Next Generation LMP2 Formula to Include ‘AoP’ Process

The next generation of LMP2 cars will be technically managed by a twice-a-year ‘Adjustment of Performance’ process, the ACO and FIA have announced.

ACO President Pierre Fillon stated during a press conference at Le Mans that a new set of LMP2 regulations will arrive in 2025 and will last until the end of 2030.

The delay to the new cars until 2025 was confirmed in March, to allow more time for the technical parameters to be defined and to ensure cost control targets can be reached.

During Friday’s press conference, Fillon revealed that an ‘AoP’ procedure, which he said is different from the race-by-race Balance of Performance (BoP) used in the Hypercar and GT classes, will be introduced to the Pro-Am prototype formula.

Next-gen LMP2 cars will be based on the spine of the LMDh prototypes that are currently being developed by road car companies in association with four selected LMP2 chassis constructors: Dallara, Ligier Automotive, Multimatic and ORECA.

The goal of the AoP is to serve as a framework for ensuring equal competition between teams running cars from different constructors. 

Details of how the AoP process will work are limited at this stage.

Its introduction under the new regulations comes after ORECA gradually became the dominant manufacturer in the 2017-generation LMP2 era.

Twenty-six out of the 27 cars on the grid for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans are Oreca 07 Gibsons.

“It is not the Balance of Performance,” Fillon said during the press conference, which was held in the MMArena stadium within the Circuit de la Sarthe at Le Mans.

“Twice a year we will check the output and some of the parameters regarding the chassis.

“The fact that we’re using the LMDh spine to reduce CO2 emissions… and the car will eventually be able to become hybrid in the longer term.”

It is understood that the integration of hybrid technology in LMP2 is little more than a potential option for the future, considering the use of LMDh — which is a hybrid formula — as the base.