2024 Road To Le Mans Starts in Qatar

By Michele Lupini - March 6, 2024

WEC 2024 Kicks off at Losail. Here’s All You Need to Know!

Testing is done, the teams are ready, the drivers are set and the 2024 Road to Le Mans is a go with the Qatar 1812 at the Losail circuit on Saturday. In a season where the length of the Le Mans 24 Hour matches the year, that Losail race distance also needs clarification. It represents Qatar’s 18 December National Day, but it will run to a 10-hour time limit!

That is however of scant importance. The big question is if anyone can beat Toyota Gazoo Racing to the 2024 World Endurance title. Now, with all the smoke and mirrors out of the way, Saturday will tell us if the Gazoo guys remain favorites for their sixth straight WEC title, or not.

Talking smoke and mirrors, Saturday will also either prove or disprove this past week’s testing pace, also at Losail. The fact that Porsche 963s topped all sessions is an interesting one. JOTA was quickest in both Monday sessions, and the factory Penske machines topped Tuesday’s action. For the record, Cadillac ended the final session in second from the yellow AF Corse Ferrari and its two red teammates.

Balance of Performance to Stir Things Up?

The other talking point leading to Losail is the WEC Balance of Performance. Now less powerful at 510 kW and heavier at 1089 kg, Toyota reports that it struggled in testing. Ferrari has lost 2 kW, but remains at 1075 kg, while Porsche loses 9 kW from 514 and gains two kilos to 1046 kg. The Cadillac drops five to 499 kW and gains two kilos to 1032kg.

Peugeot however drops 9 kg to 1030 kilos at an unchanged 520kW. Of the newcomers,
Alpine will race at 510 kW and 1070 kg, BMW at 506 kW and 1060 kg, Lamborghini’s at 1041 kg and 502 kW. and Isotta Fraschini at 514kW and 1085 kg. Interestingly, Ferrari starts 2024 with the identical car to 2023, and Porsche is expected to only bring in upgrades including a new engine and other changes before Le Mans.

The real drawcard for 2024 is however the diversity of the Hypercar field, with nineteen cars starting in Qatar and many more due by Le Mans. Topping the list, five-time champions Toyota Gazoo Racing continue with a pair of GR010 Hybrids, for Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and F1 refugee Nyck de Vries, and Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa.

Mans

Quick in Testing, Is Porsche the 2024 Favourite?

2023 Le Mans winners and WEC runners-up Ferrari have added that third, yellow 499P Hypercar for former F1 star, Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman and Chinese driver Yifei Ye. They join the two red 499Ps still driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, and Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi.

Third in the 2023 chase, Porsche returns with a five-car effort. There are two Penske factory 963s for Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen and Fred Makowiecki, and Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor. Add two JOTA 963s for Will Stevens, Norman Nato and Callum Ilott, and Oliver Rasmussen, F1 champion Jenson Button and Phil Hanson, and a Proton car for Harry Tincknell, Neel Jani, and Julien Andlauer.

Cadillac is back with a solo V-Series.R for Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, and Alex Lynn. And Peugeot has a pair of highly revised 9X8 Hybrids for Nico Muller, Jean-Eric Vergne and Mikkel Jensen, and Loic Duval, Paul di Resta and Stoffel Vandoorne.

WEC

But Wait, There’s More!

But wait, there’s more! BMW, Lamborghini, Alpine and Isotta Fraschini all make their World Endurance debuts at Losail. BMW has two cars for Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns and Rene Rast, and Dries Vanthoor, Raffaele Marciello and Marco Wittmann. Lamborghini has Mirko Bortolotti, Daniil Kvyat and Edoardo Mortara at the wheel of its new SC3.

Alpine returns to the top class for its Hypercar debut with two all-new A424s for Nicolas Lapierre, Matthieu Vaxiviere and Mick Schumacher, and Paul-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Charles Milesi. And Antonio Serravalle, JK Vernay and Carl Wattana Bennett will drive the lone, and exotically named, Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6-C.

The Hypercar entry list is still likely set to grow, especially once the season starts. A number of additional privateers are said to be waiting in the wings. Teams traditionally also bring extra cars into the fray at Le Mans, and at some of the other races too.

Mans

18 Entries For All-New LMGT3

Just as exciting, all-new LMGT3 has attracted 18 full-time entries to the inaugural GT3-based season. South African Kelvin van der Linde and Toyota Hypercar refugee Jose Maria Lopez lead the two Akkodis ASP Lexus RCF driver line-ups. Team WRT has entered a pair of BMW M4 GT3s with MotoGP god Valentino Rossi named to drive the No. 46 entry and Augusto Farfus leading the No. 31 line-up.

Iron Lynx and the Iron Dames are back, now driving Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2s, while McLaren joins the fray with a pair of McLaren 720S GT3 Evos and TF Sport has teamed up with Corvette Racing to run a pair of Z06 GT3.Rs. Add two Ferrari 296 GT3s, a pair of Aston Martin Vantage GT3s, a Ford Mustang GT3 and Manthey’s two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs.

The eight-round Road to Le Mans WEC commences in Qatar this weekend before Imola in Italy on 2 April, Spa, Belgium 11 May, and Le Mans 15-16 June. Then it’s off to Sao Paulo in Brazil, Texas in the US, Japan, and finally Bahrain. The Qatar 1812 starts 8am GMT Saturday and should be just about done by the time F1 kicks off in Bahrain. Why the same weekend, only the FIA knows!