Ferrari: Abolishing BoP should be “final goal” of 2030 WEC Hypercar regulations
by Rachit Thukral · AutosportThe Italian manufacturer has called for BoP to be dropped from Hypercar in 2030, but insists it won’t affect its decision to commit to the new rules
Ferrari believes abolishing the Balance of Performance should be the “final goal” for the World Endurance Championship’s rulemakers as they work towards finalising the framework for the 2030 Hypercar regulations.
Antonello Coletta, Ferrari’s global head of endurance, argued that the move to a unified platform to replace the current LMDh and LMH divisions has removed the need for an artificial system to govern the top class.
Currently, the FIA and the ACO are responsible for balancing the performance of cars through a set of parameters related to power and weight. However, the system is designed not only to equate LMH and LMDh, but also to account for differences between cars built to the same regulations.
Coletta believes axing BoP would move the championship towards greater “meritocracy” and eliminate unnecessary discussions about the subject, particularly after the WEC stopped making any information about BoP public this year.
“We have a very good opportunity for 2030. We started with two different platforms, two different ideas,” he said. “Now we are around the table all together to define a unique platform. With a unique platform, we can write the rules very clearly and the final goal should be for us to delete the BoP.
“If you remember, the BoP was born with the different platforms - four-wheel drive, two-wheel drive, LMDh, LMH.
“But if we have a unique platform, you can have a very, very good chance of positioning the championships around the table with meritocracy, with competition, without discussions about every race about the BoP and so on.”
Asked if he believes the regulations could reach a point where the BoP can be dropped, he added: “This is the dream for us.”
Coletta said BoP can have a significant influence on a car's performance and behaviour, arguing that limiting its intervention would be preferable even if the system cannot be eliminated entirely.
However, he stressed that abolishing BoP was “not mandatory” for Ferrari, insisting the manufacturer’s decision to extend its stay in the championship beyond 2030 won’t hinge on whether the system is featured in the next set of regulations.
Instead, Ferrari's priority is to retain the freedom to build a car that carries the company’s DNA, much as it has done under the current LMH regulations.
“No, this is not mandatory. For us, it's mandatory to have a chance to make the car," he said. "If we can make 100% of the car, we will see [it if there is] BoP or little BoP. The discussion is very complicated, very open.
“Today we have BoP [that goes] up and down. If we have a little percent of the intervention [with the BoP], it could be a solution. We need to have a marginal intervention, not a lot. Our idea is to delete it completely or just have a little.”
Debate over four-wheel drive
At June's Le Mans 24 Hours, the WEC provided an early outline of the 2030 Hypercar regulations. The framework give manufacturers the option of building their own chassis and powertrains or sourcing them from an external supplier.
Crucially, the four-wheel drive system that has been an important feature of present LMH cars will be outlawed in 2030, much to the dismay of Toyota.
Coletta said Ferrari would prefer to race a car with a four-wheel drive system, but it wasn’t against the direction the championship is headed in.
“Our idea is that endurance is a good chance to test some parts of the car and put the good idea in the road car. Today, modern four-wheel drive in terms of electric and hybrid [cars] is the future,” Coletta said.
“For Ferrari to have four-wheel drive would probably be the best. But apart from Ferrari and two other manufacturers, this is not of interest for the rest. It’s clear it would be complicated to maintain the four-wheel drive.”
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