Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsLotus F1

Engine regulations mean an F1 car could complete Le Mans

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A current Formula One car would have the ability to complete the Le Mans 24 Hours, according to Lotus technical director Nick Chester.

The flagship World Endurance Championship (WEC) race takes place today at the Circuit de la Sarthe, with F1 interest heightened further than usual by the participation of Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg for Porsche.

With four different categories - LMP1, LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am - all taking place within the same race, Chester says modern F1 regulations mean a 2015 car would be able to complete the full 24 hours if required.

"It would be a lot of fun and I’d love the challenge of engineering an F1 car for a 24 hour race," Chester said. "The current engine regulations mean we have an engine and gearbox which could cover the race distance and that certainly wasn’t the case in the past.

"The current F1 car could go in an endurance race such is the performance life of so many of the parts these days. In the past with the V8s and older gearboxes, you wouldn’t have the durability. Maybe it’s something we should talk to the ACO about…"

Ferrari is the only manufacturer represented in both F1 and the WEC at present, with AF Corse running in the GT classes.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.