WEC: the mid-season review

It’s time for the first class council. After four rounds of the World Endurance Championship, it’s time for the teams to receive the grades, comments, and evaluations from the observers. With the 24 Hours of Le Mans behind them, the teams can take a breather, even though two events will follow in quick succession in September.

Ferrari

The top of the class. Without a doubt, Ferrari is the best performer at the start of this season. The Italian brand has swept everything from numerous pole positions to four victories in the four races of the championship, with Scuderia dominating.

Except in Qatar, where there was no competition, the 499Ps had a tough challenge against BMW, Alpine, and Porsche in the following three rounds. But each time, the red and yellow cars always managed to extricate themselves from this situation to claim victory.

With such a pace, the Scuderia is heading towards a title in the World Endurance Championship. The season is already successful with the victory at Le Mans, and the world crown would just be the cherry on top. With a 77-point lead in the championship, it’s almost settled now.

Toyota

The unexpected second. Very discreet since the start of the season, the Japanese brand sits at a discreet second place. And yet, Toyota has not secured a single podium this season. By consistently aiming for honorable placements and boasting unfailing reliability, cars #7 and #8 are very well positioned.

The only flaw of the two teams remains their pace in qualifying, which is not good at all. On the other hand, in the race, it’s a different story with overtaking galore and very impressive performances.

The remaining task is to find the missing tenths during the quick lap exercise to become a real threat for the future.

Porsche

Here too, a surprising third place. After a chaotic start to the season with performances below expectations, Porsche reacted perfectly at Le Mans. At the same time, the Sarthe circuit is none other than the backyard of the Stuttgart company.

After the 24 Hours, Porsche went from 14 to 84 points in the standings. A gigantic leap. The second place of the #6 led by a blazing Kévin Estre and the good results of the other two cars (even if only one could score points for the championship) made it possible to reach this point.

If the first races were disappointing, the rest of the season could be quite different for the German brand. Le Mans has surely invigorated the team.

BMW

Here too, between good and not so good. While the first three races with BMW were solid, the 24 Hours of Le Mans were disappointing. The brand operated by WRT showed less reliability, which prevented any good results for the company at Sarthe. No points were scored.

It’s unfortunate to see that the podium was not far off in Qatar and that it was achieved in Imola. If reliability is regained in the second half of the season, BMW could be a strong contender.

Cadillac

They have rhythm, these American cars. But something always happens to them. In Qatar, they went all over the place. At Le Mans, they secured pole position and monopolized the front row after a crazy lap. But during the race, it was tougher.

Unlike some better-positioned competitors, the GM firm shows its full potential from the very first moments, while others conceal their game. It’s a complex situation that completely skews the perception between the initial runs and the race. Still, it’s worth noting that their results are better than in 2024.

Alpine

We would like to see them higher. Given the start of the season for both cars, Alpine does not deserve to be in this sixth place in the constructors’ championship. With the two podiums at Imola and Spa, one of which should have been a victory, the A424 have really stepped up (sorry Peugeot).

The performance level of these blue hypercars is impressive. A major positive point is the reliability, which is also much better than in 2024. Apparently, Alpine and Mécachrome have learned well from last year’s mistake at Le Mans.

Only negative point: that missed race in Qatar and a few errors at the beginning of the race in Le Mans.

Peugeot

Difficult season for Peugeot. The 9X8s have been able to show very good things in Spa, being able to fight for a top 5. But like Cadillac, something always seems to happen to them. The Belgian round ended with a zero score even though Jean-Marc Finot’s team deserved better.

In Le Mans, top speed was lacking, but the consistency of the #94 was noteworthy. Peugeot needs to find better stability and finally fully understand how this car operates to achieve better results.

Aston Martin

Two points at Le Mans that feel like a victory. As the only manufacturer participating with a 100% naturally aspirated engine, Aston Martin is taking on a crazy challenge in the WEC this season. The Valkyrie, which was left behind at the beginning of the season, managed to catch up to the back of the pack in less than four races.

Proof that at Aston Martin, everyone is working and that the Hypercar project is taken seriously. The V12 also brings back very good memories for all motorsport enthusiasts.

In terms of performance, if the British brand struggles to consistently score points, it can rely on the experience of its leaders to make up for this deficit and also on reliability—except in Qatar—to achieve results. The races in IMSA are also beneficial for understanding and comprehending these cars.

There is no doubt that we will see an Aston Martin in the top 10 again this season.

The rest of the schedule

The WEC will resume in Brazil with the 6 Hours of São Paulo on July 11, 12, and 13. A break of nearly two months will be observed before heading to the United States for the 6 Hours of Austin, more commonly known as Lone Star Le Mans. Competitors will then proceed with the 6 Hours of Fuji during the last weekend of September. The finale, the 8 Hours of Bahrain, will take place on November 8.