WEC-World Endurance Championship

The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) is the world’s premier international sportscar championship. The WEC offers manufacturers a real-world relevance to advances in road car design and crossover technology, performance and safety.

Contested over eight rounds across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and the Middle East – there are races of varying distances, from the shortest at 6 hours to the longest at 24 hours. Round four of the WEC and the championship’s flagship race, the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, remains one of the world’s greatest sporting events.

With multiple cars racing simultaneously across two categories (Hypercar and LMGT3) coupled with the world’s best racing drivers, the WEC promises action and entertainment for fans worldwide. Don’t miss a minute of it!

What is The FIAWEC?

Established in 2012, the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) represents the international pinnacle of the long-distance discipline, in which races last anything from six hours up to 24.

The popularity of the pioneering series is evidenced by the sheer number of manufacturers involved – 13 in 2025, equating to no fewer than 36 entries from Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota, all of whom recognise the value of competing in a championship that helps to accelerate advances in technology, performance and safety for their road-going vehicles.

Freedom of design is a key part of the appeal, and with six different winners from eight races in both the headlining Hypercar category and supporting LMGT3 division in 2024, unpredictability comes as standard – offering up an irresistible challenge for competitors, and an unmissable experience for fans.

Contested across multiple continents, some of the world’s finest drivers do battle in Qatar, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, the USA, Japan and Bahrain, alongside the series’ flagship event in France in mid-June – the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, renowned as one of the sport’s very toughest tests. Such a diverse calendar guarantees FIA WEC’s stakeholders and partners intercontinental visibility in key regions around the world.

So buckle up and settle in, because if you’re after action and entertainment from the first lap to the chequered flag, you’ve come to exactly the right place!

The Hypercar Category

The Hypercar class is the top-tier in the FIA World Endurance Championship, pitting cutting-edge, purpose-built racing prototypes piloted by professional drivers against each other in a sensational spectacle of sporting prowess.

The regulations are focused on controlling performance, allowing participants to choose costeffective solutions since significant expenditure does not translate to performance gains – a strategy that ensures a level playing field across the grid.

After honours were shared evenly between Ferrari,Porsche and Toyota in 2024, another scintillating scrap for supremacy is on the cards in the 18-strong Hypercar division. In addition to last year’s title-winning and Le Mansconquering marques, Alpine, BMW and Peugeot are eager to build upon their promising progress by challenging for victory, Cadillac has doubled up to a two-car effort by joining forces with Hertz Team JOTA and Aston Martin enters the fray with a pair of striking Valkyries.

3 TITLES ARE UP FOR GRABS

Competitors do battle for the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship and FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, with privately entered outfits contesting the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams.

The LMGT3 Category

Replacing the long-standing LMGTE regulations, LMGT3 joined the FIA World Endurance Championship package in 2024 and proved to be an immediate success.

Based around the FIA’s global GT3 technical platform, the focus is on private teams and Pro-Am driver lineups, represented by a blend of emerging young talents and gentlemen drivers inside the cockpit. The cars – race-tuned versions of recognisable road-going models – feature a number of FIA WEC-specific adaptations such as digital display panels, and are all equipped with Goodyear tyres.

A category that debuted in FIA WEC in 2024 – with eight different brands celebrating podium finishes over the course of the campaign – looks set to go from strength to strength in 2025.

Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, McLaren and Porsche are all back for more, joined in the 18-car field by Mercedes- AMG. The German manufacturer is making its series debut and will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans – a race it won outright in both 1952 and 1989 – for the first time in more than two-and-a-half decades…

FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMGT3 TEAMS / FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMGT3 DRIVERS

While drivers in this category also do battle for the Goodyear Wingfoot Award, recognising the fastest average lap times during the course of their stints behind the wheel in each race – with an overall champion come season’s end.

Race Weekend Format

FREE PRACTICE

Before qualifying, there are practice sessions where teams can test the car, adjust settings, and assess track conditions.

QUALIFYING & HYPERPOLE

For 2025, an enhanced qualifying format will see Hypercar and LMGT3 classes feature two sessions each. Both classes will have a 12-minute qualifying followed by a 10-minute-long Hyperpole for the top 10 qualifiers that will decide the pole position winners.

POLE POSITION

The pole position is the first position on the starting grid of the race. It is awarded to the driver who sets the fastest time during Hyperpole, meaning they start at the front of the race.

FIA Driver Categorisation

According to their race record and achievements, the drivers of the FIA ​​​​World Endurance Championship (WEC) are categorized by a dedicated committee of the FIA ​​​​as follows: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Hypercar: No Bronze drivers admitted

LMGT3: A crew of two or three drivers including at east one Bronze driver, plus another Bronze driver or a Silver driver

PLATINUM DRIVER

A Platinum driver is the highest category in the FIA driver classification, and it includes the most experienced and highest-performing drivers in the motorsport world.

These drivers are often living legends of the sport, with highly successful international careers. They have exceptional experience in high-level races, including competitions like Formula 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, or other prestigious endurance events.

GOLD DRIVER

A Gold driver is a very high-level driver. These drivers are often those who have dominated prestigious championships like Formula 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, or other major series. They are considered world-class athletes, capable of performing at very high levels, even in the most demanding races.

SILVER DRIVER

A Silver driver has significant experience but are still considered to have areas to improve compared to the world’s best drivers (Gold and Platinum). A Silver driver may have good results in lower-tier series but still lacks consistency or exceptional performance on the global stage. They may also be a young driver starting to climb the ranks in motorsport.

BRONZE DRIVER

A Bronze driver is generally a less experienced driver, often older or who has not yet reached a skill level comparable to that of more experienced drivers. The FIA assigns this category to drivers who do not have impressive results in major international races or lack significant performance statistics in high-level series. Bronze drivers are often considered beginners or amateurs in the professional setting.

Biofuel

In 2022, the FIA WEC adopted a new fuel (Excellium Racing 100) which is now in its fourth year of competition. This 100% renewable fuel produced by TotalEnergies will be produced on bioethanol basis made from wine residues from the French agricultural industry, and from ETBE produced at TotalEnergies' Feyzin refinery near Lyon (France) from feedstock also sourced from the circular economy. This will allow for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings of at least 65% compared with traditional fossil fuels.