UPDATE: This story includes new information on the LMP2 regulation extension.
Following ratification by the FIA World Motor Sport Council this week, several regulatory changes to the FIA World Endurance Championship were announced at the ACO Press Conference this morning, ahead of the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The main headline concerned the homologation cycle for current Hypercar class cars, which has now been extended until the end of the 2029 season. Two additional development performance upgrades, otherwise known as “jokers”, will also be permitted for the 2028 and 2029 seasons.
This “ensures the stability of the technical regulations as new manufacturers join the competition each year,” according to the organisers and will help them capitalise on the success of the formula in the longer term.
Also confirmed was the so-called ‘two-car’ rule. From the 2025 FIA WEC season onwards each manufacturer represented in the Hypercar category will be required to enter a minimum of two cars. This change has been made, according to the FIA and ACO, “to improve sporting fairness and ensure a level playing field.”
Two-car entries will be mandatory to score points in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, while any additional cars from a given manufacturer will take part in the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams, which is currently contested by privately-entered cars.
To accommodate additional entries from manufacturers currently competing with a single car, the maximum grid size has been increased too, from 37 cars this season to 40 for races outside of Le Mans.
IMSA President John Doonan remarked: “As a fan of the sport this is an incredible moment for sportscar racing. This is the platinum era.
“Today marks two things, stability and opportunity. My hope is that with today’s announcement other manufacturers will take a look at the top category. We are thrilled to carry on this great moment.”
LMP2 regulation set extended
Beyond changes to the Hypercar regulations, the next generation LMP2 ruleset has been postponed by two years from 2026 to 2028.
This shift in direction for the category comes amid an ongoing debate behind the scenes between the rule-makers, suppliers and teams about the future shape of the class. This is a topic which DSC investigated in depth earlier this year.
“LMP2 is a key category for ACO. It’s a top category that we must protect. We talked with all the teams and decided to extend the current generation until the end of 2027,” remarked Pierre Fillon at today’s press conference. “We have had lengthy discussions with all stakeholders and will prepare for this new generation.”
The decision to delay comes after the ACO reached out to the current set of ELMS and Asian Le Mans Series teams for opinions on the matter. DSC believes that an overwhelming majority of teams pushed the rule makers for a delay.
Key question marks still remain over the next-gen P2 rules, including the look and specification of the chassis and engine.
“The new chassis and engine have yet to be selected but will be based on two key principles: a downsized engine and reduced weight,” according to the ACO.
“LMP2 is not part of FIA WEC this season or next, but remains the premier class in the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series.” (DSC would note that the preceding statement was produced verbatim.)
DSC understands, from conversations with senior paddock sources in the aftermath of the press conference, that the previously proposed LMP2 ruleset has been put to one side and a blank sheet of paper re-think is underway. This is a solution that DSC was told back in April was under consideration.
Crucially, this means that the next-gen cars from the four manufacturers (Ligier, ORECA, Dallara and Multimatic) no longer need to be based on an LMDh spine. The engine specification has also not been determined.
While Gibson was previously announced as the sole engine supplier until 2030 with its 4.2-litre V8, the re-think of LMP2 regulations means that this element too is up in the air.
DSC has been told by a source that while Gibson is now no longer officially confirmed as the sole supplier for LMP2 engines in the new era, the Repton-based manufacturer is still highly likely to be awarded the new tender.
Hydrogen pushed back
The final news of note was a further delay to the introduction of hydrogen regulations to 2028.
“The Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile and the International Motor Sports Association continue to explore hydrogen technology to achieve zero-carbon motor racing,” the statement from the organisers reads.
“A hydrogen prototype class will be introduced in 2028. A joint working group is drawing up the regulations required to bring this pioneering and sustainable technology into endurance racing.
“For optimal sporting competitiveness, the hydrogen will be stored in liquid form.”
Interestingly, this goes against the technology being developed by MissionH24 for its forthcoming H24EVO prototype which was revealed to the public earlier this week. That car is powered by hydrogen in gas form.
This is the second delay to the future ruleset in the last six months – after Pierre Fillon communicated to the media a delay from 2026 to 2027 in Bahrain last November.
At that time, Fillon cited hurdles created by safety concerns as the reason behind the decision.
Images © David Lord, Andrew ‘Skippy’ Hall / Dailysportscar; MissionH24
