WEC 2024: The list of participants is known
After witnessing a magnificent 2023 edition, the WEC will now feature a mind-blowing starting grid: two categories will be represented, with 19 Hypercars from nine manufacturers, and 18 LMGT3s. That's a total of 37 cars!
It’s a true wonder that the 2024 championship grid : the Hypercar category is equipped with a grid almost as large as that of Formula 1, with 19 cars, lined up by nine different manufacturers.
The belligerents that were already part of the game will, of course, return: Toyota will defend its world titles with two GR010s and will try to take revenge on Ferrari, who stole the 24 Hours of Le Mans from them. Toyota’s only defeat in 2023.
Ferrari is putting in almost double the efforts, as the Prancing Horse will field a third 499P under the colors of AF Corse. The team is yet to confirm the crew, but Robert Kubica has left the WRT team to join the Maranello manufacturer in the future AF Corse No. 83 car.
Porsche will be the most prolific manufacturer on the Hypercar grid, as five 963s will be at the start: the Stuttgart factory, via Penske, will still race with the No. 5 and No. 6, with unchanged crews, just like Jota, which will have two German LMDh cars. They will carry the No. 12 and No. 38. Finally, Proton, with the No. 99, will take part in its first full season in the WEC, in the Hypercar category.
Newcomers
Three other large factories will be added to the already existing five major manufacturers. As planned, BMW will join the big league with two M V8 Hybrid cars (No. 15 and 20) after gaining experience in IMSA. Alpine, whose driver line-ups were officially announced last week, still needs to confirm the allocation of drivers for No. 35 and No. 36.
Finally, Lamborghini will slowly begin its new involvement in sports prototypes: the SC63 will be officially entered by Iron Lynx and will naturally carry the No. 63.
Exit Vanwall
On the other hand, as expected, Vanwall will not be part of the WEC adventure, after a very difficult season and hastily prepared in 2023. The Vandervell N° 4 had its charm, but not enough performance to be even remotely competitive.
But Isotta Fraschini, a constructor returned from the dead, has chosen the LMH to perfect its rebirth in the automotive landscape: the Tipo 6-C will however not be operated by Vector Sport, surprisingly, but by Duqueine Team. So there will be three French teams!
The number 11 car will be driven by Jean-Karl Vernay, who has contributed a lot to the development of the car, and Mexican driver Alejandro Garcia. The third driver for the small Italian manufacturer has not yet been confirmed. However, it seems that Vector Sport, including Gabriel Aubry, has had the rug pulled out from under them. No details have been provided, from either side.
| N° | Team | Voiture | Equipage |
| 2 | Cadillac Racing | Cadillac V-Series.R | Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, |
| 5 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Porsche 963 | Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Frédéric Makowiecki |
| 6 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Porsche 963 | Kévin Estre, André Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor |
| 7 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota GR010 – Hybrid | Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries |
| 8 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota GR010 – Hybrid | Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa |
| 11 | Isotta Fraschini | Isotta Fraschini Tipo6-C | Alejandro Garcia, Jean-Karl Vernay |
| 12 | Hertz Team Jota | Porsche 963 | William Stevens |
| 15 | BMW M Team WRT | BMW M Hybrid V8 | Dries Vanthoor |
| 20 | BMW M Team WRT | BMW M Hybrid V8 | Sheldon Van Der Linde |
| 35 | Alpine Endurance Team | Alpine A424 | Matthieu Vaxiviere |
| 36 | Alpine Endurance Team | Alpine A424 | Nicolas Lapierre |
| 38 | Hertz Team Jota | Porsche 963 | Oliver Rasmussen |
| 50 | Ferrari AF Corse | Ferrari 499P | Antonio Fuoco |
| 51 | Ferrari AF Corse | Ferrari 499P | Alessandro Pier Guidi |
| 63 | Lamborghini Iron Lynx | Lamborghini SC63 | Mirko Bortolotti |
| 83 | AF Corse | Ferrari 499P | Robert Kubica |
| 93 | Peugeot TotalEnergies | Peugeot 9X8 | Paul Di Resta |
| 94 | Peugeot TotalEnergies | Peugeot 9X8 | Loïc Duval |
| 99 | Proton Competition | Porsche 963 | Harry Tincknell |
The LMGT3 will be insane!
There is a lot of talk about the Hypercar category because never before has the top category seen such a large lineup in history!
But the LMGT3, which will replace the LMGTE-Am, should also offer crazy battles: nine manufacturers will be represented, through 18 cars. The Ford Mustangs from Proton Competition, the McLaren 720S GT3s from United Autosport, the BMWs from WRT… and the list goes on!
Let’s also know that Valentino Rossi will be part of the adventure in WEC, on the BMW No. 46, specially tailored for him! He will move to the world championship after honing his skills in the Road to Le Mans.
Finally, the Argentine José Maria Lopez, multiple-time world champion in Hypercar with Toyota, will drive the Lexus No. 78 of the French team Akkodis.
The details of the participants can be found [here](https://press.fiawec.com/assets/fileuploads/65/64/656464f56ca15.pdf).
In a statement, Pierre Fillon, the president of the ACO, is delighted about an upcoming fabulous season. « After a historic 2023 season, marked by the Centennial of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it is now time for 2024. This new year promises to be unique in the history of endurance and motor racing. Throughout the eight races of the championship, which includes brand-new destinations, the world’s top brands will compete against each other. A grid full of promises, with numerous stakes in both Hypercar and LMGT3 categories. See you in February for the prologue on the magnificent Circuit International de Lusail. »
