Instead of neutralising the race with the use of three safety cars, as has been the case in the World Endurance Championship’s blue riband event in recent years, a new procedure has been introduced this year that will see the whole field packed up behind a single safety car prior to each restart.
Additionally, any car that is behind the class leader in the safety car queue will be permitted to overtake the safety car, complete a lap and rejoin at the back of the pack, in similar fashion to the system used in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in America.
The cars will also perform a procedure called the ‘drop-back’ that will see the LMP2 and GTE Am runners separated from the Hypercars competing for overall honours.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe technical director Pascal Vasselon has previously made his displeasure with the new system clear, saying it risks devaluing a win by making the race “a bit of a lottery”.
Speaking to selected media, including Autosport, after the system was trialled during the official Le Mans test day on Sunday, Vasselon underlined his position and lamented what he feels is the “Americanisation” of the French endurance classic.
“The new safety car rule does not seem to us to correspond to the spirit of Le Mans,” Vasselon said.
“When you look back at what made Le Mans so great, it's precisely the opposite of this kind of artifice where, if you're not good at pitstops, if you make a mistake in strategy, it doesn't matter because the safety car will put everything back together.
“It's quite serious in terms of the state of mind: it's a big step towards the Americanisation of Le Mans and our opinion is that Le Mans shouldn't become Americanised. If it does, it's no longer Le Mans.”
Vasselon predicts that the new rules will reduce the incentive for teams to push throughout the duration of the race, creating a similar situation to IMSA’s Rolex 24 at Daytona – with the focus shifting from building an advantage to simply staying on the lead lap ready for a showdown in the closing stages.
Source: Autosport