New Porsche 919 Hybrid Replies to Aero-Crippling 2017 Rules in Le Mans Glory Bid

The German engineers working on the racecar had quite a challenge on their hands, since FIA has introduced not one, but two major limitations for this year's season.

First and foremost, the maximum downforce values have been lowered, in a bid to reduce cornering speeds and thus increase safety. And, given Porche's stopwatch dedication, the carmaker strived to counterbalance the said limitations through a new design.

“As a result of the aerodynamic losses we will incur due to the new regulations, we are expecting to see a three to four-second increase in lap times at Le Mans,” Team Principal Andreas Seidl, who also keeps the technical director position, explained. “We will have to wait and see how well the various enhancements we have made will compensate for these losses.”

Secondly, cost-limiting measures were introduced, which means that teams can no longer use three aerodynamic packages, being forced to work with two packs, albeit with minor adjustments being possible before each race.

Given the long straights of the Circuit de la Sarthe that hosts the 24H of Le Mans battle, one of the packages is destined for this race, favoring drag reduction over downforce. As for the other pack, this does the opposite.

“For the 2017 season, 60 to 70 percent of the vehicle is newly developed. The basic concept of the 919 Hybrid still offers scope to optimize the finer details and further boost efficiency. The [carbon fiber] monocoque has remained unchanged since 2016, but the optimization potential of all other components was analyzed and, in most cases, adjustments made accordingly,” Seidl said.

Teams will also have fewer tires available starting this year, so software engineers, who worked to deliver improvements on the traction and hybrid control fronts, were just as precious as mechanical and aerodynamics specialists.

On the tech front, the 919 keeps its configuration, which mixes a turbocharged two-liter V4 gas mill delivering 500 hp powering the rear wheels and a 400 hp electric motor that feeds the front axle.

The 900 hp challenger also features a front axle braking energy recovery system (60% of the recovered energy comes from this), as well as an exhaust energy recovery system. Yes, the thing also generates electric current while accelerating, with the feature accounting for 40% of the recovered energy). The two feed a lithium-ion battery that serves the said electric motor.

Back in 2015, the 919 Spyder came as the only LMP1 prototype running in the top tier 8MJ energy recovery class, but Toyota's TS050 HYBRID now sports a similar feature.

The 2017 updates target the combustion engine, both energy recovery systems, as well as the front axle transmission.

The new driver line-up has seen dramatic changes compared to last year, with Marc Lieb and Romani Dumas, two of the racers that grabbed the championship title in 2016, having been replaced.

In fact, Neel Jani is only 2016 title winner that still drives the #1 prototype, sharing the machine with 2015 Le Mans winner Nick Tandy and Andre Lotterer, who comes from the now-departed Audi Sport team.

With Mark Webber having retired, the #2 car will be put through its paces by Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley, and Earl Bamber, with the latter also coming from Porsche's 2015 Le Mans-winning crew. Testing for the 9-race season kicks off on Saturday at Monza.

With Porsche having now begun testing for the next-gen 911 road car, which will introduce a hybrid powertrain (or two) to the Neunelfer for the first time, the 2017 919 Hybrid has yet another reason to bring that champagne home.