Ferrari Chasing World Endurance Hat Trick at Spa
But Will Balance of Performance Weigh Against Maranello?
Ferrari heads to this weekend’s third round FIA World Endurance Championship Spa 6 Hours unbeaten in 2025 as it chases a hat trick of wins. But the powers that be, have done their utmost to balance the performance of those thus far dominant 499Ps.
The Italian cars will carry more weight and make less power following this week’s latest round of WEC Balance of Performance adjustments. Significant changes to the power to weight ratios of seven of the of the eight Hypercar manufacturers may very well also alter the WEC landscape since last month’s Imola second round.
Ferrari, Toyota take biggest Spa BoP hits
Ferrari takes a twelve kilogram weight hit to stop the Spa scales at a 2330 pound minimum. The 499P has also been pruned 25.5 horsepower to 656 HP for the Francorchamps race.
Second at Imola, the BMW M Hybrid V8 drops 14 to 675 HP and gains 15 at 2313 lbs. while the third-placed Alpine A424 gains a three pounds but remains on the maximum 697 HP power. Toyota’s GR010 Gazoo Hybrids meanwhile take a hefty 28 HP Spa mass penalty along with an extra 10 lbs.
Of the rest, Porsche gains five pounds and loses twelve horsepower and the Cadillac’s V-Series.R loses 13 HP and gains a three pounds to 2297 lbs. The Peugeot 9X8 remains unchanged at the minimum weight of 2270 lbs. and 697 HP maximum, with the Aston Martin Valkyrie 20 up to the 697 HP maximum and 35 lbs down to 2282 lbs.
A significant BoP shake up in LMGT3 too
Spa’s Hypercar Balance of Performance changes are based on a formula that considers each different car type’s ten fastest laps and 60 percent of all race laps from their three most recent WEC rounds. Those being the 2024 Bahrain finale and this year’s Qatar and Imola rounds.
Looking at the LMGT3 class, every car except the Ford Mustang loses power, with the Imola winning Porsche 911 GT3 R and the Qatar winning Corvette Z06 GT3.R down five percent. The BMW M4 GT3 and McLaren 720S GT3 Evo lose four percent. The BMW gains 11 kg, the McLaren 8kg, The Lexus RC F GT3 remains as it was, while the Corvette loses 2kg and the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo and Ferrari 296 GT3 both lose weight.
All of which makes for a most interesting prospect at Spa, where all teams will have one eye on winning and the other on the best possible Balance of Performance ahead of the big following round Le Mans 24 Hour on 14 and 15 June. Should make for a gripping six hours at Spa, starting 14h00 European time Saturday.
Photos: WEC
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