WEC Prologue: schedules, BoP…everything you need to know before the official launch

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is obviously at the heart of the successive reports of the Prologue: maritime freights were supposed to pass through the Suez Canal, which links Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is, of course, difficult to navigate and arrive on time while passing near Israel.

Here is what led the WEC to postpone the Prologue not by one, but by two days. It was supposed to start on Saturday for the first two five-hour sessions.

This Monday, the Saturday’s schedule will be followed: at 12pm local time (10am French time), the first five-hour session will begin and will bring together the Hypercar and LMGT3 for the first time. The break will last until 6pm at Losail for the last session of the day, which will also last five hours.

Finally, on Tuesday, the third and final round of testing will start early in the morning at 7 am French time, for a two and a half hour session.

BoP Hypercar: Toyota carries a heavy burden on its shoulders.

The least we can say is that the reigning world champions will not have an easy time dominating the competition. However, this competition has been bolstered by four additional manufacturers, namely Lamborghini, BMW, Alpine, and Isotta Fraschini.

The world’s leading manufacturer will indeed weigh 1089 kg on the scales (without any pun intended) and will have as its first runner-up, in terms of weight, Isotta, who will have to bear one ton and 85 kg.

The lightest car will be the Peugeot 9X8: it will be at the minimum weight (1030 kg) and in addition to that will have the maximum allocated power (520 KW, equivalent to about 710 horsepower). This means that the Lioness of Sochaux, who will make her final appearance without a rear wing, will have all the cards in hand to perform well.

However, the BoP is not an absolute guarantee; regardless of the ballast, even if it is penalizing, the car must be reliable and well utilized. That is why Toyota, which will have 510 kW at its back, should not be ruled out.

The new main rival, Ferrari, will see its 499P weigh just slightly lighter (1075 kg) with 503 kW to exploit. All in all, the two teams could very well have an equivalent level. A great matchup!

The new arrivals will generally be well off: BMW will exceed the tonne by only 60 kg, with 506 kW, while Lamborghini will have a weight-power ratio set at 1041/502. Alpine will have to work with a base of 1070 kg/510 kW. The Isotta Fraschini of Team Duqueine, the second heaviest, will also be the second most powerful, with 514 kW.

Among the GT3s: Porsche is the best off.

We talk so much about the Hypercar field that we almost forget that the battle promises to be breathtaking in LMGT3: nine brands are in the running and, naturally, it is necessary to balance all these competitors with the utmost fairness.

Just in terms of weight, the advantage will be with Porsche: the two 911 GT3s from the Manthey team will only have to propel 1315 kg, giving them a certain advantage in the agility of the car. It should also be noted that the engine power is classified from P0 (maximum) to P15. Porsche will benefit from P4.

The heaviest GT3 will (definitely) be the Lexus from the French team Akkodis: 1345 kg will be allocated, as well as the P6 in terms of power.

The two most powerful cars at Losail will be the Porsche, mentioned earlier, and the BMW: the WRT team, which has both prototype and GT programs, will have the P4, carrying one ton and 321 kg on its back. This means that the two German cars are favored for performance, even though the BoP is not an absolute truth.

Among the new arrivals, Ford, McLaren, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin, the weight will be generally similar, although Aston Martin will only be housed at 1318 kg. Ferrari, on the other hand, will have to make do with 1331 kg and one of the lowest power outputs (P13). It will only be surpassed in terms of engine power by Lamborghini, which will have the least powerful GT3 (P15).