Ferrari, Toyota Get Biggest Weight Breaks in Imola BoP

Ferrari and Toyota have been handed the largest reductions in weight as part of wholesale changes to the Hypercar Balance of Performance for next week’s second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Imola.

A bulletin issued by the WEC Endurance Committee shows all but one of the nine cars running in the top class will run at a lower minimum weight at the Italian circuit compared with last month’s season-opening Qatar 1812km.

It is the first BoP revision made under the new-for-2024 system, which seeks to keep cars within a certain performance window, the details of which remain undisclosed, while taking into account the characteristics of each track.

Ferrari’s 499P has been granted the largest weight break of 34 kg, bringing the car’s weight down to 1041 kg for the marque’s home race.

The Toyota GR010 Hybrid meanwhile has been reduced by 29 kg to 1060 kg, having been the heaviest car in the field in Qatar.

That honor now belongs to the revised Peugeot 9X8, which tips the scales at 1061 kg under the car’s so-called ‘Homologation Parameters’ (previously known as Starting BoP) for its debut.

Also with significant weight breaks are the Alpine A424 (-28 kg) and the BMW M Hybrid V8 (-25 kg), as well as the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 Competizione (-27 kg).

The Porsche 963 that locked out the podium in Qatar has been given a smaller reduction of 15 kg, bringing it down to 1033 kg, heavier only than the Cadillac V-Series.R, which now runs at the 1030 kg minimum following a 2 kg reduction.

Lamborghini’s SC63 will run at 1034 kg, down 7 kg from Qatar.

Every car bar the Peugeot has had its maximum power increased, with the Cadillac and Lamborghini getting the largest increases at 18kW and 14kW respectively, and also the largest increases in maximum stint energy.

Elsewhere, Ferrari has gained 7kW of power, while Toyota and Isotta Fraschini have both been given an extra 6kW. Porsche has the smallest increase at 3kW, followed by Alpine with 4kW and BMW with 5kW.

The increases in maximum stint energy largely reflect the increases in power, although the Alpine notably has not been given any extra energy, along with the Peugeot.

The bulletin does not feature any power increases over 210km/h under the so-called ‘two-stage’ BoP rules, suggesting that the system will not be used at Imola.

It was evaluated by multiple Hypercar entries at the pre-season Prologue test in Qatar.