{"id":1251,"date":"2026-08-26T11:13:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T14:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=1251"},"modified":"2026-08-26T11:13:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T14:13:56","slug":"ford-sees-solid-foundation-for-wec-hypercar-debut-after-paul-ricard-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/endurance\/wec\/ford-sees-solid-foundation-for-wec-hypercar-debut-after-paul-ricard-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"Ford sees \u201csolid foundation\u201d for WEC Hypercar debut after Paul Ricard tests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Paul Ricard shakedown complete:<\/strong> <strong>Ford logged over 1,000 km in France<\/strong> during a multi-day test with its upcoming LMDh prototype.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Driver roster in action:<\/strong> <strong>Matt Campbell, Logan Sargeant, Tom Blomqvist, and Mike Rockenfeller<\/strong> handled driving duties during the initial track rollout.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Oreca chassis &amp; V8 engine:<\/strong> The unnamed prototype features an <strong>Oreca chassis paired with a 5.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ford<\/strong> has completed its first multi-day track test for its upcoming <strong>World Endurance Championship (WEC)<\/strong> Hypercar program, running over 1,000 kilometers at Circuit Paul Ricard in France. Program director <strong>Dan Sayers<\/strong> praised the initial shakedown, confirming that the American manufacturer has established a strong operational foundation ahead of its top-class debut in <strong>2027<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The test featured four of Ford&#8217;s six confirmed factory drivers for the 2027 campaign: <strong>Logan Sargeant<\/strong>, <strong>Matt Campbell<\/strong>, <strong>Tom Blomqvist<\/strong>, and <strong>Mike Rockenfeller<\/strong>. They will be joined in the full lineup by <strong>Sebastian Priaulx<\/strong> and <strong>Nick Yelloly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WEC-FORD-HYPERCAR-2.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020309543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WEC-FORD-HYPERCAR-2.avif 800w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WEC-FORD-HYPERCAR-2-300x198.avif 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WEC-FORD-HYPERCAR-2-768x508.avif 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WEC-FORD-HYPERCAR-2-150x99.avif 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Ford development team poses with the 2027 LMDh prototype at Paul Ricard (Photo: Ford)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;<strong>Reaching Paul Ricard and completing the shakedown of the car and three full days of testing was exactly the milestone we set as our goal,<\/strong>&#8221; Sayers explained. &#8220;All the preparation work\u2014dyno testing in Dearborn, the initial engine fire-up in France, and countless simulator hours\u2014was aimed at ensuring that when we hit the track, we were ready to run without major setbacks.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We still have a long list of milestones to hit before the first quarter of 2027, <strong>but these last few weeks have given the team a lot of confidence and a solid base to build upon,<\/strong>&#8221; Sayers added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Built around an <strong>Oreca chassis<\/strong>, the prototype is powered by a <strong>5.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine<\/strong> integrated with the standardized LMDh hybrid system. Ford&#8217;s rollout follows McLaren&#8217;s on-track debut with its MCL-HY prototype earlier this year as both brands prepare for 2027 entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The endurance update comes alongside major news in motorsport, as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/endurance\/wec\/wec-renews-with-michelin-for-hypercars-until-2032-as-goodyear-stays-in-lmgt3\/\">WEC renewed its exclusive hypercar tire partnership with Michelin through 2032<\/a>. Meanwhile, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/ferrari-details-partnership-with-haas-and-support-for-rafael-camara-2027-f1-seat-bid\/\">Ferrari detailed its support for Rafael C\u00e2mara&#8217;s 2027 F1 bid with Haas<\/a>, while <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/formula-e\/nissan-signs-zane-maloney-to-pair-oliver-rowland-for-formula-e-gen4-debut\/\">Nissan signed Zane Maloney alongside Oliver Rowland for Formula E&#8217;s Gen4 debut<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026 WEC season returns on <strong>September 6<\/strong> for the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. <strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> provides complete live coverage of every session. Follow all updates on our <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/news\/\">news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FIA WEC 2026: Hypercar Drivers&#8217; World Championship Standings (Top 5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Pos<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Driver<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Team<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Car<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Points<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>1<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Kevin Estre \/ Andr\u00e9 Lotterer \/ Laurens Vanthoor<\/strong><\/td><td>Porsche Penske Motorsport<\/td><td>Porsche 963<\/td><td><strong>117<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>2<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Kamui Kobayashi \/ Nyck de Vries \/ Mike Conway<\/strong><\/td><td>Toyota Gazoo Racing<\/td><td>Toyota GR010 Hybrid<\/td><td><strong>98<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>3<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Nicklas Nielsen \/ Antonio Fuoco \/ Miguel Molina<\/strong><\/td><td>Ferrari AF Corse<\/td><td>Ferrari 499P<\/td><td><strong>96<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>4<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Callum Ilott \/ Will Stevens<\/strong><\/td><td>Hertz Team JOTA<\/td><td>Porsche 963<\/td><td><strong>77<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>5<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Matt Campbell \/ Michael Christensen \/ Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Makowiecki<\/strong><\/td><td>Porsche Penske Motorsport<\/td><td>Porsche 963<\/td><td><strong>71<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions (FAQ)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. When will Ford make its debut in the WEC Hypercar class?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ford will enter the World Endurance Championship Hypercar class at the start of the <strong>2027 season<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Which chassis and engine combination powers the Ford LMDh prototype?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The prototype utilizes an <strong>Oreca chassis<\/strong> paired with a <strong>5.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine<\/strong> and the spec LMDh hybrid system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Who are the drivers confirmed for Ford&#8217;s 2027 Hypercar program?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ford has confirmed <strong>Logan Sargeant, Matt Campbell, Tom Blomqvist, Mike Rockenfeller, Sebastian Priaulx, and Nick Yelloly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ford completed over 1,000 km of testing at Paul Ricard with its new LMDh prototype ahead of its World Endurance Championship debut in 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020312216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"The Ford development team poses with the 2027 LMDh prototype at Paul Ricard","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Ford","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[234,286],"42wp_author":[48],"class_list":["post-1251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wec","tag-ford","tag-hypercar","42wp_author-giovani-danjo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1252,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1251\/revisions\/1252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020312216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1251"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=1251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}