By Carlo Platella
The most important Balance of Performance of the season has arrived. The FIA and ACO have published the draft BoP for the next 24 Hours of Le Mans, to be evaluated in the tests scheduled for this week in France. He made his debut in the French marathon the new system discussed at the beginning of the yearbased on the introduction of a new parameter to equalize straight line speeds, overturning the Balance of Performance used up until Spa.
The task
Although all born from technical regulations that impose rigid performance windows, the various Hypercars and LMDhs present some differences from each other, also linked to the discrepancies between the real aerodynamic numbers and those measured in the wind tunnel at the time of homologation. The grid is thus made up of cars that are more efficient and faster in a straight line, but lacking in pure downforce compared to others.
So far the organizers have tried to iron out these differences using just two parameters. The minimum weight made it possible to compensate for the cornering performance of the cars with more aerodynamic load, while by acting on the maximum power the top speeds at the end of the straight were equalised. But it was about a very short blanketas weakening a car to brake it at high speeds ended up penalizing it throughout the traction and acceleration phase, when the aerodynamic aspect, however, is still secondary.
The new BoP
To get around the problem at Le Mans the maximum power adjustment will be split into two stages. Each car will have a certain power limit up to 250 km/h, above which a correction expressed as a percentage will be applied, with an increase or reduction in cavalry to balance top speeds. The result is a much more homogeneous BoP, where, with the exception of Porsche, Lamborghini and Isotta Fraschini, for all cars the maximum power below 250 km/h is between 507 and 509 kW.
The top speed of Ferrari, one of the most efficient cars ever on the straight, will be limited thanks to the depowering imposed above 250 km/h, when the 499P will have to give up 1.7% of the power, unlike Toyota which will acquire 0.9%. Of note is the 1.6% reduction imposed on Lamborghini, an interesting clue to the efficiency of the SC63. Not to be overlooked either is the new Peugeot, which suffers from a 0.9% reduction in power.
However, the weights also change. Ferrari and Toyota lose 10 kg compared to the last 6 hours of Spa, Porsche gains 5 while the 18 and 12 kg removed from Peugeot and Isotta Fraschini respectively stand out. Among the three manufacturers protagonists of this World Championship, Porsche remains the car with the best weight-power ratio, also the result of the LMDh platform without all-wheel drive. Ferrari, on the other hand, is the car that sees its relationship improving the most compared to Belgium, with the possibility of continuing to dream of a repeat victory in the Centenary.
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