Porsche, Toyota LMP1 squads won't build new WEC chassis before 2020

On the day that both LMP1 teams launched their 2017 challengers at Monza ahead of the two-day Prologue test, it was confirmed that Toyota would remain involved in the series at least until 2019.

Porsche's WEC programme currently expires after 2018, with its initial three-year commitment having been extended by another two years in 2015.

New LMP1 regulations were due to come into force in 2018, featuring more hybrid power, but have been pushed back to at least 2020 in the wake of Audi's withdrawal from the class at the end of last season.

Talks are ongoing between existing participants and series organisers to determine exactly how these should look, but Porsche team principal Andreas Seidl confirmed that his team has made a "gentleman's agreement" with Toyota not to introduce a new chassis before then.

"At the moment we are discussing the 2020 regulations with Toyota, the FIA and the ACO; Peugeot is on board as well in these discussions," said Seidl.

"Up to the end of 2019, we made a gentleman's agreement [with Toyota] that we keep the same monocoque.

"It means the monocoque we have now will be used in 2018 and 2019."

For Porsche, which last introduced a new chassis in 2015, it means the current monocoque will be in use for five-straight seasons, while by 2019 the current Toyota chassis will be in its fourth year of use.

Seidl stressed that the agreement between Porsche and Toyota wouldn't hurt the competition between the two brands, and not overly compromise future performance gains.

"We both think that between the two monocoques we have, there is not much difference between aero freedom and weight," he continued.

"That's why we came to this agreement.

"There is still enough freedom to create technical diversity with these regulations.

"In the end I don't think it will hurt the competition or the technical development of the cars.

"I think it's a reasonable agreement."