What information do the new LED panels provide in WEC?

This is one of the new rules in the sporting regulations of the World Championship.Endurance 2025. From now on, multi-colored LED display panels, positioned on the sides of the cars, are mandatory. We were able to see them in action from the Prologue, held on Friday and Saturday on the Losail International Circuit (Qatar).

These new displays make it possible to transmit at least four types of essential information:

• The category the car belongs to (Hypercar or LMGT3).
• His position in the ranking of his category.
• The remaining energy for the current relay.
• The duration of the pit stop.

The sporting regulations, in its article 6.4.4, stipulate that these panels must be functional at all times during the competition, in accordance with the specifications of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). In the event of a malfunction, the stewards may apply a penalty at their discretion.

Examples of displays observed during the WEC Prologue

Photo: DPPI

In the image above, the Peugeot 9X8 n°94 of Loïc duval, Malthe Jakobsen and Stoffel Vandoorne display their category under the abbreviation “HYPCAR” on their LED panel.

Photo: DPPI

Photo: DPPI

One of the main interests of this novelty is the possibility to display the position of the car in the ranking in real time. For example, this is visible above on theAlpine A424 n°36 of Mick Schumacher, Frédéric Makowiecki and Jules Gounon, as well as on theAston Martin Valkyrie #009 by Alex Riberas, Marco Sørensen and Roman De Angelis. The position of the panel can vary depending on the manufacturer, some placing it towards the front, others towards the back, but it always remains on the sides of the vehicle.

Photo: DPPI

Photo: DPPI

Another interesting feature for the race discovered during the Prologue: the display of the remaining energy consumption per relay. This data, often visible as a percentage on television, appears here in the form of a gauge that gradually empties over the course of the relay.

Photo: DPPI

Photo: DPPI

When passing through the pit lane, the panel also displays the duration of the stop. The timer starts when the car stops at its location and stops as soon as it starts moving again.

This information will also be visible on LMGT3 category cars, as shown in the example below with the Porsche 911 GT3 R No. 85 of the Iron Dames.

Photo: DPPI

Photo: DPPI

Photo: DPPI

Photo: DPPI

Photo: DPPI

It is not yet clear how the change of display is decided during the session.

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