By Carlo Platella
The WEC returns to the track two weeks after the victory of the #83 Ferrari in Austin, which benefited from the penalty served by the #7 Toyota which nevertheless expressed a convincing pace. A finding that the FIA and ACO took into account when drafting the BoP for the 6 Hours of Fuji, without ignoring the profound differences between the two tracks. The new Balance of Performance now questions Toyota’s superiority on the home track, which has continued uninterruptedly since 2016.
The World Challenge
The impression that emerges from observing the BoP for Fuji is that Ferrari has been chosen as a reference for the corrections to be made to the rest of the grid, maintaining the same parameters assigned to the 499P in Austin. Toyota on the other hand has to deal with significant restrictions, with a limitation of 6 kW on the maximum power and 5 kg more on the minimum weight, now reaching 1070 kg. The weight-to-power ratio increases accordingly, marking a new record difference in the comparison with Ferrari. The previous record gap was 0.015 kg/kW in favor of the 499Ps at Spa, while now the advantage for the Reds has quadrupled, reaching 0.060 kg/kW. A difference that on a track like Fuji can be worth up to 4 tenths per lap.
The parameters also change for Porschewhich gains competitiveness compared to Ferrari and Toyota. The 963s gain 3 kW of maximum power, also shedding 4 kg from the minimum weight. Also in this case the gap with the competition is record, with an advantage in the weight-to-power ratio of 0.061 kg/kW compared to the Maranello Reds. Overall, the BoP sees the differences between the leading manufacturers increase compared to the beginning of the year, also thanks to the exit of Isotta Fraschini which has offered the FIA and ACO a wider range to balance the group.
Peugeot boost
As for the rest of the grid, Lamborghini continues with the same values as Austinbeing already at the limit of the BoP operating window. It is slowly getting closer to it again too Peugeotwhich with the 7 kg less granted for the Fuji drops to the minimum regulatory weight of 1030 kg, which is accompanied by the 4 kW of maximum power increase. Cadillac, for its part, reaches the maximum ceiling of 520 kW thanks to the 2 kW more. Finally, it is worth mentioning the 7 kg less for the BMWs, while Alpine, the most convincing among the new manufacturers, enjoys 3 kW of extra power.
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