Ratel: Torque Sensor Mandate Could Impact Macau Grid

Photo: FIA

Stephane Ratel fears the implementation of torque sensors for this year’s FIA GT World Cup in Macau could come as a detriment to the grid due to additional costs associated with the power control devices.

Confirmed last month, the sensors which are used in the LMGT3 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship and GTD Pro/GTD categories in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, will be in use for the one-off event on the Guia Circuit for the first time.

Ratel, the founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group, which is contracted by the FIA to assemble the grid for the annual street race, is understood to have not been consulted of the change in the regulations for this year.

“We are the coordinator for Macau,” Ratel told Sportscar365. “We will see the consequences. It’s been very difficult for a number of years to build the grid. Post-COVID we’ve had suddenly this increase.

“Are we going to get the same grid with torque sensors? I don’t know.

“I’ve heard already that we’re going to lose one [manufacturer] for sure. Audi will never have torque sensors for sure. I heard another [manufacturer] who said they won’t be there.

“We have to see who will be there.”

The race has run to its 23-car maximum for the last two editions since its resumption following the COVID-19 pandemic, with six GT3 manufacturers represented on last year’s grid.

All of the 2025 brands except Audi have had their cars equipped with the sensors in either or both the WEC and WeatherTech Championship.

“For the moment, some will say they won’t be there,” said Ratel. “They may change their mind at the end.

“As much as I understand it in some championships, and really truly, sincerely, when you look at the GT World Challenge races, is there really a need [for torque sensors]?

“We wouldn’t be refusing entries if the teams and the drivers and the manufacturers were not happy. They would be slamming doors and saying this is a joke and go somewhere else.

“But for the moment it doesn’t see to be the reality.”

FIA senior circuit sport director Marek Nawarecki has defended their decision to use torque sensors for the event, stating the FIA must ensure the “highest possible level of fairness” for the event, which has grown in recent years.

“Torque sensors provide improved control over Balance of Performance-allocated values,” he told Sportscar365 in a statement.

“As with all competitions relying on BoP, our goal is to create a level playing field for all participants. Given that this title is decided in a standalone event rather than over a series of races, this is particularly important.

“The decision to introduce torque sensors was made in consultation with the manufacturers, including both those familiar with the devices from the FIA WEC’s LMGT3 class and those not currently involved in that series.

“We are confident in securing a strong manufacturer line-up, and we are ready to offer support to those with no prior experience in using torque sensors.

“We believe this is the right approach to sustain the event’s growth, which has been evident in recent years, and to ensure the strongest possible entry going forward.”

Manufacturers Express Mixed Reactions; Mercedes-AMG “Re-Negotiating” Plans 

Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific managing director Alexandre Gibot, meanwhile, showed his support in torque sensors for Macau.

“They use them in IMSA and in WEC, and it looks like they are working,” he told Sportsca365. “It’s never a perfect science but I think it helps them get [the BoP] right with these cars that are difficult to follow without torque sensors.

“When I say fair chance, some of the cars without torque sensors, you might face some challenges to really balance them properly, because you can’t see exactly the power that they can have. Again, it’s not a guarantee it’s going to work. But I think it’s worth trying.

“I understand the SRO is not really in favor of it for cost reasons, and I respect this. But for Macau, we have to make it more fair because the last two years, it was pretty obvious there was something wrong.

“Because it’s an FIA World Cup, it should be the pinnacle of GT3 sprint racing, so I am happy with the decision they made.”

Defending World Cup champions Mercedes-AMG, however, have shared a different viewpoint, with its customer racing boss Stefan Wendl revealing they’ve yet to officially commit to a return because of the added costs associated with the systems for its customer teams.

Wendl told Sportscar365 the addition of torque sensors will result in a “six-digit” (U.S. dollar/euro) increase in budgets for each car on the grid.

“This is probably the most critical point for a one-off event like Macau because it’s completely different if you prepare your team and your setup with everything around for a full season or you just try and make a one-off as an invitational event,” Wendl told Sportscar365.

“Teams are coming from World Challenge, IGTC, Asia, the U.S. and Europe.

“We noticed this decision that torque sensors will be needed and we’re just in the process of re-negotiating our plans together with the teams which will be in Macau.

“It’s an open discussion, I have to say, because there will be a lot of efforts necessary for the team in terms of logistics, manpower and also financially.”

Wendl went as far to say that teams will need to have dedicated shakedown sessions with the torque sensor-equipped cars prior to the event, something that hasn’t typically occurred for teams arriving from a season of GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS.

“It’s more than just putting the sensors in,” he said. “Of course you need to prepare on the full electrical side to the sensors and you need to prepare your organization to work with it.

“There’s no decision yet [on Mercedes-AMG’s participation]. I’m with my team on integrations, our teams [are] also discussing this topic to share information which we collected in IMSA and WEC. Those teams don’t know what to expect.

“For sure we still have a high interest to be in Macau and defend our title. Also with GruppeM and Kenny Chen, I discussed [last weekend] about it.

“But we need to first of all bring everything on the point and discuss what it will cost and what teams need to make [it happen].”

SRO Reaffirms No Plans for Torque Sensors in Its Own Series

Ratel, meanwhile, has reaffirmed no plans for torque sensors to be integrated into SRO-run GT3 championships in the future.

“The biggest danger of any racing category is cost,” he said. “I’ve been around for long enough, the grids start dropping when the costs become unsustainable.

“DTM, IMSA, WEC, they need 20-30 cars. SRO last year, we had 220 GT3 cars running globally between the various continental championships.

“It’s absolutely not the same fields. OK, you can find 20-30 teams with torque sensors in very prestigious championships. But I can’t find over 200 cars with this kind of money of running costs, it’s impossible.

“Our business model can’t support that.”

Davey Euwema & Jamie Klein contributed to this report

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