Isotta Fraschini’s debut Hypercar campaign in the FIA WEC has been, unsurprisingly, quiet.
Racing in a category that features eight blue-chip manufacturers, all pouring factory resources into high-level programmes, it’s been tough for the revived Italian marque to stand out and compete for point-paying positions.
However, in the background, a huge amount of progress has been made. The Duqueine-supported team has made positive steps forward with the Tipo6-C, improved its operational capabilities and closed the performance gap to its rivals. As a result, there is cause for optimism that it will find a way to return to the WEC grid in 2025.
The biggest barrier is clearly the incoming ‘two-car’ rule, which requires every Hypercar manufacturer to field two cars in the top class from next year onwards. Aston Martin has announced its solution with Heart of Racing, Lamborghini has confirmed that Iron Lynx will be back with two and Cadillac is known to be ready to step up with its unannounced new service provider.
That leaves Isotta, which competes in partnership with Michelotto and Duqueine Team.
While Isotta had desires to field two cars this season, it was eventually seen as a step too far, too soon. In the end, just a single Tipo6-C found its way onto the grid for what has been a steady – if unremarkable – 2024 campaign so far.
The team’s most impressive showing yet, crucially, came at Le Mans last month though. The car ran reliably for the entire race and finished 14th, nine laps down from the winning Ferrari but five laps clear of the LMP2 winner.
“We made progress with reliability, but the car has been reliable since the beginning. We had an issue in Qatar when the suspension broke, but aside from that, we’ve never had any issues with systems, or the gearbox, or whatever,” Jean-Karl Vernay, who drives for Isotta, told DSC.
“We finished Imola, Spa and Le Mans without any simulations or tests, so this shows you what the car can do. And the fact it was a great run at Le Mans, validates that.
“We knew going in that if we crashed, we were done. But we drove the race normally. We just focused on improving the package, without taking too much risk, because if we broke the car we are not sure we would have been able to send it to Brazil in time.
“We’re too far back to score points yet, we need something to happen for us to score points, but we have shown it can happen. If we keep getting closer and closer and the BoP changes a little, we will see.”
Its driver line-up, headlined by experienced and rapid Frenchman Vernay, has received its fair share of scrutiny. By no fault of their own, Antonio Serravalle and Carl Bennett who share the car with Vernay, are young and new to prototype racing, which brings its own set of challenges.
Understandably, it’s taken them time to get up to speed with both the car and the level of competition in Hypercar; and every day is still a school day at this point. Nevertheless, Vernay feels that as a unit, they are taking strides every weekend they’re together.
“My teammates are doing a pretty good job because they don’t know most of the tracks and we haven’t tested,” he explained. “So they are maximising practice sessions so they can learn. It’s encouraging. Performance is the area we are looking at now, and I think we are getting closer.
“It’s been very difficult to fight against big manufacturers, with top and experienced drivers, without any testing.”
So what about next year? Isotta Fraschini has just announced that programme boss Claudio Berro will step aside and be replaced by CEO Miguel Valldecabres for 2025, as the team looks to add a second car to its programme.
It will not be easy to expand, and with space on the grid at a premium even with the expansion to 40 cars, it will need to justify its place on the grid.
However, Vernay feels Duqueine is ready, willing and able to help Isotta to step up. Beyond driving for Isotta, Vernay works for Duqueine Engineering as its LMP3 sales manager and played a key part in forging the partnership between the two organisations as its relationship with Vector Sport frayed. And there is will from both sides for this collaboration to continue into year 2.
“If Isotta is ready to make two cars, of course, we are happy to be involved and continue. We made sacrifices to make this happen and we want to continue. It would be stupid to do this for one year. To not be there in Year 2 or 3 doesn’t make sense,” Vernay explained.
“We are making progress and next year should be much better than this year. We want to run the two cars because it makes no sense to run two teams. Now we have the experience, we know what to do. We won’t have the resources of brands like Porsche, but we can improve this car.
“We aren’t the ones who decide, it’s a collaboration. But if they are there with two cars we are going to be there to support it.”
Right now, signs point to Isotta and Duqueine finding a solution, with the clear ambition being a two-car effort with a single team. With additional commercial punch required for expansion, there’s work to be done. But there’s no better way to attract new backers than by impressing on track.
There are four races remaining in the 2024 campaign. With development testing complete and four meetings under its belt, the race to get on the grid next season starts in earnest, this weekend in Brazil.
