Inside Changes to WEC Sporting Regulations

With the FIA World Endurance Championship season set to get underway with this weekend’s Six Hours of Silverstone, we break down some of the key changes to the sporting regulations:

***World Championship titles will now be awarded to the top GTE drivers and manufacturer, in addition to the overall World Champions in those two categories.

***Tire limitations have been put into place in LMP1 and GTE-Pro, with both classes permitted only four sets of tires, plus two spares, in each six-hour race. LMP2 and GTE-Am remain unchanged.

***Penalties for tire infringement are now at the stewards’ discretion. Previously, any infringement resulted in a drive-through penalty.

***Season-long engine limitations in LMP2 have been removed, with LMP1 Hybrid now being the only class with a limit of engines, at five power plants for the entire nine-round championship.

***GTE-Pro and GTE-Am teams will be allowed to change engines between qualifying and the race, and no longer incur a three-minute stop-and-hold penalty.

***The fastest driver in LMP2 and GTE-Am is no longer required to start the race.

***The number of authorized test days for LMP1 teams has been reduced from 10 to 7 for closed private testing, with LMP2 teams only allowed two days for closed testing and eight days for open testing. GTE-Pro and GTE-Am teams are each permitted ten days of closed testing, with no limit to open private testing.

***Total wind tunnel time has been rescued from 1200 to 800 hours for all manufacturers, while LMP2 teams are not permitted to conduct wind tunnel testing.

***The end-of-year Rookie Test in Bahrain will now be mandatory for the LMP2 and GTE-Pro class champions, which will be required to field at least one car. As in the case in LMP1, drivers will be selected by the promoter.

***There will be only one formation lap, instead of the previous two, in the six-hour races this year.