MichaelN, seems that the ACO will be criticised whatever they do with the BoP regulations.

If they heavily use the BoP regulations, then people complain that other teams only win because of the BoP and that the ACO is interfering excessively to 'penalise success'. If they do not, then we have people complaining that the ACO should be using the BoP regulations to mix up the grid more because one team is being too successful.

To be pedantic about it though, it's not the main Scuderia Ferrari team he'll be driving for, is it ? Amato Ferrari (no relation to Enzo, just a namesake) is a privateer using the Ferrari powertrain just like Haas and Sauber do in F1.

About safety cars, that's one of the factors that can explain how much closer competition in IMSA is. I don't know how I feel about it philosophically, but I can accept it, it's an American culture thing. The GTP/LMDh formula is also more tightly controlled than LMH at large, and most IMSA races are much shorter, at 2 hrs 40 min. It's easier to justify spending my time on it, even if the time zone difference makes following all the races difficult.

I'll see how the first WEC races go from a distance. A real sign of progress will be one part of the fanbase stopping saying "be patient, it will be better next year". We've had 6 years of waiting for next year.

I just wish they'd stop messing with car weights and ballast every race - it's not touring cars - and sort out their numbering system, it's a right mess!

I agree, the FIA/WEC is not doing a good enough job on the BoP. Le Mans was on the money, but it is a very particular track with a lot of very long full throttle parts and also a much larger field which means traffic is inevitable.

The whining from Toyota after Le Mans was also very off putting, particularly because they messed up their own race with numerous errors and were dominating the season, just as they were again after the big race.

The strong hints that Peugeot is going to heavily revise their car also shows the performance targets that were meant to encourage a diverse looking grid are not doing their job. Hypercar won't live up to its intent if all the cars end up looking like LMP2 cars with a bigger hybrid PU… and Toyota still dominates. That sportscar renaissance could end up being very short lived if they don't sort it out.

Also, safety cars in an endurance race should be an absolute last resort. Freitas has tilted the scales of far too many races already.

I know, it almost brings a tear to my eye. If I remember correctly he had an offer to race for them in F1 before his injury.

Last season had a very good entry list, but of 7 models present, 5 scored a podium (with 2 only once), 4 finished a race on the lead lap (2 only once), and 2 won a race (1 only once after heavy BoP revisions because the ACO realised they weren't going to have a competitive race for the Centenary if they stuck to their guns). Currently, I feel that's not worth me investing the large amount of time WEC races demand, so I'm not swayed back to WEC yet.

Not to mention LMGT3 is Pro-Am and limited in manufacturers, so GT World Challenge Europe should still have the most interesting GT3 product, and, overall, IMSA still has the best prototype/GT package on paper: an actual BoP which saw all four GTP manufacturers regularly on the pace and making visits to the podium, and an increased GTD Pro category. IMSA's officiating can be dodgy at times, but it's actual fun to watch.

WEC can be given some form of pass for last year because some cars were still young, but Hype-car has given itself a lot to live up to, Truly The Next Golden Age Of Endurance Racing no less, and 2024 is the year it will have to deliver consistently.