24 Hours of Le Mans: future developments
In addition to the announcement on the schedule, the ACO's press conference revealed, on Friday, several development axes for the future. This concerns in particular hydrogen.
Friday was a quiet day on the track, which was open to the public from 3 p.m. But in the morning, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest held its press conference, setting the next adjustments to be known about the future, in addition to the unveiled schedule.
Hypercar: two minimum cars, 40 cars in WEC.
The idea had gained ground to standardize the levels of commitment by manufacturers. Each of them will be required to align a minimum of two prototypes. This will have a significant impact on the starting grid by next year.
Cadillac, Lamborghini, and Isotta Fraschini were the only three to enter only one car per year, excluding the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Aston Martin was about to do the same before announcing, alongside with the ACO’s announcement, that there will be two Valkyrie in the WEC next season. The global program will be supported by the one in IMSA, making Aston Martin the first LMH manufacturer to go across the Atlantic.
The starting grid will increase from 37 to 40 cars, to allow all participating brands to comply with this new regulation. The one regarding the commitment in WEC and in the World Cup of teams does not change.
Hydrogen soon to be finalized
The WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans have always favored technical diversity. Electric will certainly never be on the agenda, but hydrogen is starting to attract many manufacturers, including Toyota and Alpine.
The new hydrogen category, which will be a prototype, has been postponed several times. This time, the 2028 season should not change to accommodate this new technology. The chosen option will be liquid hydrogen, in order to keep internal combustion engines alive, which could achieve total carbon neutrality. IMSA, maintaining its ties with the ACO, will follow suit.
The current LMP2 cars will still be there.
The success of the intermediate prototype class is undeniable: LMP2 cars are very popular among many teams, especially in ELMS.
A new technical regulation was expected to be launched in 2026. But it has been pushed back to 2028, pending the choice of supplier. Oreca currently has a monopoly in the category, due to the performance of its chassis. The future LMP2 cars will have a more compact engine, while the weight of the cars will be reduced.
Extension of the homologation period for Hypercars
The monstrous success of the Hypercar category has earned it the interest of other manufacturers, in addition to those already committed for next year. But for those already present and incoming, the current homologation cycle for Hypercars will be extended until 2029, two years longer than initially planned. This will also allow for two additional development tokens.
