However, the 2024 World Endurance Championship begins on Saturday at Losail Circuit, marking the start of an exciting era for sportscar endurance racing. Here’s everything you need to know!
The teams have completed their testing, the drivers are prepared, and the 2024 Road to Le Mans will kick off with the Qatar 1812 at the Losail circuit this Saturday. In a unique twist, the distance of the Losail race is tied to Qatar’s 18 December National Day and will be limited to a 10-hour time frame, matching the year.
But what truly matters is whether anyone can dethrone Toyota Gazoo Racing and claim the 2024 World Endurance title. As the smoke clears, Saturday’s race will reveal if the Gazoo team remains the favorites for their sixth consecutive WEC title or if a new champion will emerge.
Speaking of smoke and mirrors, Saturday’s race will also validate or debunk the testing pace seen in the past week at Losail. The fact that the Porsche 963s topped all sessions adds intrigue. JOTA showcased their speed in the Monday sessions, while the factory Penske machines dominated Tuesday’s action. Notably, Cadillac finished second in the final session, trailing the yellow AF Corse Ferrari and its two red counterparts.
Another topic of discussion leading up to the Losail race is the WEC Balance of Performance. Toyota, now less powerful at 510 kW and heavier at 1089 kg, reported struggles during testing. Ferrari experienced a 2 kW power reduction but maintained a weight of 1075 kg, while Porsche lost 9 kW, bringing it to 514 kW, and gained two kilos, totaling 1046 kg. Cadillac’s power decreased by five to 499 kW, and its weight increased by two kilos to 1032 kg.
Peugeot, on the other hand, shed 9 kg, weighing in at 1030 kilos with an unchanged power output of 520 kW. Among the newcomers, Alpine will race with 510 kW and 1070 kg, BMW with 506 kW and 1060 kg, Lamborghini with 1041 kg and 502 kW, and Isotta Fraschini with 514 kW and 1085 kg. Interestingly, Porsche is expected to introduce a new engine and other modifications before Le Mans.
The true highlight of the 2024 season, however, lies in the diversity of the Hypercar field. With nineteen cars participating in Qatar and more to come before Le Mans, Toyota Gazoo Racing, five-time champions, will continue their campaign with a pair of GR010 Hybrids. The driver line-ups include Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and F1 refugee Nyck de Vries, as well as Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa.
Ferrari, the winners of the 2023 Le Mans and WEC runners-up, have announced the addition of a third Hypercar, painted in yellow and labeled as the 499P. This car will be driven by former F1 star Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, and Chinese driver Yifei Ye. They will join the two existing red 499Ps, which are still piloted by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi.
Porsche, who finished third in the 2023 championship, will be returning with a strong presence of five cars. The team will field two Penske factory 963s, driven by Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Fred Makowiecki, Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor. Additionally, there will be two JOTA 963s, manned by Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Callum Ilott, Oliver Rasmussen, Jenson Button, and Phil Hanson. Lastly, a Proton car will be driven by Harry Tincknell, Neel Jani, and Julien Andlauer.
Cadillac will make a comeback with a single V-Series.R, driven by Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, and Alex Lynn. Peugeot, on the other hand, will bring two highly modified 9X8 Hybrids, with Nico Muller, Jean-Eric Vergne, Mikkel Jensen, Loic Duval, Paul di Resta, and Stoffel Vandoorne behind the wheel.
BMW, Lamborghini, Alpine, and Isotta Fraschini will all make their debut in the World Endurance Championship at Losail. BMW will have two cars driven by Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns, Rene Rast, Dries Vanthoor, Raffaele Marciello, and Marco Wittmann. Lamborghini’s new SC3 will be piloted by Mirko Bortolotti, Daniil Kvyat, and Edoardo Mortara. Alpine will return to the top class with two all-new A424s, driven by Nicolas Lapierre, Matthieu Vaxiviere, Mick Schumacher, Paul-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Charles Milesi. Lastly, Antonio Serravalle, JK Vernay, and Carl Wattana Bennett will be behind the wheel of the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6-C, the lone and uniquely named car.
It is expected that the Hypercar entry list will continue to grow as the season progresses. There are rumors of additional privateers waiting to join the competition. Moreover, teams often bring extra cars to Le Mans and other races, further adding to the excitement.
In an exciting development, the brand-new LMGT3 has garnered the attention of 18 teams for its inaugural GT3-based season. Notable drivers include South African Kelvin van der Linde and former Toyota Hypercar competitor Jose Maria Lopez, who will be leading the two Akkodis ASP Lexus RCF line-ups. Team WRT has also entered the competition with two BMW M4 GT3s, with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi confirmed to drive the No. 46 entry and Augusto Farfus leading the No. 31 line-up.
Returning to the scene, Iron Lynx and the Iron Dames will now be piloting Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2s, while McLaren joins the fray with a pair of McLaren 720S GT3 Evos. TF Sport has formed a partnership with Corvette Racing to field a duo of Z06 GT3.Rs. Additionally, the event will feature two Ferrari 296 GT3s, a pair of Aston Martin Vantage GT3s, a Ford Mustang GT3, and Manthey’s two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs.
The eight-round Road to Le Mans WEC will kick off in Qatar this weekend, followed by races in Imola, Italy on April 2nd, Spa, Belgium on May 11th, and Le Mans on June 15th-16th. The competition will then move on to Sao Paulo in Brazil, Texas in the United States, Japan, and finally Bahrain. The Qatar 1812 race will begin at 8am GMT on Saturday and is expected to conclude just in time for the start of the F1 race in Bahrain. The reasoning behind scheduling both events on the same weekend remains known only to the FIA. – Michele Lupini