Ferrari “Surprised” Rivals Rejected Proposal to Scrap BoP

Ferrari’s global head of endurance Antonello Coletta has expressed “surprise” that none of the other manufacturers in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class backed its proposal to scrap the current Balance of Performance system.

Although BoP has been a part of the Hypercar class since its inception, the revised 2025 methodology introduced by the FIA and ACO came under major scrutiny amid Ferrari’s dominant start to the season that ultimately propelled it to the title.

The system also came under fire for creating major performance swings between races, particularly following the 24 Hours of Le Mans, even as the rule makers continually tweaked the rules regarding how many races worth of data were used in its calculations.

Speaking in Bahrain in the context of the possibility of success handicaps being introduced for 2026, Coletta underlined that Ferrari is no fan of the existing BoP system, and stated that it proposed its abolition during a future rules discussion.

“Our proposal for the future was very clear for all,” said Coletta. “We asked to completely delete the BoP, but we were the only manufacturer to agree completely in these terms. The others asked to maintain exactly the same situation.

“We asked to maintain the performance windows [homologation parameters]. The others refused. But we respect the decision of the federation and the promoter.”

Asked by Sportscar365 if the position of the other Hypercar brands came as a surprise to the Prancing Horse, Coletta replied in the affirmative.

“I am surprised because, during the season it was possible to see on the websites and in the newspapers that many manufacturers said the problem of their success is the BoP,” he said. “For us, it’s normal that we ask to remove it.

“But when we asked to remove it, the others went, ‘no, no, no!’ The situation is very clear. The answer is on the table. Probably it’s the best excuse on the Monday.”

Why Toyota Didn’t Back Ferrari Proposal Despite BoP Criticism

One of the most vocal critics of the existing BoP system throughout the 2025 season has been Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe technical director David Floury.

Although direct criticism of the BoP (both the values themselves and the system as a whole) are forbidden by the sporting regulations, Floury launched a major verbal offensive in the wake of a 6 Hours of Sao Paulo round in which Toyota struggled badly.

However, in Bahrain, Floury stated that the Japanese marque’s refusal to back Ferrari’s proposal stemmed from its desire for healthy competition, admitting many current Hypercar brands wouldn’t accept BoP being removed completely.

“You can have a view that is looking only at your own interests, or you can have a broader perspective that also takes into account the sustainability of the championship,” said Floury when asked to clarify Toyota’s position by Sportscar365.

“As Toyota, we have been here when there were many manufacturers, but we have also been here when the competition was much less. This is definitely not something we wish either for the championship or for ourselves.

“It is not because BoP this year didn’t deliver to expectations that you should throw everything away, especially when you consider that if we have many manufacturers involved in the championship, it is also because of the BoP, and it was part of the deal when they committed to the championship.

“Honestly, removing the BoP is probably not fair towards these manufacturers either. It could lead to quite a few of them dropping out quickly.

“We think that there are probably ways where you can keep some degrees of performance balancing, but not as extreme as we have seen in this season.

“It is a matter of looking at all the aspects and trying to find the right compromise for the WEC to remain a sport.

“Obviously, that doesn’t mean that we are pushing to keep what we had this year — definitely not. Our position is that it should remain a sport and therefore keep some degree of merit, which we missed this year.”