Lequein, CEO of the series, stressed that he has "a lot of admiration and respect for the team”, which was missing from the 19-car Hypercar class field when the 2024 WEC entry list was published on Monday.
But he refused to go into detail why the entry for a solo Vanwall Vandervell 680 Le Mans Hypercar had been rejected by the selection committee made up of representatives of the co-organisers of the WEC, the FIA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
“I would prefer to have everyone on the grid, but we have a limited number of cars [37] we can accept, so we had to take some decisions,” said Lequein.
“I think we took some logical and right decisions even if they were not easy.
“I will not give too many comments on these decisions: we have to take our decision on different criteria, which are clearly written in the sporting regulations and for Vanwall Racing some of them were not okay.”
The four criteria for entries are laid down in the WEC sporting regulations: they are the track record of the entrant, its interest for the championship, regular participation in either the series or its blue riband round, the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the financial situation of the team with the organisers.
A competitor in the Hypercar class must also “submit a presentation dossier including information on the brand”, because the top class of the WEC is reserved for manufacturers of road cars.
Asked specifically about whether Vanwall met this criteria, Lequein refused to comment.
Source: Autosport