The main lines of the 2020 regulations clarified

The traditional press conference of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, held this Friday on the sidelines of 24 Hours of Le Mans 2018, revealed the highly anticipated details regarding the future technical regulations for 2020, which must be completed by the end of November.

As we have been indicating for several weeks in our columns, the prototypes will be inspired by hypercars, so that fans can better identify the brands involved.

The cars will have two seats in a cockpit, the volume of which will be increased. The windshield should see its dimensions increase, and the total mass should be 980 kg, with a distribution of masses which will be regulated.

The engine architecture will be free with a single KERS hybridization system implemented on the front axle, offering 200 kW (or around 5 MJ of possible regeneration) and allowing four-wheel drive. Lap times are estimated at 3'20 on the Le Mans circuit.

The budget will also be reduced to a quarter of what is currently in force in LM P1 (i.e. around 30 million euros). The cars and technology may well be acquired by private teams. The regulation should be stable for five years, as indicated by the President of the Commission Endurance Richard Mille.

The name of this category, which should be in force at least until 2024, has not yet been decided, with discussions still ongoing. Fans will also be consulted for this name.

Hydrogen in focus

In 2024, a Fuel Cell – Hydrogen category must be established. A working group made up of members of the ACO and the FIA ​​already works regularly with many particularly sensitive and active contacts on the subject.  

eSports enters the scene

The Le Mans eSports Series has also been revealed. A new program dedicated to virtual competitions on Forza Motorsport on Xbox (registration on lemansesports.com) will be launched to try to reach a new generation of fans. An online championship parallel to the Super-Season will be launched, and the best will meet at Le Mans in 2019 for the grand final.

In addition, on each continent, a round will be organized on each continent. Fuji for Asia, Birmingham in Europe, and Sebring in the USA. The best competitors from this other championship will also meet in the grand finale of Le Mans in June 2019. More details will be given at Silverstone in August.

The FA Racing team Fernando Alonso will be involved.