Next year’s FIA World Endurance Championship will feature a record-breaking 19 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3 entries. A staggering number of 14 manufacturers will be represented across both classes – the highest in FIA WEC history.
Manufacturers competing in WEC next year include Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Isotta Fraschini, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota – all highlighting the continued growth of the world’s premier endurance racing series.
Several drivers have also been named – each team is required to submit a minimum of one driver per entered car. Notable names include seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi who will drive for Team WRT in LMGT3. Other surprises include newly-crowned LMP2 Champion Robert Kubica who will pilot the new AF Corse entered Ferrari 499P Hypercar. Former Haas F1 and current Mercedes F1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher has also made the switch to endurance racing after being announced in Alpine’s driver line-up.
Since the Hypercar class was introduced in 2021, the WEC has grown immeasurably with the class reaching record numbers for the 2024 season. Nine manufacturers will compete in the Hypercar World Endurance Championship next year including reigning World Champions Toyota plus Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot and Porsche. Alpine will make the step up from LMP2 to Hypercar and will join newcomers BMW, Lamborghini and Isotta Fraschini.
Next year’s WEC also expands to eight rounds with the addition of Sao Paulo (Brazil) as the WEC makes a welcome return to South America. There will also be new rounds in Doha (Qatar) and Imola (Italy) plus a return to COTA in Texas, USA. The championship will travel to five regions – Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North America and South America (Doha, Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, Le Mans, Sao Paulo, COTA, Fuji and Bahrain).
Also new for 2024, the WEC will consist of two classes: Hypercar and the all-new LMGT3 category. The latter replaces the LMGTE class that has been on the WEC grid since the series’ inaugural season in 2012. The new GT class will be based around FIA’s existing GT3 technical platform and will continue to focus on gentlemen drivers.
Full driver line-ups will be announced in due course.