Sporting Regulations

Each WEC race weekend consists of a number of free practice sessions, qualifying and hyperpole, as well as the race itself.

According to the regulations, there must be 2 or 3 timed free practice sessions of one hour, one and a half hours or two hours, with a total limit of four hours.

Cars in the Hypercar and LMGT3 classes qualify in separate sessions. Each of these sessions will be a minimum of 12 minutes in length.

The 10 fastest cars in each qualifying session will then participate in a two-part Hyperpole session, in which the first 10 grid positions in each class will be determined. Each part of the Hyperpole session may not exceed 12 minutes in length.

Separate regulations apply to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The WEC sporting regulations specify that points are awarded at the end of each race. All cars not part of the WEC’s season entry list (guest entries) are classified in the final results, but are invisible in terms of points and therefore have no influence on the WEC titles.

If drivers or teams have an equal number of points at the end of the season, the number of first places achieved within the season will be used as a tie-breaker. An additional point is also awarded for pole position in each class. Any driver who has driven less than 45 minutes in total in any race will not score points in the championship.

If a race is suspended by the Race Director and cannot be resumed, no points will be awarded to the crews if the leader has completed less than two laps without being under a full course yellow or safety car procedure.

Half points will be awarded to the crews if the leader has completed more than two laps (without being under a full course yellow or safety car procedure) but less than 75% of the original race time. A minimum of two laps must have been completed by the leader outside of a safety car procedure. Full points will be awarded if the leader has completed more than 75% of the original race time.

For a race with more than 75% of the race time covered, the following distribution key applies, separately for the race distances of 6 hours, 8 – 10 hours as well as for 24 hours.

Each team must have successfully passed technical scrutineering in order to participate in the practice. A car must participate in one of the free practice sessions or qualifying in order to start the race. The Race Director may exclude a participant from the rest of the race weekend for safety reasons at the end of free practice.

During one of the free practice sessions, each driver must have a time that is at least 110% of the best time of the fastest car in his category in order to be allowed to participate in qualifying.

For races run in full darkness or during twilight, at least five laps must be completed by each driver in free practice to be eligible to start the race. Drivers are not permitted to change cars. Changing car numbers is also not permitted.

During qualifying, a car may not be pushed into the pits, only stopped briefly on the pit apron. It may also not be refuelled. If a car enters the garage, it is not permitted to participate any further in the qualifying session and all previous times will be deleted. If a car does enter the garage, parc ferme conditions will apply from this point on until it is released by race control.

For a manufacturer to be allowed to compete in the Hypercar class, it must have registered at least two cars for the entire season. If there are more than two cars of the same type from one manufacturer on the entry list, the manufacturer must decide in advance which two vehicles are eligible to score points. All other vehicles do not count in the points table of the Manufacturers’ World Championship.

Hypercar: Each car must have a minimum of two drivers but may have no more than three. None of the drivers may be a bronze-rated driver.

LMGT3: Each car must have a minimum of two drivers but may have no more than three. Each car must contain at least one bronze and one additional bronze or silver driver.

Drivers intending to compete in the WEC must be given a classification by the FIA Endurance Committee. Without such classification, they are not able to take part in WEC races.

PLATINUM: Platinum drivers must be under the age of 50 and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• The driver has held a Super Licence (for Formula One).
• The driver has won the Le Mans 24 Hours in a professional category.
• The driver has won the FIA World Endurance Championship in a professional category.
• The driver has been a Factory Driver, paid by a car manufacturer, with results to match.
• The driver has finished in the top 5 in the general classification in the International F3000, CART/Champcar, IRL, IndyCar or GP2; all FIA World Championships and FIA World Cups (excluding the FIA GT Nations Cup / FIA Motorsport Games); IMSA P and FIA Formula E Championship.
• The driver has finished in the top 3 in the general classification of an F3 international series (FIA F3,
• British/EuroF3 until 2011) or major international single-seater championship* (Example: F2, Nissan World Series, Formula Renault 3.5, Super Formula etc.);
• The driver has won the International V8 Supercars Championship, the Porsche Supercup, the American Le Mans Series, or the IMSA Sportscar Championship in a professional category;
• The driver satisfies 3 or more Gold criteria (including repetition of the same criteria).

A driver may still be rated Platinum by the FIA Endurance Committee due to his or her performances and achievements despite not fulfilling any of the criteria above.

GOLD: Gold drivers must meet one of the following criteria:

• The driver satisfies one criterion from Platinum.
• The driver has finished in the top 3 in the general classification of a secondary international single-seater series (A1 GP, GP3, Renault V6, Superleague, Eurocup FR2.0, Firestone Indy Lights).
• The driver has won the general classification of a regional or national single-seater series (F3, FR2.0, Atlantic Championship up to and including 2009, Euro V8 Series).
• The driver has finished in the top 3 in the general classification of the Porsche Supercup / DTM / BTCC / Super GT series or won a major national Porsche Carrera Cup.
• The driver has finished in the top 3 in the general classification of the International V8 Supercars Championship.
• The driver won a major GT series (FIA GT, Blancpain GT Series (Pro), FIA GT1 World Championship, FIA GT3 European Championship, ADAC GT Masters, British GT Championship, GT Asia) or GT category of a major Sportscar series (ILMC, ELMS, ALMS, Asian Le Mans Series, LMP2 WEC, IMSA Sportscar Championship) with driver(s) of a lower or the same categorisation.

A driver may still be rated Gold by the FIA Endurance Committee due to his or her performances and achievements despite not fulfilling any of the criteria above.

SILVER: Silver drivers must meet one of the following criteria:

• The driver is aged under 30 and not satisfying the criteria of categories Platinum and Gold.
• The driver has finished in 1st place in the general classification of regional or major national championships or international series, or has won a major endurance race.
• The driver has won a non-professional drivers’ series (Ferrari Challenge, Maserati Trophy, Lamborghini Supertrophy, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge) or a regional, national or international single-make lower category series organised by a Manufacturer (not including Series which are restricted only to Bronze drivers).
• The driver has competed competitively in high-level international karting competitions.

A driver may still be rated Silver by the FIA Endurance Committee due to his or her performances and achievements despite not fulfilling any of the criteria above.

BRONZE: Amateur drivers.

• Any driver who was over 30 years old when his/her first licence was issued, and who has little or no single-seater experience.
• Any driver over 30, previously categorised as Silver, but with no significant results (titles, pole positions or race wins).
• Any driver under 30 years old with a licence issued for the first time during the year of his first categorisation.

In each WEC category, there are specifications that regulate the minimum and maximum time of a driver in a car. If these are exceeded or fallen short of, the driver will be penalised and excluded from the points for that race. If the race is interrupted, the driving time of the corresponding driver will also be interrupted for this period. Different minimum driving times apply for the different race distances. For the 24 Hours of Le Mans, individual driving times apply, which will be announced shortly before the official test day.

Minimum driving times:

For all tracks with a maximum length of 6.99 km, the regulations permit the use of only one safety car. If the track length is at least 7.0 km, a safety car can be placed at the end of each track sector (depending on the decision of the race organisers) to collect the vehicles behind. The safety cars have the task of maintaining the distances between the sectors when they are in use.

Depending on the exact situation on the track, the race organisers are free to decide whether to deploy a ‘virtual safety car’ (VSC) or a real safety car (SC) on the track. This regulation makes it possible to react quickly to accidents or dangerous situations on the track without having to deploy the physical safety car immediately. When the VSC is activated, all vehicles must slow down to 80 km/h, drive in single file and keep their distance. Overtaking is strictly prohibited during this phase. The VSC is typically deployed for around two laps before a proper safety car must always be deployed afterwards. It is important to note that the pit lane remains open during the VSC.

With the announcement of a proper safety car period, the pit lane will be closed for regular pit stops for the next three laps. Any vehicle that enters the pit lane to repair damage despite the closure time has only five seconds to complete all work. If this time is exceeded, the vehicle must remain in the pits until the end of these three laps and may only rejoin the race afterwards.

During a safety car phase, the cars may not be more than 5 car lengths apart. One lap before the safety car leaves the track, the orange lights on the roof of the car go out. From this point on, it is the responsibility of the race leader to control the speed up to the start-finish line.

If the weather conditions change and a safe race behind the safety car is no longer possible, the race will be interrupted by the race organisers. This interruption may last a maximum of 4 hours and 30 minutes. If this limit is exceeded, the race is automatically cancelled and half of the points are awarded in accordance with the regulations.

Each team must source its racing tyres from a certified supplier. Currently, the manufacturers Goodyear and Michelin are approved for the WEC. Michelin supplies Hypercar competitors while Goodyear supplies teams in LMGT3.

The number of usable dry tyres per race weekend is limited. These are counted per set of tyres, each consisting of two front and two rear tyres. The use of intermediate or wet tyres is only permitted in practice, qualifying or race after the race director has declared the track as “wet”. These special tyres are not limited per race weekend.

It is also be possible to choose different tyre specifications per race weekend. Hypercar teams may choose three dry-tyre compounds for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and two dry-tyre compounds for all other races. No more than three compounds can be chosen for the season. LMGT3 teams are limited to two dry-tyre compounds for the entire season.

The teams are only allocated a certain number of tyres for each race weekend. Special tyre restrictions apply to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

FP = Number of tyre sets for the free practice sessions
HP = Number of tyre sets for the hyperpole sessions
Q+R = Number of tyre sets for qualifying and races

Every car in motion must have two permanently lit front & rear lights. In rainy conditions, an additional rear light must be activated manually, which lights up brighter than the permanent rear light.

To make it easier for spectators to keep track of the race, there is a mandatory LED display panel on the sides of the cars. This shows the position of the car during the race and relevant information about the stop in the pit lane.

Should a collision result in a limit value (G-forces) being exceeded, a medical light is automatically triggered. If this is activated, the compulsory deployment of medical personnel on the track as well as a check in hospital will be necessary to avoid consequential damage.

The leading light is automatically activated as soon as a car has taken over the leading position in its class to make it easier for the spectators to keep an overview of the race. All hypercars with ERS (Energy Recovery System) are obliged to have their own ERS light on the vehicle. This lights up permanently green during the race. If it goes out or changes to red, there are technical problems with the ERS and a pit stop is mandatory on the next lap. Continuation of the race is only permitted when the light is green again.

In order to limit the costs of the Hypercar class, the number of operational staff permitted in each team is severely limited. Operational staff include team managers; engineering personnel, including Technical Director (race, performance, systems, engine, hybrid systems, strategy, aero, electronic engineers, etc.); mechanics, including composite specialists; telemetry, parts management personnel; weather forecasting and monitoring personnel; and tyre management personnel.

Operational staff restrictions are as follows:

Hypercar LMH, hybrid: 22 per car
Hypercar LMH, non-hybrid: 20 per car
Hypercar LMDh: 21 per car
LMGT3: 14 per car

Hypercar competitors running just one car are permitted one extra member of operational staff.

Non-operational staff with responsibility for hospitality, catering, motor home, marketing, media, PR, sponsoring, security, truck drivers without active duties in racing operations, drivers and their medical staff are exempt from these requirements.

The Balance of Performance allows the Endurance Committee to make changes to the cars in order to maintain equal opportunities in the Hypercar and LMGT3 classes despite different concepts.

The exact BoP measures are determined by an automated computer system. Without human intervention, this system independently issues adjustments and measures as a suggestion, which must be ordered by the race control.

The Hypercar BoP can be adjusted by means of any of the following factors:

• Minimum dry weight (without fuel or driver)
• Maximum power below 210 kph
• Minimum electric motor deployment speed
• Maximum stint energy
• Additional docking time during refuelling

The LMGT3 BoP can be adjusted through the following means:

• Minimum dry weight (without fuel or driver)
• Maximum power below 200 kph
• Power gain after 200 kph
• Maximum rear-wing angle
• Minimum ride height
• Maximum stint energy

The BoP adjustments are published online prior to each race. Examples of the BoP can be found here (Hypercar) and here (LMGT3), in this case for the 2024 1812km of Qatar.

A success ballast system is also applied the LMGT3 category. A maximum of 15kg can be added to the winners of the previous two races as well as the championship leaders. As an example, if a competitor wins two races in succession and also leads the championship at the time of race three, it will run with a success ballast of 45kg (15kg x 3). 10kg ballasts apply to second places and 5kg to third.

The current regulations specify areas where penalties must be imposed by the race control. These are, among others:

• Ignoring flags
• Unsporting behaviour
• Jump start
• Exceeding the maximum pit lane speed
• Perform start exercises during the formation lap
• Failure to maintain the minimum distance in the formation lap
• Unauthorised overtaking in the formation lap, in the rolling start and behind the safety car
• Causing an accident or a collision