Hypercar BoP Established for Final Three Rounds of Season

The FIA World Endurance Championship has established the Balance of Performance values for cars in the Hypercar class to cover the final three rounds of the season.

A new set of BoP tables issued ahead of this weekend’s 6 Hours of Monza displays the performance parameters of the LMH and LMDh cars for the race in Italy, as well as the 6 Hours of Fuji in September and the 8 Hours of Bahrain in November.

For Monza, the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Ferrari 499P has lost 12 KW (16 hp) from its maximum power output and has also received a 5 kg weight increase.

Additionally, the amount of energy it can use over the course of a stint has been reduced by 8 megajoules.

For Fuji and Bahrain, the Ferrari will be made 12 and 11 kg heavier than its Le Mans weight.

The LMDh-spec Cadillac V-Series.R will be 14 kg lighter at Monza compared to Le Mans, but that is counteracted by a 15 kW (20 hp) power cutback and a 15-MJ energy reduction.

No weight change has been made to the Toyota GR010 Hybrid since it finished second at the 24-hour race after a 37 kg increase, but it will have 5 kW of power taken away.

Other adjustments for the fifth round of the WEC season include slightly more weight and power for the Peugeot 9X8, a power reduction of 10 kW for the Porsche 963 and a 12 MJ energy increase for the Vanwall Vandervell 680 Gibson.

The Peugeot has also been given a lower hybrid system deployment speed of 135 km/h in dry conditions, down from 150 km/h.

Although the Hypercars will have different BoP values for Monza, Fuji and Bahrain, those variations come from the same starting point which, for most cars, is the same as what was used at Le Mans or very similar. That is why the three tables are considered part of the same BoP update.

According to the FIA, which manages the BoP alongside WEC co-organizer the ACO, the changes form “part of the original plan” that was laid out at the start of the season.

Initially, there was the possibility of a so-called ‘platform’ BoP change before Le Mans, where adjustments are made between the LMH and LMDh platforms.

There was also the possibility for cars within those platforms to be given BoP adjustments after Le Mans.

However, adjustments within each platform were applied before the centenary edition of the 24-hour race, which came as a surprise to the manufacturers including Toyota.

An FIA statement read: “Following a close race at Le Mans, with no less than five different manufacturers leading the race at different stages, the pre-6 Hours of Monza BoP adjustment was part of the original plan and is based on the methodology that involves correlation between simulations and on-track data from telemetry.

“The data gathered over the 24 Hours of Le Mans race was broken down and correlated with simulation tools, allowing for a better understanding of the optimal performance potential of each of the cars.

“The adjustment assigns different values to all three of the circuits remaining on the schedule this season – Autodromo Nationale di Monza, Fuji Speedway and Bahrain International Circuit – taking into account the unique characteristics of each of the three layouts.”

Success Ballast the Only Changes in GTE-Am

There have been some weight-based changes to the BoP in the GTE-Am class between the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and this weekend’s round at Monza, in addition to the usual results-based success ballast.

Both the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R and the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo have been handed an additional 10 kg, with the success ballast then applied on top.

The Porsche 911 RSR-19 and the Aston Martin Vantage GTE have unchanged minimum weights since Spa. The BoP for Le Mans is track-specific, therefore the preceding round at Spa is the reference for any GTE-Am changes.

The updated BoP means the Le Mans-winning No. 63 Corvette will enter Monza with a minimum weight of 1315 kg, considering the increased base weight of 1275 kg plus 15 kg for winning the last race, plus 10 kg for second place at Spa and 15 kg for leading the points.

The ORT by TF Aston Martin Vantage GTE is carrying 25 kg worth of ballast, while the No. 83 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari has 15 kg extra beyond the BoP change.