With the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season shaping as much as be one of the crucial aggressive in current historical past, BMW M Motorsport is evaluating the opportunity of increasing its Hypercar presence on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As RACER.com just lately reported, BMW has not dominated out including a 3rd M Hybrid V8 to the grid, however monetary and logistical concerns will finally decide whether or not Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing makes the journey to France.
For years, RLL has been BMW’s go-to operation in IMSA and a protracted standing associate in numerous championships, however the group has by no means taken its factory-supported efforts to Le Mans. Nonetheless, following a formidable displaying on the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the place BMW demonstrated vital progress with its LMDh challenger, the opportunity of a 3rd Le Mans entry is again on the desk. “The extra automobiles we have now, the higher it’s, however we have now to be life like,” BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos advised RACER. “It’s all the time good to have extra automobiles on the grid, however you need to get it financed.”
Roos emphasised that whereas BMW repeatedly evaluates enlargement alternatives, a 3rd M Hybrid V8 would require vital funding. Not like Porsche, Ferrari, and Cadillac—who’ve already dedicated to extra automobiles at Le Mans—BMW remains to be within the early levels of its Hypercar journey, making any enlargement a strategic determination moderately than a given.
RLL’s Breakthrough at Daytona Raises Expectations
BMW’s newest Hypercar marketing campaign is displaying indicators of maturing into a real contender. On the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona, RLL’s #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 secured pole place and set the quickest lap of the race. Whereas victory finally eluded them as a result of a string of setbacks—together with a pricey penalty and an in a single day incident—the efficiency soar from final yr was clear. Each RLL automobiles #24 and #25 accomplished the grueling 24-hour race with out main mechanical points. Racer.com additionally factors to the introduction of BMW’s first “Joker” replace which improved braking efficiency, for instance.
BMW’s potential enlargement comes only a yr after its extremely anticipated return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. That race marked BMW’s first top-class entry at La Sarthe in a long time, but it surely was a tough debut for the Bavarian marque. The #20 BMW Artwork Automotive, designed by modern artist Julie Mehretu, solely managed 92 laps earlier than crashing closely throughout the night time, dashing any hopes of a aggressive end result.
In a symbolic farewell, BMW introduced the automobile again onto the monitor with simply half-hour remaining, purely for a photoshoot session and to wave goodbye—an uncommon however memorable second that ensured the Artwork Automotive nonetheless had a presence within the race’s closing moments.
Even when BMW commits to a 3rd M Hybrid V8, gaining approval from the ACO shall be no straightforward process. As RACER.com highlighted, the 2025 Le Mans grid is already nearing full capability. With solely 62 accessible slots and 47 already taken by full-season WEC groups and auto-invite recipients from ELMS, IMSA, and the Asian Le Mans Sequence, the case for an extra entry gained’t be straightforward. With the primary iteration of the 2025 Le Mans entry listing anticipated subsequent week, BMW’s future on the iconic La Sarthe might quickly turn out to be clearer.
[Source: Racer]
