Over 1,000 km: Ford Hypercar for the FIA WEC completes successful test

The FIA WEC is already looking forward with great anticipation to the 2027 season. By then, two new manufacturers – McLaren and Ford – will be competing in the Hypercar class. Both are already busy testing. Ford most recently put its (as yet unnamed) Hypercar through its paces at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. Following a shakedown beforehand, this was in fact the first proper test for the American car. Over the course of three days, the team put their foot down, clocking up over a thousand kilometres.

“Seeing our Hypercar take to the track at Paul Ricard for the first time is a significant moment for the team. Every kilometre we cover in this car brings us a step closer to Le Mans – and to a return to the top of endurance racing,” says Mark Rushbrook (Global Director of Ford Racing). “Whilst this is only the first step on a long and challenging development journey, the fact that all six of our drivers were on site, working together and driving the programme forward, highlights the team spirit we are building at Ford Racing.”

As Rushbrook mentioned, all six drivers – Logan Sargeant, Matt Campbell, Tom Blomqvist, Mike Rockenfeller, Sebastian Priaulx and Nick Yelloly – were present at the test. In fact, however, only the first four – Sargeant, Campbell, Blomqvist and Rockenfeller – completed laps in the car. “Launching a new programme always takes time – you first have to work out how the individual parts fit together, and that’s exactly what we’re still working on,” said Sargeant. “Nevertheless, we’ve hit the ground running right from the start. The fact that we were able to begin testing at this level straight away is a tremendous achievement by the team. Countless hours have already been invested in this project, including a great deal of time in the simulator, which has given us a massive head start. Now it’s a matter of ensuring that everything meshes seamlessly – that’s our next step.”

Ford already has a full testing programme lined up for the new hypercar. Next up is a three-day simulator session in North Carolina. Then there will be a test at Portimão in early September. Three further European circuits – Silverstone, Monza, Imola and Aragon – are scheduled to be visited before the team heads to North America at the end of the year for the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and Sebring.