Capacity grid for 2024 WEC season revealed

The entry list for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season has been revealed. It features 37 cars from 14 manufacturers across the two classes, with a record 19 cars in Hypercar and 18 cars confirmed for the first season of LMGT3.

In the top class, of the teams previously in the championship, Ferrari AF Corse, Peugeot TotalEnergies, Porsche Penske Motorsport and Toyota Gazoo Racing all return with two-car efforts. They are joined by a single Cadillac Racing V-Series.R, a single Proton Competition Porsche 963 and a privately-entered AF Corse Ferrari 499P.

Initially, there were suggestions that the third 499P would be entered via a collaboration with Richard Mille, following his GTE Am effort with AF Corse this season. However, it appears that Richard Mille backing for the car is now off the table.

Instead, the car is set to race with No. 83, with Robert Kubica, who signed with AF Corse last week, the only driver listed. RACER believes Yifei Ye will join the Polish ace, while multiple sources suggest that the full-season trio will be completed by Robert Shwartzman.

In addition, Hertz Team JOTA adds to the privateer pack, bringing a pair of 963s to the championship, scaling up from its single-car effort in 2023 which got underway at Spa-Francorchamps back in May.

The second Porsche will sport No. 12 as a nod to NFL legend Tom Brady’s shirt number – Brady is a key backer of Hertz Team JOTA’s Hypercar program – and has Will Stevens listed against it. The No. 38 sister car meanwhile has Oliver Rasmussen as the only named driver, the Dane carrying over from JOTA’s 2023 LMP2 program.

Adding to that, Iron Lynx brings a single Lamborghini SC63 to the championship, Alpine Racing has entered a pair of A424s, BMW Team WRT will run two M Hybrid V8s and Isotta Fraschini will be represented by a single Tipo 6 LMH Competizione.

The Lamborghini will race with No. 63, associated with the year that the Italian brand was founded (1963). Mirko Bortolotti is the only driver listed, but Iron Lynx confirmed that Daniil Kvyat will join him next season shortly after the list was published.

WRT’s BMWs feature Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde in their line-ups. That means that both Vanthoor and van der Linde brothers will race next year, as Laurens Vanthoor is confirmed in the No. 6 Penske Porsche and Kelvin van der Linde is listed at AKKODIS ASP in LMGT3.

The only other notable driver confirmations come at Isotta Fraschini, with 2023 ELMS LMP3 champion Alejandro Garcia and Isotta test regular Jean-Karl Vernay listed.

Notably, news broke ahead of the entry list revealed that Isotta’s Tipo 6 will not be run by Vector Sport next year, following a breakdown in the relationship between the two parties. French LMP2 outfit and LMP3 chassis supplier Duqueine is expected to run the car for its maiden campaign instead.

As a result, Vector will not have a presence in the FIA WEC next season and instead shift its focus to a planned ELMS LMP2 campaign.

Also absent from the list is the Vanwall Racing Vandervell 680, which underperformed throughout 2023 and has been denied an entry due to the 37-car cap and the late addition of a third Ferrari 499P.

The Vanwall Racing Vandervell 680 will not be on the 2024 WEC grid. Motorsport Images

LMGT3, meanwhile, features 18 cars spread across nine two-car teams from as many manufacturers.

Of the manufacturers with Hypercar programs, BMW (Team WRT), Corvette (via Cadillac with TF Sport), Ferrari (Vista AF Corse), Lamborghini (Iron Lynx and Dames), Porsche (Manthey Racing and Manthey PureRxcing) and Lexus (via Toyota with AKKODIS ASP Team) all bring cars to the category.

The remaining OEMs represented are Aston Martin, which brings a car apiece for Heart of Racing and D’Station Racing, Ford with Proton Competition and McLaren with United Autosports. A number of drivers have been confirmed too.

At Aston Martin, Ian James is listed with Heart of Racing and Marco Sorensen is down to race with D’Station Racing in the No. 777.