But for an influx of privateer squads, the LMP1 class of the World Endurance Championship could have looked a bit embarrassing this year. With Porsche leaving last year and Audi the year before that, Toyota is left as the only manufacturer team left.
In a bid to attract some manufacturers back, the FIA and the ACO have been planning some rule changes for the 2020/21 season. Rumour had it that the idea of making the cars look more like road cars – similar to IMSA’s DPi class and the GT1 cars of the late 90s – would help, and that’s exactly what’s happening.
As well as having cars with ‘Hypercar’-style looks, the plan is also to slash costs massively so that teams are spending just a quarter of what they do at the moment.
Cheaper cars which bear more of a resemblance to road-going models? Sounds like a good recipe for increased involvement – something you’d expect, given that Aston Martin, Ford, Toyota, McLaren, and Ferrari were all involved in the discussions. How many of those will we see in the future…?
Unfortunately, the full details won’t be revealed until the ACO announces them ahead of Le Mans next week, but it all sounds pretty good so far.
