WEC | Vosse Charges: “WRT-BMW Program Is Crazy, But It Works!”

Valentino Rossi had jokingly told us when we met him in Imola for the WEC race: “I stopped riding motorbikes because I was racing too much, but these guys from WRT are on the track every weekend… they’re crazy!”

And in fact – jokes aside – that’s exactly how it is, because the team directed by Vincent Vosse has always set foot on all the circuits in the world since it was set up and has grown enormously, until it first became the reference point for Audi Sport and today has become the official team of BMW M Motorsport.

It must also be said that the Belgian team principal is a former driver with a visionary mind always ready to give ideas and surprises that underline his great passion for motorsport, so much so that in 2024 he not only continued the adventure in the GT World Challenge Europe with his M4 GT3 between Sprint and Endurance, but also took on the WEC challenge (which he had already begun to tread in LMP2) with the BMW Hybrid V8 in the HYPERCAR class, combining the program with two cars in LMGT3.

In short, there is a lot of meat on the fire that is still being cooked because the season is far from over, with commitments in the Intercontinental GT Challenge and in Macau to tackle in the coming weeks.

Motorsport.com and other journalists had the opportunity to talk about this and more with Vosse during the Monza round, taking stock of the situation with one race left in the Endurance World Championship, where the Bavarian LMDh has just achieved its first podium at Fuji.

Vincent, it’s safe to say that it’s a good season so far…
“Yes, although the end is still far away because there are several races to go, such as the WEC in Bahrain, then Barcelona and Jeddah of the GTWC Endurance, Indianapolis of the IGTC and Macao. In short, there are quite a few and it is difficult to say today if the season has gone well because we are still in an open fight almost everywhere”.

How important was it to get your first WEC podium at Fuji?
“Very nice, a relief because, obviously, there was a lot of pressure on everyone involved in the project, starting with BMW and then WRT and we risked feeling it. But we have made progress, we can and must make more and we want to do it quickly. We had difficulties, Le Mans was certainly very disappointing, but also in Brazil we suffered a lot over the weekend. In Austin the performances shown were excellent, almost reaching the podium and having some problems afterwards. In Fuji we always fought at the front, despite the Safety Cars taking away the advantage we had built up. We were even in front for 20″, unfortunately there was contact between Marciello and the Cadillac and then we lost at least 6 laps in terms of refueling strategy. But we have to accept it, we are sorry for the #20 which could have achieved a similar result if it had not had an initial contact”.

Double podium, because in LMGT3 the #46 reached third place…
“The race in GT was also very good, even though we were not at all in line with the others in terms of performance. But we fought with all the little things we could do and I have to say that the team, drivers, engineers, strategy were perfect, obtaining the maximum possible result in those conditions”.

#15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Dries Vanthoor, Raffaele Marciello, Marco Wittmann, #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries

Photo by: Andreas Beil

How much have you learned about LMDh since the start of the season?
“We have been using the car for over a year and have made more than one step forward, even very important ones that have helped us to know it better both from our point of view and from the drivers’ point of view. It is not just one aspect that changes your life, but many small details that, when put together, have given us the opportunity to grow well”.

How important was it to have data from Team RLL which made its IMSA debut last year with the M Hybrid V8?
“Every piece of information is very important for the program, we work very closely together and also from WRT we share information with BMW and RLL. It’s a continuous flow from both sides.”

Between HYPERCAR, LMGT3 and other activities, it’s a year of learning and great commitments for you…
“Yes, it’s a big challenge and obviously it’s not easy for any of our guys. We came back from Fuji straight to Monza, in two weeks we’ll be in Indianapolis and in the week after that we’ll have Barcelona. I know it’s a bit crazy, but it works!”

#32 Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3: Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde, Charles Weerts

Photo by: Paolo Belletti

You will also do Macau…
“Exactly, another great challenge that we had last year going well with Sheldon Van Der Linde, before he suffered a puncture. We will try again with two cars driven by two very strong drivers, but let’s leave it to BMW to communicate them”.

In short, you always try to learn and adapt…
“Yes, but as I said before, you can’t do everything in one day. Our collaboration with BMW is going very well and is continuing one step at a time. Even in GT it’s a constant learning; let’s not forget that the M4 is a very different car compared to what we had before. In the end the key word remains learning, that’s all.”

The M4 GT3 EVO will arrive next year, will we see some evolution on the LMDh too?
“I would say no and I don’t think we need them at the moment.”

In 2025, do you plan to continue with a program similar to that of 2024 between prototypes and GT?
“Everything is still up for discussion, but the goal is to continue doing the same things as today.”

#46 Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3: Raffaele Marciello, Maxime Martin, Valentino Rossi

Photo by: Paolo Belletti

Could there be a third LMDh at Le Mans?
“I think that today it is not our priority. What we want is to confirm what we saw at Fuji also in Bahrain and get everything that will be possible and useful to do better next year.”

Do you think Bahrain could be favorable for your car?
“Of course we will have some pressure, we have been to Sakhir in the past with LMP2 four times and we have won on all occasions. So I think it is normal that everyone is under pressure!”

Do you already know what Valentino Rossi’s program could be in 2025?
“For the moment we are analyzing different options, he also has to evaluate what he prefers to do, so there is no official confirmation yet. But he will certainly continue to race with us, he is part of the family and we will continue the work together. We are very happy to have him in the team”.