ACO: Hydrogen Cars Won’t Contest Full Season in 2028

Hydrogen-powered cars are set to contest only a limited schedule of FIA World Endurance Championship events when they are introduced in 2028.

ACO President Pierre Fillon revealed to selected media, including Sportscar365, that the new breed of machinery is currently only planned to be present for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the new category’s first year, with a possible additional appearance at Fuji later in the year also being considered.

It follows the decision to push back the introduction of hydrogen-powered cars by a further season to 2028, as well as the extension of the current Hypercar ruleset through 2029, both of which were announced at Le Mans earlier this year.

“The plan is to have [hydrogen cars] in Spa and Le Mans for the first year,” Fillon said. “We will see. It will depend on how [many] of the manufacturers are ready.”

Asked if a third race for hydrogen cars could be considered later in the season post-Le Mans, Fillon replied: “Maybe in Japan.”

He added: “Of course we have to work with every country because the regulations are not the same in Japan as they are in Europe.

“But we are working with the firemen in France to make something standard.”

So far, Toyota has been the most vocal of the current Hypercar manufacturers about its interest in racing with hydrogen, albeit stopping shy of a firm commitment, while others such as Alpine and BMW have also expressed enthusiasm.

Fillon clarified that the ACO and FIA are aiming to have a set of rules for the new category formulated by the end of the year.

“We are working on the safety regulation with the FIA,” he said. “Normally we will have something, a packaging, by the end of 2024.

“After that we have to work with our energy partner to bring a liquid mobile station. We have to work with them on the infrastructure we will have to build at every [circuit].”

Toyota team director Rob Leupen says he has no qualms about the ACO’s phased approach to the introduction of hydrogen, recognizing the difficulties the organizers face in getting the class off the ground.

Leupen told Sportscar365: “We talk about so many issues, and we are very realistic about this because you have to see what kind of environment you have and what kind of infrastructure you need for hydrogen.

“Every country will have their own regulations, although hopefully in the EU it will become more and more unified.

“We have learned a lot about hydrogen from our colleagues in Japan [with the Super Taikyu GR Corolla H2 Concept project], but we are going step-by-step, and we have no clear regulations yet, so we are still fumbling in the dark a bit.”

Leupen wouldn’t be drawn on whether Toyota would continue to run the GR010 Hybrid in races where the hydrogen cars would not appear in the new class’s first season.

“Theoretically you can run the Hypercar as it is until the end of 2029, and you can race with H2 at the beginning of 2028, but it’s so difficult to say,” he said.

“First we need a set of regulations and we need to see who else will join or not.”

John Dagys contributed to this report