[WEC] LMP Future Regulations (was Le Mans EVO rules - now hypercar rules)

[TF110]

I bet Porsche and Toyota leave in 2019. Porsche has GTE, and they'll be fine with a works program there. Toyota has been in meetings with future f1 rules, so there's a chance they go there in 2020 when the new rules on engines is implemented.

I see mostly negatives in these new rules. The cars will be taller and cockpit wider, making them look even more like those ungainly DP's from a few years ago. Closing up underbody aero which is the biggest contributor to performance. All they have to do is allow some tunnels front to rear and you wouldn't need complex turning vanes behind the front wing. The rules also push a double negative. You want to reduce costs, but now they have to invest in researching a totally new design thanks to the cockpit and chassis rules, research into a plug-in hybrid, research which area gives the biggest gain (but still researching all areas)...

Added to that is taking away all the aero knowledge behind the front wing that has been in place since 2014. One body kit will compromise the car when they allow two body kits for LMP2, that's a head scratcher. Reduce wind tunnel hours which will promote more expensive and less reliable CFD, they even admit that. Reduced testing which is the cheapest thing to get your car right (look at what F1 to see no one can catch up if they got it wrong) and push it so the WEC says when and where you can test, but not during the car's actual development period.

The worst thing, they're pushing even more with this electric/hybrid stuff when they said they were going to simplify things! Going 1km on electric power at full race speed will require a huge undertaking for anyone looking to join. There's nothing about non-hybrids being allowed, just a vague mention of alternative fuels being evaluated. What does that mean? I don't really see many positives when you actually look at the things they're proposing. They won't reduce budgets, they'll raise them!