WEC: record numbers in Hypercar and LMGTE Am headline 2023 entry list

The 11^th season of the FIA World Endurance Championship will feature an impressive 13 Hypercar entries, with involvement from a total of nine manufacturers highlighting the continued growth of the world’s premier international sportscar championship.

A host of new names will also join the WEC this year including former Formula 1 drivers, Antonio Giovinazzi and Jacques Villeneuve.

The 2023 FIA WEC season will see a total of 38 full-season entrants from 12 different countries plus a record number of teams competing in the Hypercar and LMGTE Am categories.

The introduction of the Hypercar class in 2021 has ushered in a new golden era for the WEC, with multiple manufacturers (Cadillac, Ferrari, Glickenhaus, Peugeot, Porsche, Toyota and Vanwall) pledging their support to the series. Over the course of the last 12 months year the WEC Hypercar field has more than doubled with a total of 13 entries in 2023 (going up from six in 2022).

The 2023 entry list looks stronger than ever – global manufacturers are coupled with world-class teams and motorsport powerhouses such as Penske Motorsport. On top of that is an impressive roster of drivers who have vast experience from various motorsport disciplines.

The 11^th season of the WEC will also be memorable as the 24 Hours of Le Mans – the jewel in the WEC calendar – is set to celebrate its centenary year. The championship also returns to North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia as part of an expanded calendar of seven races for 2023 (Sebring, Portimao, Spa-Francorchamps, Le Mans, Monza, Fuji and Bahrain).

FACTS AND FIGURES OF THE ENTRY LIST

• Thirty-eight entries representing 12 nations: Italy (9), Germany (7), USA (6); Great Britain (4), France (4), Japan (3), Belgium (2), Canada (1). Switzerland (1), Poland (1), Austria (1), Oman (1) 
• 13 entries in Hypercar, 11 in LMP2, 14 in LMGTE Am 
• 2023 sees the highly-anticipated arrival of Hypercar entries from global manufacturers Cadillac, Ferrari and Porsche
• Total of nine manufacturers represented across all categories (Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche, Toyota, Glickenhaus, Vanwall, Chevrolet and Aston Martin)
• Record number of LMGTE Am entries in WEC history (14 entries)
• Four female drivers featured on WEC entry list (Prema Racing in LMP2; Iron Dames both in LMGTE Am) and maybe more to come before Sebring

HYPERCAR

• Ferrari and Porsche transfer their factory racing efforts from LMGTE Pro to Hypercar for 2023
• The new Ferrari 499P enters the WEC 50 years after the 312 P made its last appearance in the WEC’s premier class 
• Reigning World Champions Toyota Gazoo Racing to field two Toyota GR010 Hybrids with an unchanged driver line-up for 2023
• Peugeot TotalEnergies submit two Peugeot 9X8 Hybrid Hypercars as French manufacturer embarks on second WEC season
• Porsche Penske Motorsport enter the WEC with two of their highly-anticipated Porsche 963 Hypercars. Driving the No. 5 car will be Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen and Frederic Makowiecki while the No. 6 car sees Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor at the wheel
• Ferrari AF Corse embark on Hypercar campaign with two Ferrari 499P cars. Former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi to drive the No. 51 car alongside stalwarts Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado. The sister No. 51 car has Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen listed to drive
• Cadillac Racing also joins the WEC’s headline category in 2023 with its Cadillac V-LMDh and its trio of drivers: Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook
• Glickenhaus Racing returns with one Glickenhaus 007 LMH entry with Romain Dumas named to drive for the American squad
• Floyd Vanwall Racing Team will join the fray with a Vanwall Vandervell 680. Driving the new-for-2023 machinery will be former F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, Esteban Guerrieri and Tom Dillmann
• Two privately run Porsche 963 entries also to compete in Hypercar category: the first is Hertz Team JOTA featuring Yifei Yi with Proton Competition fielding the other Porsche and Gianmaria Bruni named to drive

LMP2

• Eleven entries in LMP2 from six different nations (Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, Poland and USA)
• Impressive roster of driver names from various motorsport disciplines including newcomers such as current F2 driver Juan Manuel Correa and F1 reserve driver, Pietro Fittipaldi. Also on the LMP2 driver list is a number of successful endurance racing names including Filipe Albuquerque, Oliver Jarvis, Phil Hanson, Tom Blomqvist, Mathieu Vaxiviere and Andre Negrão
• Team WRT, Alpine Elf Team, United Autosports and Prema Racing all enter two-car campaigns
• After a spectacular season last year with Iron Dames in LMGTE Am, French female driver Doriane Pin steps up to LMP2 to compete in an Oreca 07 LMP2 with Prema Racing
• United Autosports once again fields youngest-ever WEC competitor and current record-holder for the youngest person to finish the 24 Hours of Le Mans: 17-year-old Josh Pierson

LMGTE Am

• Record-breaking LMGTE Am field comprising of 14 entries (up from 13 last year)
• Four global marques: Porsche (6), Ferrari (4), Aston Martin (3) and Chevrolet (1)
• After making a welcome return to WEC in LMGTE Pro last year, Corvette Racing will compete in GTE Am for 2023 with USA’s Ben Keating fronting the team
• All-female line-up as No. 85 Iron Dames entry returns with Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey
• After two full seasons in LMP2, Richard Mille Racing joins AF Corse for 2023 to create a new LMGTE Am entry with Luis Perez Companc listed to drive the Ferrari 488 GTE Pro
• Highly-successful GTE Am team TF Sport rebrands to ORT by TF for 2023, with Oman-based driver Ahman Al Harthy joining Michael Dinan and Charlie Eastwood in the Aston Martin Vantage AMR
• Return of several familiar teams such as AF Corse, Dempsey-Proton Racing, Team Project 1, Iron Lynx, Kessel Racing, D’Station Racing and GR Racing​​​​

Richard Mille, FIA Endurance Commission President, said: “The sheer number of entries across the field underlines the growth and appeal of the FIA World Endurance Championship year on year. The Hypercar class has reached the point that we envisaged in the early days of developing this concept, with 13 entries from seven different automotive brands. The LMP2 class continues to be a highly-competitive platform, while the move to a single GT class is a step in the right direction that lays the right foundations for the future of GT racing in the world’s premier endurance series. I’m convinced that 2023 will mark the beginning of a new golden era in the history of the FIA WEC.”

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, said: “The FIA World Endurance Championship is about to embark on one of its most thrilling seasons ever. Seven manufacturers are lining up on the 13-car Hypercar grid. The season comprises the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary, eagerly awaited by motorsports fans all over the world. See you at Sebring on 11 March for the Prologue to this fantastic season.”

Frédéric Lequien, CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship, said: “It is truly fantastic to see the WEC and sportscar racing overall going from strength to strength. I’d like to take this opportunity to offer a very warm welcome to our friends at Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche and Vandervell who join our Hypercar class this year – it’s a huge honour to have so many global car manufacturers committing to the WEC and putting their trust in our championship. It’s also very encouraging to see strong entries in LMP2 as well as a record LMGTE Am field too – the WEC is shaping up for its best season to date.”