A gathering was referred to as by WEC rule makers the FIA and the Vehicle Membership in Paris late final month at which adjustments to the present system for 2024 have been mentioned.
It’s understood that almost all of producers favoured sustaining the established order and need to retain the present system launched for this season, though it’s removed from clear if any ultimate selections have been made.
Precise particulars of what was mentioned haven’t been revealed: producers are forbidden within the sequence’ sporting laws from discussing the BoP and the FIA has declined to remark.
What was proposed seems to be to go away the constructing blocks of the present BoP, comparable to mitigation of the benefits of the four-wheel-drive Le Mans Hypercar hybrids, whereas abandoning what’s regarded in some circles as an unimaginable try to precisely match the efficiency of the completely different vehicles.
It follows dissatisfaction with the system of BoP because it stands.
Toyota president Akio Toyoda mentioned after its GR010 HYBRID LMH was crushed into second place by the Ferrari 499P LMH at this yr’s Le Mans 24 Hours that the Japanese producer had “misplaced to politics.”
His feedback referred to adjustments made to the BoP exterior of the system launched for 2023 within the run-up to the race.
#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa
Picture by: JEP / Motorsport Images
The brand new-for-2023 BoP permits for minimal adjustments via the season: solely the steadiness between LMH and LMDh equipment, the so-called platform BoP, could possibly be modified forward of Le Mans.
One-off wholesale adjustments to all vehicles, generally known as the producer BoP, have been attainable post-Le Mans forward of the Monza WEC spherical in July.
Ferrari provided veiled criticism of those adjustments after it completed second to Toyota on house floor: it mentioned it raced at “a drawback” in comparison with its rivals courtesy of an “imposed limitation” with out mentioning the BoP.
Ferrari is believed to be one of many producers in favour of adjustments, whereas Toyota identified to be one other.
Porsche was prone to have been on these producers in opposition to adjustments: head of motorsport Thomas Laudenbach has repeated mentioned that he favours what he described as a extra “reactive” BoP system.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe boss Pascal Vasselon labelled the present system eventually month’s Fuji WEC spherical as “unsustainable as a result of it removes any efficiency accountability from producers”.
“Reliability is getting higher and higher, crew technique is getting higher and higher, so we’re going to find yourself in a scenario the place profitable or shedding a race would be the results of the inevitable inaccuracies of the BoP,” he informed Autosport.
#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi
Picture by: Andy Chan
“And a BoP that guarantees zero efficiency hole between the vehicles isn’t reasonable, after which you’re in a endless story that folks complain concerning the inaccuracies after they lose a race.
“Your readers don’t solely need to learn tales concerning the BoP and I don’t assume that the followers count on to have Le Mans totally determined by the BoP in top-level endurance racing between high-profile producers.
“BoP ought to be sure that all producers are in the identical aggressive ballpark, however the accountability for the final tenth, the one which makes that you simply win or lose a race, ought to return to the producers.”
Vasselon instructed that “some others share our view” and that “there’s momentum for change”.