Pierre Fillon, president of Le Mans organiser and WEC promoter the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, has stated that he believes that the new target of 2026 outlined in the week of this year’s edition of the French enduro in June is looking increasingly impractical.
“It is not realistic [for 2026],” said Fillon.
“We have to spend some time on the safety, and it is longer than we expected.
“I think ’27 is more realistic.”
Hydrogen fuel cell prototypes were originally slated to be allowed at Le Mans from 2024 with a one-make chassis co-developed by Red Bull Advanced Technologies and ORECA, though this was subsequently pushed back to 2025.
The ACO and the FIA, which jointly run the WEC, updated their plans for the alternative fuel at this year’s running of the French enduro.
It was announced that internal combustion engined-prototypes powered by hydrogen would be allowed to race against fuel cell machinery, with the confirmation of a new start date in 2026.
The idea is that hydrogen-fuelled cars will be able to compete for overall victory in the Hypercar class alongside Le Mans Hypercar and LMDh machinery.
June’s news coincided with the announcement of Toyota’s intent to compete at the pinnacle of endurance racing with a combustion-engined hydrogen prototype and the unveiling of a mock-up of a development car known as the GR H2 on the Friday of race week.
Source: Autosport