programmes are on the way to the World Endurance Championship, with ties to teams that are entering in the LMP2 and GTE classes at Sebring and throughout the season.

Porsche have two customer teams awaiting deliveries of their 963s. Team JOTA will run two cars in LMP2 until their Porsche arrives. Proton Competition, a stalwart of the WEC’s Pro-Am GT category, are running two cars under their own name and two in conjunction with Iron Lynx and their female-forward Iron Dames team, then plan to add their LMH Porsche to a loaded effort.

Junior formula racing powerhouse Prema are involved with the upcoming Lamborghini LMDh project that launches next year, fielding two LMP2s in preparation. Alpine are stepping down to LMP2 after running a grandfathered LMP1 for the last few seasons, before the launch of a proper Hypercar of their own in 2024. Team WRT, the most successful outfit in contemporary GT racing, are preparing to run the new BMW M Hybrid V8 in WEC next season with another two-car WEC effort.

Vector Sport, meanwhile, also have an LMP2 car running before they turn their attention to the brand new Isotta Franchini Tipo 6 privateer hypercar that was recently revealed and is undergoing testing. McLaren have been non-committal about prototype sports car racing, but the continued presence of CEO Zak Brown’s first racing project – United Autosports – means rumours persist he will bring in the sportscar brand which already compates in Formula 1, IndyCar, Formula E and Extreme E.

Finally, what of the Acura ARX-06 that finished first and second in the Daytona 24 Hours – notwithstanding the recent cheating revelations around declared winners Meyer Shank Racing? It won’t race this year, but Michael Andretti of Andretti Autosport has entered an alliance with Wayne Taylor Racing in IMSA and has expressed interest in entering Le Mans with Honda’s luxury brand in the near future – even against Cadillac, the technical partners of his prospective F1 team.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2023 World Endurance Championship calendar

RoundDateCircuitDuration
117th MarchSebring1,000 miles
216th AprilAlgarveSix hours
329th AprilSpa-FrancorchampsSix hours
410-11th JuneLe Mans24 hours
59th JulyMonzaSix hours
610th SeptemberFuji SpeedwaySix hours
74th NovemberBahrainEight hours

World Endurance Championship

Browse all World Endurance Championship articles

Author information

RJ O'Connell
Motorsport has been a lifelong interest for RJ, both virtual and ‘in the carbon’, since childhood. RJ picked up motorsports writing as a hobby...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

13 comments on “Ferrari’s long-awaited return heralds thrilling new era for WEC’s Hypercar class”

  1. Really excited about this season. Usually I only pay attention around Le Mans but this year I’m watching from Friday!

    1. Similar feeling, I have barely watched WEC since Porsche quit, even skipped some of the LM24s, but started getting back into it last year (the Monza race was actually quite interesting) and I’ll try to watch all races as much as I can this year.

  2. This being another BoP-ed marketing exercise, there is no fight to be had outside of silly games and politics.

    1. Yes indeed. A shame since the cars really look and sound great (better than F1?)!

    2. BoP is not without its faults, but it has worked rather well in IMSA, LMP2 and in GTE Pro to produce competitive racing with still room for different car characteristics (in GTE in particular) to have a role in proceedings. Even the rather contrived LMP1/LMH act worked somewhat OK last year, but you’re never going to balance the effect hybrid vs. non-hybrid has in terms of dealing with tyres, traffic, etc.

      But to each his own. I’d rather see a competitive race than a domination show because one team cleverly made a design decision that few spectators even understand or can actually see on the car.

      1. To me, BoP precludes any sporting competition by the participants and fundamentally disincentivizes even basic technical analysis of the rules or the competing entries.

        As such, there is no glory to be had in BoP-ed series because no one can show themselves as better than all other competitors even if they tried and succeeded in building the best interpretation of a given rules set.

        Why even compete in a BoP-ed series where all results are meaningless and one cannot even hope to chart your own destiny?

  3. CD (@clipperdael)
    15th March 2023, 11:37

    They reverted the (WEC, secondary) pit entry back to its previous configuration, by the way. Good decision IMO.

  4. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
    15th March 2023, 12:26

    This is exciting

  5. How do I watch this in the UK?

    1. Either you get Discovery+, which lets you watch the Eurosport coverage, or you can get the world feed directly from the WEC app here for €40 for the full-season: https://www.fiawec.com/en/news/watch-all-fia-wec-races-via-the-new-app/7592.

      Race timing for Sebring is 4pm – midnight on Friday (the IMSA 12 hour race is Sat-Sun, or will be if the forecast thunderstorms don’t interfere) so decent place to start.

  6. This is kind of what I miss about F1. 20 teams showing up for the first race. Lots of different solutions. Lots of failures and successes. I need to look at the BoP again as the last time I did it made me not bother to watch this series, but F1 is getting so far from it’s DNA over the last 30 years that I may not care anymore.

    1. The BoP is going to make your head spin.

      They are playing with weight, power, a formula for virtual energy usage per imaginary stint, a speed limit on the use of the hybrid system, and pit stop handicaps.

      And because all of that isn’t crazy enough, there are different BoP limits put on all competitors for Sebring than for the other races leading up to and including Le Mans.

      🤷‍♂️

      1. Thanks. Saves me the time checking in. I knew I hated it if not remembering why. I hate performance ballast, but even that seems like I could deal with it compared to BoP. I just wish there was an open series to follow, but I guess that is a thing of the past.

Comments are closed.