The premature end of the Isotta Fraschini Le Mans Hypercar programme, revealed by DSC earlier today, is sad news, for the team members, for the re-emerging brand and fans of the sport who love a plucky underdog.
Whilst there is no argument that the Hypercar class is providing a very significantly more affordable (and arguably more sustainable) route into world-class sportscar racing than the LMP1 formula it replaced, the reality is that at this level the fiscal, competitive and technical bars are still high.
On the latter front, there was little doubt that Isotta Fraschini and Michelotto could reach the required standards. Competitively though, it has been a struggle, principally because the fiscal realities mean that compromises had to be made in terms of putting together the driver line-up and a budget for an all-important test programme.
With a queue of major international brands looking to join the class, there will be questions asked over whether there is any place for ‘challenger’ and emerging brands in the future, with Isotta Fraschini now joining Glickenhaus and the ByKolles Vanwall effort on the sidelines (though all three have been parked for different reasons).
The reality is though, that with the level of interest in play to join the WEC, there will be little problem in filling the notional gap left by Isotta Fraschini. The now likely 20-car Hypercar grid (18 of which look set to be factory entries), could well be matched now in 2025 by a 20-car LMGT3 field.
Could the little Italian marque’s loss be a German giant’s gain? Has the opportunity now opened for Mercedes AMG to take to the stage after its bid to enter LMGT3 in 2024 with the AMG GT3 fell short?
Both Mercedes-AMG management and multiple customer teams have expressed an interest in joining the world championship in the GT ranks.
Earlier this summer Mercedes-AMG head of motorsport Christoph Sagemüller reiterated the brand’s desire to become an LMGT3 manufacturer in the future.
“I would love to see the Silver Arrows back at Le Mans, and also in WEC,” Sagemüller said. “Nonetheless, it wasn’t up to us.
“We wondered, and we were prepared quite well to be there. But unfortunately, we didn’t get any spots. We are not part of this so far.
“But maybe we can be part of the future because it’s the goal. Mercedes-AMG belongs at Le Mans.
“There are many rumours, but it’s obviously because we are not part of the LMDh programme – because we said we would focus first on our customer racing GT programme. But I don’t know the reasons behind it – so this is up to the ACO.
“And we are in good discussions with them, and can only hope that we can get some spots in the future.”
As for Hypercar, it looks set to remain stable for years to come, with Aston Martin joining in 2025 and at least one additional manufacturer expected to join from 2026 onwards. With interest levels at an all-time high for the WEC’s top class, the current format is not just full, it looks set to be resilient even if others fall by the wayside in the next three years.
