Credits: IMAGO Motorsport Images

Max Verstappen is arguably the greatest driver in the history of single-seater motor racing. After winning three consecutive world titles in Formula 1, the Red Bull driver has on occasion expressed his desire to try a hand at endurance racing.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the crown jewel of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Naturally, the #1 driver is keen to conquer one of the most iconic races in the entire history of motorsport. But there is one WEC regulation that is stopping the Red Bull driver from tackling the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Verstappen‘s reason to stay away from racing at Le Mans, for the moment, is two-fold. Firstly, he wants to see how the latest Hypercar regulations pan out.

Only introduced in 2023, the new ‘Formula’ is still in its nascent stages. From what we know about the Dutchman, if he will dip his toes in the world of endurance racing, he will want to be competitive from the get-go.

The second issue that may prevent Verstappen from competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the Balance of Performance (BoP) rule. The 26-year-old, in the past, has explained these two concerns as being the reason he is still not ready to compete at the highest level of endurance racing.

Motorsport.com quoted the three-time F1 champion as saying, “I don’t want to rush into a decision… With those new cars, I think it will take at least another one or two years before it’s all better understood because at the end of the day, it is still a Balance of Performance story and that makes it difficult.”

But what is Balance of Performance and why is it such a controversial rule in the world of endurance racing?

What is Balance of Performance?

The technical rule set under the World Endurance Championship is ‘looser’ than what we see in Formula 1. This means that different manufacturers will run different configurations of bodywork and power units.

For instance, at the 92nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Cadillac Hypercar entry is running a monster 5.5 Litre Naturally Aspirated V8 power unit whilst the Peugeot 9X8 is powered by only a 2.6 Litre Twin-Turbo V6. These differences in specifications can mean a big gap in terms of performance for the two sides.

The Balance of Performance or BoP regulation is introduced to counteract this performance difference. In essence, BoP is a set of technical adjustments that work around the concepts of weight (+/- of ballast) and power (+/- of horsepower) to level the playing field between competitors on the track.

According to WEC, “The purpose of BoP is to balance the cars’ performance potential.” BoP regulations are only applicable to the Hypercar and LMGT3 entries (the LMP2 entries being a spec Oreca 07 chassis and only run during Le Mans are not subjected to BoP).

BoP is applied and calculated as a three-step mechanism. Firstly, the cars are judged on homologation parameters, that is certain aerodynamic spec. Then, there is manufacturer compensation which is based on each manufacturer’s in-race data collected over several rounds.

Lastly, BoP is also based on platform equivalence. This is only applicable to Hypercars and not the LMGT3 entries. This is because the Hypercars run within one of two regulations – the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) or the Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh).

Why is BoP so controversial?

The Balance of Performance regulations have always been the focal point of controversy in major racing series. This concept has been used not only in endurance racing but also in other racing disciplines such as British GT and DTM. But the stakes are always much higher in a race like Le Mans.

Verstappen’s criticism of the concept of BoP finds credence in last year’s Le Mans outcome. One of the biggest pain points that fans have had with BoP is that it can affect the outcome of races substantially.

Last year, Ferrari’s return to the biggest stage of endurance racing was a triumph. Ferrari debuted their 499P hypercar at Le Mans and won the race.

However, they had a 13 KG advantage as the BoP regulations dictated that the 2022 winners Toyota be fitted with a heavier ballast (36KGs). This cost the Japanese manufacturers a whopping 1.2 seconds per lap.

Balance of Performance is not going to leave the endurance racing scene anytime soon. And for the moment, Max Verstappen is focused on maximizing his world championship tally in Formula 1.