WEC 2026 - Porsche is out/withdraws

Flexibility with the hybrid system is probably a big one. Spec unit and rwd only for GTP. In Hypercar they can have the hybrid drive the front wheels.

Freedom in chassis design is the other one but I don't know how much that does or does not impact things. GTP cars have to use the LMP2 chassis as a base.

 

In LMH, manufactures build a better hybrid system, transmission, and chassis concept. Watch the Astons and Pugs on the straights. They outclass the LMDh cars, even with the power caps and weight. They're much more slippery for the European style tracks. It's on the higher downforce sections that their handicaps really start to hurt them.

That's why the LMDh cars do so well in the IMSA series. Only Daytona and Road America are power tracks. Every other track requires a lot of downforce.

Without the BoP, the LMH cars would fly by the LMDh cars on the straights, and then wave bye-bye.

 

When you build a chassis, you do everything you can to make it as light as possible, so that you can control additions of ballast and what not. You're also going to try and package your engine and transmission better. And yes, the hybrid is obviously going to be better than the spec LMDh.

 

LMH cars benefit from more technical freedom than LMDh, which is basically a low-cost category, for constructors intending to sell their cars.

In LMH, the chassis design is free, the power unit and transmission are free (hybrid or not); there is choice of rear-wheel drive only, or All-wheel drive.

In LMDh, there is a choice of 4 homologated chassis to chose from (Multimatic, Dallara, Oreca and Ligier). The ICE is free, but transmission (only rear-wheel drive), hybrid system, battery and electric motors are imposed. This to keep the cost down, obviously.

Both are imposed different parameters, like maximun ICE power delivery, maximum EV power, etc...
Then, there is the BOP to equalise performance on paper. This is now the bone of contention.

But it is obvious that, initially, LMHs benefit from technical advantages compared to LMDhs.
The LMHs are close to the Prototype definition.
The LMDhs are sort of LMP2 on steroids, half-way to a specs series.

 

I have already expressed my disdain for LMDh cars in the past so I won´t insist. Porsche won more than they deserved at WEC with cars that in my opinion should only be grid fillers for privateers and brands that can´t afford something better but want to show up and hope for a lucky win in a crazy race. ACO gets the BOP terribly wrong, yes, but one of the reasons for that is that they have to shoehorn the LMDhs in it.

Yet nothing of that matters, here the problem is money. With a 90% profit decrease in Porsche, Lamborghini closing down the prototype program and Audi closing everything to concentrate in F1, there is zero motivation to keep these cars at WEC when you can have an invitation for Le Mans doing just IMSA.

 

Both the Peugeot 9X8 and the Aston Martin Valkyrie are misfits in LMH !
They were designed and conceived by people who didn't understand the rules.

Peugeot assumed until late in their design that LMH cars would be allowed permanent AWD.
So they rushed to design a car to that effect, with a beefed up front chassis and 4 wheels of the same size.
When the technical rules were finalised, they found the limitation imposed on the front axle in terms of EV power and duration, negating all their efforts. But it was too late !!!

As for Aston, after years of dithering, they decided to enter LMH with a street-derived car designed by Adrian Newey that benefits from NONE of the technical advantages allowed in that category.
Unlike its peers in LMH, the Valkyrie is NOT an hybrid, nor it doesn't have a turbo engine; it a basic rear-wheel drive supercar trying to punch above its weight.
What were they thinking ?

 

Even still, the Pugs and Astons are faster than most of the LMDh cars, even as clunky as their designs are. I don't mind that they're punching above their weight. Their business if they want to try. But LMDh is just LMP2 by another name.

What's important is cost control and BoP. That is working. But trying to equalize LMH and LMDh, while not pissing off nine manufactures is just not going to work long term.

The problem is manufactures wanting to use P2 equipment for overall wins. Either the ACO needs to separate the classes into P1 and P2 like before, or they need to turn LMDh into a platform that gives manufactures like Ferrari and Toyota more technical freedom.

 

You guys seem to have forgotten how much they have had to slow down the P2 cars since the Hypercars weren't much faster, especially in the twisty sections.

 

You can receive an invitation from the ACO to race at Le Mans, but you have to earn it, I believe.

 

Yes IMSA gets a few auto invites. With respect to GTP the season champion gets an auto-invite. But part of the issue there is it has to be a car that is in WEC. So if Lamborghini or Acura won the championship and got the invite, they wouldn't be able to run that car at LeMans. So I think that is part of why Porsche dropping out of WEC is such a big deal. None of the 963s in IMSA would be able to run the LM24 unless FIA/ACO makes an exception.

There really needed to just be 1 ruleset for everyone and not trying to balance these very different approaches. Hopefully that will be how things develop.

 

They still have the Proton car at WEC.

 

It is obvious that LMH cars have the advantage over LMDhs; that's why BoP was introduced for a fair fight.
Both types of cars have their own philosophy and they are built for a different purpose.

 

Ferrari and Toyota were clicking off 3.22' and 23's s two years ago at Le Mans. This year they were doing 3.25's. Porsche and Cadi have been doing 3.25's and 2.24's the whole time.

The LMDh's didn't gain very much time at Le Mans. It's just the LMH's got slapped down hard.

Again, the LMH entrants are the ones doing a lot of compromise. They're willing to abandon LMH and adopt a LMDh style cost control platform, but they want more freedom to able to present a car as truly theirs to the world, and to be given more than a season to build such a car, which is totally fair.

The fact of the matter is the VAG is not the same as when they made long term investments in Group C and LMP1. Hell, the Porsche 919 only raced 5 years before they walked away after dieselGate. Guys like Wolfgang Ulrich aren't there anymore. Besides that, they have their F1 team for international exposure, and IMSA for the US market. They only care about Le Mans.

Some of the manufactures are going to do a couple of years, get their fill, and then withdraw. They're looking for different things. Some like Ferrari, Toyota, BMW, and Alpine are in it to race, while others are simply looking for a quick commercial.

 

But there's only so much the ACO can do to make everyone happy. Honestly, I don't blame them for anything. This is a difficult rope to walk, and I'd hate to be in their position trying to please all of these players.

The racing is astounding, though. Some of the best I've seen the F1 V10 days or the CART champ car days. No denying that.

 

The question is, could the ACO run the WEC without LMDh cars? I think not, or it would be a 2-horse race.
Only Ferrari and Toyota are the only real contenders in the LMH category.
Peugeot is hopeless with the wrong design, and Aston Martin competes with a supercar.
The other LMH cars like Glickenhaus and Isotta-Fraschini have been eliminated by new ACO rules.
Alpine is in fact in the LMDh category with Oreca chassis. BMW don't compete in the WEC.

Porsche, Cadillac, and Alpine lately have been the only opposition in WEC, with sporadic success.
Porsche and Lamborghini may be leaving, but others are coming.
Genesis (Oreca), McLaren (Dallara) and even Ford (Oreca) are announced for next year, or in 2027.
For a constructor wanting to enter endurance now, the LMDh option makes financial sense.

 

Based on all of Toyotas wins, I think they will run the class with only one team in it lol. Look at Toyota's victories. It was just them vs. Jim or them vs. a Rebellion and small team lol. Before that at least Porsche was there and Toyota couldn't win it.

BMW does compete in WEC with the M Hybrid V8 and run by WRT. BMW is replacing RLL with WRT in IMSA to run the team. How are they not competing? https://www.imsa.com/news/2025/09/29/bmw-m-team-wrt-will-field-bmw-m-hybrid-v8-in-both-imsa-and-wec-starting-in-2026/

 

LM 2018 pole for LMP2 was a 3:24. I don't think LMDH using a P2 chassis is the real issue here.

 

I am not sure they will be allowed to run it though. Right now WEC requires a 2 car factory entry for anything from that manufacturer to be eligible. That goes both for the 963 but I believe that would also mean that the Porsche GT3 cars wouldn't be eligible either. Again, ACO and FIA would have to make some exceptions here..

 

If you have the time...listen to the 1st 30min or so of yesterday's Midweek Motorsports. They really get into the issue of Porsche leaving WEC and some of the other issues and considerations.

https://radiolemans.co/2025/10/08/midweek-motorsport-s20-e39/

 

Manthey entering IMSA...maybe they won't be in WEC GT3.

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My bad. You are right, and I was wrong.
I had to check the records and found that BMW even had a podium at Imola.
That went completely under my radar.

 

I supoose they could fund a second car for Proton. They already own two chassis, and they could relocate the Penske drivers there.

 

The ACO and their stupid rules to manipulate Le Mans race !!! Nothing would surprise me.
Refusing Porsche at Le Mans would be eliminating their most stalwart supporter over the years.
Some years in the past, when Le Mans was desperate for participants, Porsche gave financial support to private individuals and independent teams to enter their cars to fill the grid. Once, more than half the cars were Porsche!
Porsche also paid to improve the circuit at Maison Blanche, and the pits infrastructure.

 

I think it might be a sign things are too complicated when reasonably clued in racing fans can't keep track of who is in which championship with which specification of car

 

My understanding is Porsche would have to nominate them as a "factory" team.