What F1 can learn from Le Mans
After making his return to the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time since 2005, Grand Prix Editor EDD STRAW argues that sportscar racing could hint at the right framework for F1's future regulations
The success of the World Endurance Championship since its inception in 2012 has increasingly been used as a stick to beat Formula 1 with over the past year.
This tribal polarisation is a counterproductive way to look at two of motorsport's crowning glories - world championships for grand prix cars and topline endurance machinery - as real motorsport fans should revel in both being strong.
But setting aside the tiresome polemics, it is worth asking whether there is something that can be learned from sportscar racing - especially against the background of F1's growing identity crisis.
A trip to cover the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time since 2005 (a lengthy absence owing more to circumstances than a lack of interest) is the ideal opportunity to do this.
The most striking comparison is the diversity in the engines. While F1 mandates a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 with energy recovered both from the rear brakes and the turbo, LMP1 offers more choice. As a result, the three LMP1 manufacturers all have different engine configurations.
The Toyota TS040 Hybrid has a 3.7-litre normally-aspirated petrol V8 with energy recovery systems harvesting from both axles and stored using a super capacitor. This results in a power unit that, when full electrical energy is deployed, puts out 1000bhp with all-wheel-drive.
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