Verstappen and Wolff are not supporters of the Le Mans regulations.

Verstappen and Wolff are not supporters of the Le Mans regulations.

      "I believe they should refine the BOP a bit more."

      Toto Wolff, managing director of the Formula 1 team, has echoed rival Max Verstappen’s criticism regarding a key aspect of the World Endurance Championship. The four-time world champion, Verstappen, has increasingly indicated his interest in pursuing a career in GT and top prototype racing. Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko asserts that Verstappen, aged 27, will "definitely not" remain in Formula 1 into his 40s like Fernando Alonso.

      "If he steps away from Formula 1, he’ll likely consider Le Mans," Marko mentioned to Kleine Zeitung. "And the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, which he’s even more drawn to. However, it’s absurd that he can't race a top-tier car currently. It's just the German rules that disregard his status as a four-time world champion or that he set a lap record after only three laps in his first test. They won’t make exceptions for him," Marko continued. "He has to complete two tests or two races. But he will manage that."

      Regarding Le Mans, Verstappen has expressed that he's only truly interested if he can compete in the top category, which would involve the prototypes. However, he has voiced his discontent with the 'Balance of Performance' (BOP) regulations.

      "Right now, I think it's too soon for me to enter because of the new rules," Verstappen stated recently. "I believe they should improve the BOP considerably. It seems quite inconsistent at the moment." Verstappen also noted that, at 80kg in full racing gear, he would have "no chance" against lighter competitors. "I believe there should be a limit on that," he remarked, "since it affects lap times by several tenths."

      Currently, Ferrari and Alpine are competing at the highest tier in the WEC, and McLaren plans to join the top hypercar category by 2027.

      As for Mercedes, F1 team boss and co-owner Toto Wolff admitted that, like Verstappen, he is not a fan of the BOP rules.

      "You invest so much time, money, and effort to develop the fastest car, and then you're required to add 10 kilograms of ballast," he stated to Bloomberg. "I simply want to create the fastest car," Wolff added, advocating for an F1-style budget cap as a better approach for the Le Mans-focused category.

      "There are still regulations, but (in F1) there's no need to pretend in pre-season or qualifying. It’s competitive, it’s straightforward racing. If that were to happen, we would definitely consider Le Mans. But at the moment, with BOP—where an official decides you’re too quick, adding 10kg to your car while taking it away from someone else—it’s not suitable for us right now.

      "For now, our focus is on the main platform, which is Formula 1. It captures 99 percent of the audience, and everything else is secondary."

Other articles

Ted Kravitz to publish a book of memoirs about working in the pit lane Ted Kravitz to publish a book of memoirs about working in the pit lane Ted Kravitz, one of the popular Sky Sports F1 commentators, announced that his first book will be published in English-speaking countries in the fall, where he tried to cover all kinds of stories that took place in Formula 1 over the years, but often remained behind the scenes... Tost observes a threatening indication regarding Vasseur's departure from Ferrari. Tost observes a threatening indication regarding Vasseur's departure from Ferrari. Formula 1 | Frederic Vasseur appears to be genuinely in danger of losing his high-ranking position at Ferrari. This perspective comes from a former Formula 1 team principal (…) McLaren and SEGA become partners McLaren and SEGA become partners McLaren Racing has announced the signing of multi-year partnership agreements with the American division of the Japanese SEGA Corporation, one of the leaders in the global computer game industry... Elbon: Bangkok's highway is not like other urban ones Elbon: Bangkok's highway is not like other urban ones Last week it became known that the Thai government has allocated 1.23 billion US dollars to host the Grand Prix in Bangkok in 2028. Williams driver Alex Albon is involved in this project, and he told us some details in Spielberg. Austrian Grand Prix: Changes on the track and DRS zones Austrian Grand Prix: Changes on the track and DRS zones On the eve of the Austrian Grand Prix, the FIA spoke about the changes on the track and confirmed the location of the three DRS zones. FIA criteria for evaluating Formula 1 driving standards FIA criteria for evaluating Formula 1 driving standards As part of its decision transparency program, the FIA has published a complete set of guidelines for stewards to evaluate driver performance during Formula 1 weekends.

Verstappen and Wolff are not supporters of the Le Mans regulations.

Formula 1 | Endurance | Toto Wolff has expressed his dislike for a fundamental aspect of the world endurance championship, joining rival Max Verstappen in this sentiment. (…)