Balance of Performance Set for Qatar Season Opener

Photo: Julien Delfosse/DPPI

The Balance of Performance for next week’s FIA World Endurance Championship season opener in Qatar has been set ahead of this week’s Prologue test.

Issued on Wednesday, the Hypercar BoP lays out the minimum weights and maximum power, both before and after the ‘Power Gain’ rule that applies over 250 km/h (155.3 mph) for the eight cars competing in the top class this year.

As it is the start of a new season, there are no plus or minus values, but there is noticeably less spread across the field compared to the equivalent BoP for last year’s Qatar round in terms of minimum weight, which is considered a significant factor around the relatively high-speed and flowing Lusail International Circuit.

Topping the weight charts are the Toyota GR010 Hybrid at 1065 kg and the Porsche 963, which won last year’s Qatar round, at 1064 kg.

At the opposite end of the scale, the Cadillac V-Series.R runs at the minimum weight of 1030 kg, while the Peugeot 9X8 is just one kilogram heavier.

Aston Martin’s all new Valkyrie LMH contender has been given a starting weight of 1042 kg for its race debut, making it the fourth-heaviest car in the field after the Toyota, Porsche and the Alpine A424, which is one kilo heavier.

The Ferrari 499P and BMW M Hybrid V8, meanwhile, both start the year at 1037 kg.

For reference, the Toyota was the heaviest car in the field in Qatar last year with a base weight of 1089 kg, with the spread between the lightest and heaviest car this year being only 35 kg instead of 59 kg in 2024.

In terms of power below 250 km/h, Peugeot has been given the maximum 520 kW (697 hp), which is a full 12 kW (16 hp) more than any of its competitors.

Next up are the Alpine and Porsche (both 508 kW), followed by the BMW (505 kW), Aston Martin (504 kW), Cadillac and Toyota (both 503 kW), while the Ferrari has the least amount of base power at 501 kW.

Peugeot’s power advantage is offset by a -5.8 percent Power Gain, which equates to a loss of 30 kW above the 250 km/h threshold.

The only other car with a negative Power Gain figure is the Alpine, which loses three percent (15 kW), while the biggest gainers are the Cadillac and Toyota at plus 3.2 percent (16 kW) and 3.4 percent (17 kW) respectively.

The Porsche, BMW and Aston Martin have Power Gain figures less than one percent, while the Ferrari sees no change to its power above 250 km/h.

In LMGT3, the lightest car among the nine models in the field is the BMW M4 GT3 EVO at 1344 kg, while the heaviest is the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R at 1374 kg.

The Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo has been given a starting weight of 1371 kg for its first event in WEC competition, making it the second-heaviest behind the Corvette, with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo next up at 1358 kg.

Each LMGT3 model has a designated power level of ‘PX’, with the X referring to the percentage by which the car’s power has been decreased.

In terms of Power Gain, which kicks in at 200 km/h (124.3 mph), the Mercedes-AMG and Porsche 911 GT3 R have the biggest increases at 9.7 and 9.6 respectively, while the only cars to lose speed over the threshold are the Ford Mustang GT3 and Lexus RC F GT3.

Source: Sports Car 365