Balance of Performance at Le Mans: Peugeot and Ferrari Benefited

The latest Balance of Performance (BoP) update for the World Endurance Championship's 24 Hours of Le Mans has given significant advantages to several manufacturers. Peugeot is the main beneficiary, with an 18 kg weight reduction on its 9X8 2024 Le Mans Hypercar, bringing it to 1047 kg while maintaining its maximum power output of 508 kW (681 bhp). This adjustment follows two races in which the reconfigured car, which now uses a conventional rear wing, failed to match the performance of its previous version in the season opener in Qatar.

Porsche, with its 963 LMDh, winner of two of the three WEC rounds so far, has seen a 5 kg increase in minimum weight since Spa. However, the German marque has received a 4 kW (5 bhp) increase in power. On the other hand, Ferrari 499P and Toyota GR010 HYBRID have experienced a weight reduction of 10 kg and 9 kg, respectively. Ferrari has also gained 2 kW in power, while Toyota has lost 7 kW.

New “Power Gain” Component

The new “power gain” component of the BoP will finally be introduced for Le Mans on June 15 and 16. This adjustment seeks to balance the acceleration and straight-line speeds of cars in the Hypercar class. Ferrari, one of the three manufacturers affected by this new measure, will see a reduction in its maximum power output by 1.7% above 250 km/h (155 mph), equivalent to 8.6 kW (11 bhp). Other cars affected are the Lamborghini SC63 with a 1.6% reduction and the Peugeot with 0.7%.

Diversity in the Competition

The Hypercar category will feature a variety of manufacturers, including Ferrari, Alpine, BMW, Isotta Fraschini, Peugeot, Lamborghini, Cadillac, Toyota and Porsche. Experienced drivers such as Sébastien Buemi, André Lotterer and Kévin Estre will participate in the competition.

The LMGT3 class, making its debut this year, will feature cars from Aston Martin, Ford, BMW, Lamborghini, Porsche, Lexus, Corvette, McLaren and Ferrari. Veteran drivers such as Thomas Flohr and Kelvin van der Linde will be in the race.

In the LMP2 category, 16 prototypes will compete with drivers such as Ben Keating, François Perrodo and young talents such as Louis Delétraz and Fabio Scherer.

Participation of Former F1 Drivers and Valentino Rossi

The 2024 race will see the participation of several former Formula One drivers, including Jenson Button, Antonio Giovinazzi, Robert Kubica, Nyck de Vries, Romain Grosjean and Mick Schumacher. In addition, Valentino Rossi will make his Le Mans debut with Team WRT in the LMGT3 class, accompanied by Ahmad Al Harthy and Maxime Martin in a BMW M4 LMGT3.