The extension of the Hypercar and GTP regulations through the 2029 season, announced ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours, was met with universal praise. It’s a ruleset that is working as intended, allowing manufacturers to choose one of a multitude of routes into sports car racing’s top class at a far lower cost than the LMP1 regulations that proceeded it.
Along with allowing the current set of manufacturers to extend their current programs without having to plan for a different formula with entirely new cars, it also opens the door for prospective manufacturers on the outside looking in. Prior to the extension being announced, we were quickly reaching a point where it was becoming too difficult for any prospective entrants to justify giving a program the green light, as time was running out to develop a car in time for a multi-year effort. Now the clock has been reset, there is real potential for a new wave of manufacturers to come and play.
So of the crop of OEMs understood to be on the fence, who is most likely to join?
McLaren’s ambitions were spelled out ahead of Le Mans and it appears that the British marque is closing in on making a concrete decision. We have been here before, but the stars appear to have aligned. “If — and I’d like to say it’s more ‘when’ than ‘if’ — we step up to the top class, the extension is favorable,” McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said. He also noted that the extension would give any prospective McLaren project committing to the WEC at least a three-year period to compete and made it clear that McLaren Racing’s financial stability and its other programs being back at a race-winning level remain a key factor. Put simply, if it was struggling in any combination of Formula 1, IndyCar, customer GT racing and/or Extreme E, there would be little appetite from within to add a Hypercar program to the mix.
If a McLaren prototype comes, the LMDh ruleset is the preferred option. Previously, ORECA was understood to have completed conceptual work, with an engine supplier also having been identified. But much water has passed under the bridge since then and it’s now believed that any future commitment might well be with an alternative chassis/spine partner. Dallara is currently believed to be the preferred option.
McLaren’s potential commitment appears to be restricted at this point to a factory-only FIA WEC effort, potentially to be announced at Le Mans next June on the 30th anniversary of the marque’s overall win in the French classic with the F1 GTR, ahead of a race debut in 2027.
The other name that continues to come up is Hyundai. The Korean brand is known to have been tracking the potential hydrogen-fueled ruleset for some time and it has evaluated a suite of other major potential motorsport programs from Formula 1 to Hypercar/GTP.