Verstappen and Wolff are not supporters of the Le Mans regulations.

Verstappen and Wolff are not supporters of the Le Mans regulations.

      "I believe they should refine the BOP a bit more."

      Toto Wolff, managing director of the Formula 1 team, has echoed rival Max Verstappen’s criticism regarding a key aspect of the World Endurance Championship. The four-time world champion, Verstappen, has increasingly indicated his interest in pursuing a career in GT and top prototype racing. Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko asserts that Verstappen, aged 27, will "definitely not" remain in Formula 1 into his 40s like Fernando Alonso.

      "If he steps away from Formula 1, he’ll likely consider Le Mans," Marko mentioned to Kleine Zeitung. "And the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, which he’s even more drawn to. However, it’s absurd that he can't race a top-tier car currently. It's just the German rules that disregard his status as a four-time world champion or that he set a lap record after only three laps in his first test. They won’t make exceptions for him," Marko continued. "He has to complete two tests or two races. But he will manage that."

      Regarding Le Mans, Verstappen has expressed that he's only truly interested if he can compete in the top category, which would involve the prototypes. However, he has voiced his discontent with the 'Balance of Performance' (BOP) regulations.

      "Right now, I think it's too soon for me to enter because of the new rules," Verstappen stated recently. "I believe they should improve the BOP considerably. It seems quite inconsistent at the moment." Verstappen also noted that, at 80kg in full racing gear, he would have "no chance" against lighter competitors. "I believe there should be a limit on that," he remarked, "since it affects lap times by several tenths."

      Currently, Ferrari and Alpine are competing at the highest tier in the WEC, and McLaren plans to join the top hypercar category by 2027.

      As for Mercedes, F1 team boss and co-owner Toto Wolff admitted that, like Verstappen, he is not a fan of the BOP rules.

      "You invest so much time, money, and effort to develop the fastest car, and then you're required to add 10 kilograms of ballast," he stated to Bloomberg. "I simply want to create the fastest car," Wolff added, advocating for an F1-style budget cap as a better approach for the Le Mans-focused category.

      "There are still regulations, but (in F1) there's no need to pretend in pre-season or qualifying. It’s competitive, it’s straightforward racing. If that were to happen, we would definitely consider Le Mans. But at the moment, with BOP—where an official decides you’re too quick, adding 10kg to your car while taking it away from someone else—it’s not suitable for us right now.

      "For now, our focus is on the main platform, which is Formula 1. It captures 99 percent of the audience, and everything else is secondary."

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Verstappen and Wolff are not supporters of the Le Mans regulations.

Formula 1 | Endurance | Toto Wolff has expressed his dislike for a fundamental aspect of the world endurance championship, joining rival Max Verstappen in this sentiment. (…)