FIA Announces Changes To World Endurance Championship Regulations

Saajan Jogia | Oct 17, 2024

FIA World Endurance Championship 2018 Stop 8 - Le Mans, France / Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool

The FIA World Motor Sport Council, chaired by President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, approved several key sporting and technical regulations for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) during its third meeting of 2024. Council members participated both in person at the FIA offices in Paris and via video conference.

The meeting included announcements of updates across several motorsport categories, including Formula 1, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, FIA World Rallycross Championship, FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, FIA Karting, Cross-Country Rally, Regional Rally, and the Touring Car Lite championships. For WEC, the Sporting and Technical regulations for the 2025 season were officially approved.

Speaking of the approved regulations in WEC, a step has been taken to improve the fan experience by replacing the traditional leader lights with multicolored LED panels installed on both sides of the cars. These new panels offer wider viewing angles and can display a variety of real-time information.

The homologation period for Hypercar class vehicles has been extended by two years, now set to expire at the end of the 2029 season. In addition, the homologation period for LMP2 cars has been extended until the end of 2027. While the class will no longer feature in full-time FIA WEC competition starting in 2024, LMP2 cars will continue to play a key role in endurance racing through their participation in the European Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series, and IMSA SportsCar Championship, preserving their significance in the sport.

Also, drivers who complete less than 45 minutes in a race will no longer be eligible to earn FIA WEC championship points, reducing the previous requirement of 60 minutes. Furthermore, Hypercar manufacturers must now designate two cars that will be eligible to score points in the World Championship.

In other WEC news, the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) is ready to host the return of the Spirit of Le Mans, with the FIA World Endurance Championship season finale set for 1-2 November. This marks WEC’s 13th visit to the island and will kick off BIC’s 2024/2025 international motorsport programme.

The WEC finale will showcase fierce competition across its two categories: the premier Hypercar class and the LMGT3 division. Fans can look forward to seeing motorsport legends in action, including former Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button, MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi, Grand Prix winner Robert Kubica, and Formula E champions Sébastien Buemi, Jean-Éric Vergne, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Nyck de Vries.

Commenting on the sport's return to Bahrain, CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship, Frédéric Lequien, said in a statement:

“We are delighted to be returning to Bahrain for the 2024 FIA WEC season finale. It is an event that has been a mainstay on the calendar, and with good reason. Bahrain International Circuit invariably generates fantastic racing and demands total commitment from drivers and teams alike – making it a fitting venue for champions to be crowned.

“Our partners at BIC have as ever pulled out all the stops to put on a sensational spectacle both on and off-track, and for that, we offer our heartfelt thanks to Shaikh Salman and his hard-working team. We are very much looking forward to a thrilling weekend of top-drawer endurance racing entertainment to conclude another captivating WEC campaign.”