Yahoo Autos Lamborghini looking to end FIA WEC program ahead of the 2025 season
After a single season of competition in both Hypercar and LMGT3 with Iron Lynx, RACER expects that Lamborghini will not be represented on the FIA WEC grid at all next year.
This comes after weeks of non-committal responses, and more recently, a clear increase in the level of irritation felt by the Iron Lynx race team at the continued uncertainty.
While the brand’s exit from the Hypercar class has been on the cards for a number of months, its departure from the LMGT3 ranks is a somewhat newer revelation. It is in part a consequence of a significant division between the manufacturer and its 2024 WEC service supplier Iron Lynx (branding a PREMA technical support crew).
However, it is expected that the SC63, which has been testing in Bahrain this week, will continue on in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, although it is not clear which service provider will run the effort. A single-car entry in the Michelin Endurance Cup had already been announced, and that might well be expanded and extended to a full-season entry for the whole season with a second car in the longer races.
As RACER has previously written, Lamborghini is having to deal with a “perfect storm” scenario, as beyond the strained relationship with Iron Lynx, the SC63 also requires significant development work after a rushed homologation process following a car-destroying accident in an early program test. This coincides with the introduction of the FIA WEC’s new two-car mandate for Hypercar manufacturers in 2025.
While there have been question marks over Lamborghini’s Hypercar program for some time, it now seems that the LMGT3 side of the operation will also close down. JEP/Motorsport Images
The LMGT3 program, meanwhile, has proved to be disappointing for the outfit in WEC in 2024, with just a single class podium across the season.
The Iron Dames project, which had previous race-winning form in GTE AM, will switch to Porsche machinery in 2025 with Manthey in the WEC.
If confirmed, it places Lamborghini in a difficult position for the future. By giving up its spaces on the grid for 2025 there is no guarantee that there will be room to accommodate its forthcoming Huracan GT3 successor, which is expected to debut in 2026 – just at the point when the new Genesis Hypercar is expected to be added to the FIA WEC field.
In the meantime, this opens the door for Mercedes-AMG to slot into the WEC in 2025 with a pair of LMGT3-spec AMG GT3 EVOs. And with Iron Lynx expected to return to the FIA WEC next season, a switch to the German manufacturer now seems possible.
Lamborghini Squadra Corse offered no comment when approached by RACER.
