Max Verstappen has ambitions to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours but reservations about the race’s controversial Balance of Performance rules.
The race is part of the World Endurance Championship. Under its Hypercar regulations, the rule makers specify different weight and power limits for the cars to equalise their performance. These are adjusted at several points during a season.
WEC has seen an influx of manufacturers under the rules. McLaren became the latest team to announce it will join the series in 2027, by which point 11 brands will be represented in the top class, including Ferrari, Aston Martin and Alpine.
Verstappen has often indicated his desire to enter the race but admits he is concerned the BoP rules could make car performance a lottery.
“I always try to watch it every single year,” he told Viaplay. “Of course, I would say back when Tom [Kristensen] was racing it was really cool with different manufacturers really pushing each other.
“Then there were a few years where it was a bit, I would say, boring up top. There was not that much competition. But now I feel like it’s getting back to that.
“Of course you have to deal with the BoP, so sometimes also you need to luck-in a little bit, but at least it’s amazing to see so many top-class cars racing.”
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Last year Verstappen said Le Mans needs to “sort out” the BoP rules before he would consider racing in the category.
The FIA forbids WEC drivers and other competitors from making any comments on the BoP rules which it considers an attempt to “influence” how far each car is handicapped. Last year the FIA fined Toyota €10,000, suspended for the remainder of the year, after a team member said the system was “not transparent,” adding that “in the future, honesty is required.”
A Ferrari won the race last weekend for the third year in a row since the manufacturer returned to the World Endurance Championship. Toyota’s cars finished fifth and 15th, and the team’s technical director David Floury reportedly made further veiled criticism of the BoP rules.
“On pure performance, there was no way we would compete,” he said. “There was never any potential. It was a two-class race: one with the cars with top speed and one with the cars with no top speed.
“Unfortunately we got the wrong ticket and we were in the second class with Cadillac and Aston Martin.”
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