Ferrari considering Le Mans return

I read this on Autosport a few days ago. I didn't realise the new F1 engines fit with the new ACO regs for Le Mans (and therefore I assume WEC too?).

If so, and the engines look like they could be competitive, thats Renault, Ferrari, Mercedes and Honda all with Le Mans power units all ready to go. I know there is speculation around Nissan coming back to Le Mans too, which could quite concevably use the Renault F1 engine. Mercedes and Honda, who knows. But if Toyota and Nissan are in, can you see Honda not thinking about joining?

So in the next few years we could see an Audi vs Porsche vs Toyota vs Ferrari vs Nissan vs Honda battle in P1. Pretty sweet.

Also, I think this is a far more logical reason for Ferrari to have apparently run that F1 engine in the LaFerrari chassis ;).
 
I don't think McLaren are geared up to either fund or have capacity to manufacture and run an LMP1 team. Selling GT spec 12Cs is very different to running an LMP1 factory team.

It would also require Honda to want to enter, and I expect Honda may want their own name on any car being built if Toyota and Nissan are also on the grid. They may well pull on McLarens resources, but I'd say the chance of a McLaren badged LMP1 car is very slim at best.
 
Skeeter said:
It would also require Honda to want to enter
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Why couldn't McLaren develop their own engine? Or do you mean they couldn't due to your previous funding/capacity statement?

(BTW I'm totally with you in thinking they wouldn't go near LMP1)
 
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They would use their own engine I would imagin. I agree it is different to GT however, they absolutely love the fact that they won at the first/only attempt. They would LOVE to be able to do it again. I do not doubt that they will do it at some point, deff doesnt need Honda to be there.
 
Be nice to see 1,200bhp qualifying engines at Le Mans again and 230mph speeds on the straights....BETWEEN the chicanes!
 
Nismo said:
Why couldn't McLaren develop their own engine? Or do you mean they couldn't due to your previous funding/capacity statement?

(BTW I'm totally with you in thinking they wouldn't go near LMP1)
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The rumours around Ferrari are because F1 engines fit with LMP1 regulations. So the move into Le Mans would be driven by the engine manufacturers rather than the chassis maker. As McLaren are in bed with Honda from 2015 I doubt very much they would build their own engine for Le Mans to the same spec as one they already buy from Honda?

If McLaren go to Le Mans, I expect it will be as a development partner to a Honda driven project, rather than under their own steam.
 
I doubt a F1 engine would be able to hold out through a whole 24 hour race. Too highly strung. Current Le Mans engines look like donkeys in comparison, but only because they're built so much tougher.
 
With the regulations on Turbo charged engines they run a restrictor which limits power so the engine wouldn't be running at a high state of tune. WEEC/LM cars tend to run about 450-500HP due to this. Not sure how the ERS-K and ERS-H come into the LM Regs though.
 
The new ACO rules happened after the new F1 rules, as far as I know. So if anyone dif it on purpose, it was the ACO, and I expect they did as they are aware of the need to beef up P1.

I was chatting about this at work today and its actually one of the things I'm most excited about with the new F1 rules, oddly. To me Le Mans and endurance racing has always been a better home for energy recovery technology than sprint racing. Just the idea of Ferrari, McLaren, Honda, Renault, Porsche, Audi, Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes, and anyone else jumping in all competing for Le Mans glory make me happy :).
 
It won't be a road car. The engine regs align with the LMP1 prototype category. The McLaren P1 also doesn't fit in the GT category. McLaren could make the 12C into an LMGT car, but its aimed more at customer teams, and the 12C is already available as a GT3 spec car, and is doing well in that class across the globe.

As I've said previously I can't see McLaren taking on Le Mans alone, however if Honda want to join the party (and with Toyota and Nissan already in, its surely got to be something on the Honda heads desk) then McLaren are the logical partner to do it with. Honda's money and engine, McLarens brand and technical skills. Sounds like a great combination to me.
 
Yep. Wasn't something like half the P2 field Nissan powered last year?

I'm not too interested in the ZEOD con car they are running this year, but a proper P1 entry is going to be great. The more the merrier.
 
Skeeter said:
I'm not too interested in the ZEOD con car they are running this year, but a proper P1 entry is going to be great. The more the merrier.
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I'm quite interested to see how they go about it logistically and if it'll hold out the entire race. Not a lot of the garage 56 entries have made it very far recently so it'll be interesting to see how it fares.
 
Jonny69 said:
I'm quite interested to see how they go about it logistically and if it'll hold out the entire race. Not a lot of the garage 56 entries have made it very far recently so it'll be interesting to see how it fares.
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TBH, I hope it breaks down on the first lap and then falls to pieces. Its not Zero Emissions, and its not a Delta Wing, but it has basically killed the proper Delta Wing project just for a brief marketing exercise.
 
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