Here's some of the top things to look at for the 2024 WEC season
Who Will Conquer: World Endurance Championship Releases 2024 Season Entry List
The 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship is closing in, beginning with the season opener at Qatar in March, but now we will know who will be on track, with the series releasing its entry list for the season.
The biggest change is obviously the loss of two classes, LMP2 and LMGTE Am, with the new LMGT3 class coming in for 2024, favoring the GT3 entries on the grid.
With the loss comes a balance on the grid and a more fan-friendly lineup for fans, with less classes and more focus on the two top groups in the series.
With that also comes a boost in both the new LMGT3 and Hypercar in regards to entries creating what should be a very compelling season for 2024.
Hypercar
The Hypercar class is seeing a big boost, including the addition of some new manufacturers on grid for next season.
The new additions, which include Isotta Fraschini, BMW, Alpine, and Lamborghini, all come into the season with quite formidable groups, especially Alpine, which brings over former F1 driver Mick Schumacher, and even Lamborghini, who has Daniel Kyvatt and Mirko Bortolotti behind the wheel for next season.
Beyond the additions in manufacturers/teams, AF Corse will have a customer Ferrari entry on the grid in the #83 Ferrari 499P, which will be led by Robert Kubica and two TBA drivers.
In terms of driver moves, a majority of the teams stay similar to the 2023 lineup, with only a few minor changes being made to their lineup for 2024. However, it will be quite exciting to see some of the manufacturer battles that will play out for next season, especially new ones such as Ferrari-Lamborghini and Ferrari-BMW, which were the two Cinderella winners last season.
LMGT3
The newly revamped LMGT3 class will look slightly different for next season, but there are some intriguing driver names on the grid that will make the competition exciting to keep an eye on.
The big move amongst drivers is the addition of Valentino Rossi, the 7-time MotoGP World Champion, to Team WRT’s WEC ventures after competing with the group in GT World Challenge Europe in 2022.
Rossi, who will be joined by IMSA GTP regular Augusto Farfus in the sister car adds to what is already looking to be formidable lineups.
Adding to those moves include Klaus Bachler, who shifts over to Manthey Purerxcing after losing a seat in IMSA with Pfaff moving to McLaren next season, and Ryan Hardwick, who will be steering the ship with the new Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3, similar to the one being raced in IMSA.
Marco Sorensen also makes a move on grid, shifting from TF Sport to D’Station Racing while still competing in an Aston Martin-ran entry.
Overall, the LMGT3s should be as competitive as ever and with some existing teams that have found success in the past, mixed with some of the new tandems on the grid, this class will be a very entertaining bunch to watch in 2024.