Fillon: No Exception for Porsche in Hypercar Entry Requirements

Photo: Jurgen Tap/Porsche

The FIA World Endurance Championship will not make an exception for Porsche, or any other manufacturer, in terms of its entry requirements in the Hypercar class next season or at the 24 Hours of Le Mans according to ACO President Pierre Fillon.

Confirmation from Fillon, given to Sportscar365 prior to the start of Saturday’s season-ending 8 Hours of Bahrain, came amid what’s understood to have been discussions between FIA and ACO executives and the German manufacturer, as well as Roger Penske himself, over the Bahrain weekend regarding potential ways of remaining on the grid.

While exact details of Porsche and/or Penske’s discussions with the governing bodies are unclear, they are believed to have centered around the question on whether Porsche Penske Motorsport would be able to take up its auto-invite for Le Mans, awarded by IMSA for winning its GTP championship, if the manufacturer is unable to have two full season cars in the series.

Fillon dismissed such a notion, stating that it would “not be fair” if Porsche would get an exception to the rules.

As was the case this year, the 2026 draft version of the WEC sporting regulations state that a “manufacturer must enter two cars in the Hypercar FIA World Endurance Championship” which Fillon clarified could be privateer entries but the manufacturer would still be responsible for nominating them as well as paying the entry fee.

The two-car mandate, introduced at the start of this season, would fulfill the base requirement and allow one-off Hypercar entries at Le Mans, either through auto-invites or at the discretion of the ACO selection committee.

However, Proton Competition is the only customer team that’s currently in the mix for a potential full season Hypercar effort according to Porsche LMDh factory director Urs Kuratle, with Proton team boss Christian Ried having all but ruled out an expansion to a two-car program.

The deadline for full season entry requests is Nov. 30, leaving it unlikely that any other program could materialize in time to meet the WEC’s two-car requirement.

Penske Racing President Jonathan Diuguid, meanwhile, ruled out an “independent” Team Penske Hypercar entry, amid paddock rumors that option was also under consideration in order to meet the minimum rule for the team to have another chance of taking part in the French endurance classic, arguably the last major race Penske has yet to win.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John