Peugeot and Ferrari stand to gain the most from the World Endurance Championship’s Balance of Performance changes for its blue riband race.
Two of the cars which are yet to win a WEC round so far this year will be put on a better footing compared to most of their seven rivals in the top Hypercar class.
Peugeot can take 18 kilograms out of the 9X8, making it no longer the heaviest car in its class. That’s a significant gain over its rivals, which will be 3kg lighter on average. The 9X8’s 28kg disadvantage to the Porsche 963, which has won two of the three races this year, will be cut to just 5kg.
Peugeot’s power limit below 250kph is unchanged, a net gain as its eight rivals will each have 2kW less on average. However the 9X8s will have 15MJ less energy available per stint, around twice the reduction their competitors will have to cope with.
The team recently said it needs wins to justify its sportscar prototype programme. Although manufacturers are forbidden from mentioning the Balance of Performance regulations under WEC’s rules, Stellantis Motorsport senior vice president Jean-Marc Finot was recently quoted saying the brand “need to win something” to justify its presence in the series and complaining about its weight and power disadvantage compared to its rivals.
Ferrari, who scored their only victory since returning to the WEC last year at Le Mans 12 months ago, also stand to benefit from the latest BoP changes. The 499P will shed 10kg and gain 2kW below 250kph. Like Peugeot, the also face a reduction in their maximum allowed stint energy, which falls by 16MJ.
In a further change for Le Mans, the amount of power available to each car will change at a certain speed, currently set at 250kph. At that point some cars will be permitted more power, others less.
In some cases this may even act to reverse changes made under the BoP. For example Ferrari’s maximum permitted power has increased under 250kph but falls again once they pass that point.
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Weight
Power
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Stint energy
Balance of Performance changes for Le Mans
| Car | Weight change (kg) | Power change ( | Power change (>250) (kW) | Energy change (MJ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine | -7 | -6 | -1.4 | -10 |
| BMW | 1 | -2 | 2.6 | -3 |
| Cadillac | 6 | -7 | -7 | -9 |
| Ferrari | -10 | 2 | -6.6 | -16 |
| Isotta Fraschini | -12 | -5 | -0.4 | -8 |
| Lamborghini | 4 | 5 | -3.3 | -4 |
| Peugeot | -18 | 0 | -3.6 | -15 |
| Porsche | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Toyota | -11 | -7 | -2.4 | -11 |
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