With the introduction of technical regulations for hydrogen-powered prototypes for the FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours delayed to 2028, Toyota has revealed plans to race both its current GR010 HYBRID Hypercar and a first-generation hydrogen-powered prototype during the first season for the new regulations.
The current target for the manufacturers developing hydrogen-powered cars is to complete a partial season program in year one (2028), but as Toyota is already part of the WEC’s top class with its GR010 — a car now eligible to compete through the 2029 season following the recent rules extension — it will compete with both cars at the same time if it commits to racing with hydrogen technology.
“It depends on what the regulations allow us,” said Toyota Motorsports’ project leader John Litjens. “We will run them in parallel and we can adjust depending on how the development will go with the hydrogen car.”
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The next-generation regulations that will incorporate hydrogen — which is being put together via regular technical working group meetings — are not yet finalized, with many key decisions yet to be taken. Will both hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen combustion-powered cars be permitted? Will both gas and liquid storage options be allowed? How will pit stops, stint times and target lap times be handled? Will these cars be competing for overall wins before 2030, and will they compete in a class separate from the current Hypercar category?
Thierry Bouvet, the ACO’s director of competition, said at Le Mans last month that there is a desire for the regulations to be as open as possible.
“What we want to allow is the possibility for manufacturers to demonstrate their technologies,” he said. “It’s too early for details, we need to draw the big lines.”
Litjen expects there to be three races for hydrogen cars in the opening season.
“They always mentioned three events in the year and Le Mans was for sure one of them,” he said. “There will be a transition, that’s why they’ve extended the current regulations. It will depend on how good and quick the hydrogen cars are and even the other technologies. I think the next step for the FIA and ACO is to define the second-generation Hypercars and this may not only be hydrogen, but other fuels.
“Let’s see what the new generation will be. In the end, people think we go from the current Hypercars to only hydrogen cars, but I don’t think this will happen. I think what will come is a second generation of LMH. Some manufacturers want hydrogen, but others are focusing on different things, maybe different fuels. There’s still a lot to come.”
Litjens noted the prospects for developing cutting-edge high-performance hydrogen technology in time for 2028, following the series of delays from the original target of 2026, remain unclear.
“If everything goes well, if we get the regulations in time (then 2028 is realistic),” Litjens said. “In the end, the extension (to the current rules) has been done to give a bit more time for, let’s say, the ‘new generation.’ And the ‘new generation’ Hypercars can be different technologies like hydrogen. In the end, we will run these cars a bit longer — I don’t think it’s a big problem.”
Although the GR010 is the only car still racing from the Hypercar category’s inaugural season in 2021, Litjens said it would be too complicated to replace it alongside the new hydrogen system.
“It would be very difficult. That would be two kinds of car,” he noted. “We can think about performance evolution jokers (development performance upgrades), but to develop two full cars in parallel is not possible.
“What is not discussed yet is whether you also get more jokers or not. These things normally get discussed in the technical working groups and we didn’t have one after Le Mans, the next one is in September.”
The ACO had previously stated that two additional joker upgrades will also be permitted for the 2028 and ’29 seasons.