FIA approves multiple changes for 2018/19 WEC 'superseason'

The revisions in the sporting regulations conceived to make pitstops more dramatic were signed off by Wednesday's meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council for the superseason.

Also agreed was the idea for a full world title for LMP1 teams and changes to the scoring system, which will mean that double points will no longer be awarded at the Le Mans 24 Hours round.

The introduction of an LMP1 teams' classification, in place of the P1 manufacturers' championship, means that there will still be four world titles on offer in 2018/19.

It will join the existing LMP drivers' title and the GT drivers' and manufacturers' crowns.

An entry fee of €310,000 has been set for LMP1 teams.

The winners at Le Mans will now be awarded 38 rather than 50 points, which equates to one and half times the points on offer for a regular six-hour WEC race.

A multiplier of 1.25 will be used for the new Sebring 1500 Miles fixture, scheduled for March 2019, with 32 points being awarded to the winners.

The full points structures for Le Mans and Sebring have yet to be published.

Measures to ensure that non-hybrid privateer LMP1 machinery can compete with factory cars have also been signed off.

Ideas for a new breed of LMP1 car, which would allow manufacturers to style machinery after their high-performance road cars, was not put before the WMSC.

Further discussions are due to take place at a third round table meeting of interested parties imminently.

The eight-race superseason calendar, incorporating the 2018 and '19 editions of Le Mans, was also ratified.

WEC 2018/19 superseason calendar

May 5 (2018) Spa-Francorchamps
June 16-17 Le Mans 24 Hours
August 19 Silverstone
October 21 Fuji
November 18 Shanghai
March 16-17 (2019) Sebring (1500 miles)
May 4 Spa-Francorchamps
June 15-16 Le Mans 24 Hours