Vanwall Vandervell 680

The Vanwall Vandervell 680 is a sports prototype racing car designed and built by Vanwall Racing Team. It is designed to the Le Mans Hypercar regulations and made its debut in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship at the season-opening 1000 Miles of Sebring.

History

In June 2019, Vanwall Racing Team, then known as ByKolles Racing, announced that they would commit to the new Le Mans Hypercar regulations in the FIA World Endurance Championship that would come into effect in the 2021 season.

On 18 September 2020, the team officially unveiled renderings of their new hypercar, initially dubbed the PMC Project LMH. ByKolles Racing intended to debut the car during the 2021 season, however, the project was delayed for the 2022 season. The team later acquired the rights to use the Vanwall name and the car was rebranded as a Vanwall LMH. ByKolles Racing officially applied to race in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship, however, they were rejected by the FIA and ACO due to the car not completing the homologation process.

In 2023, ByKolles Racing officially rebranded to become the Vanwall Racing Team, and the car's name was officially revealed as the Vanwall Vandervell 680, named after Vanwall founder Tony Vandervell. On 12 January 2023, the team was approved by the FIA and ACO to race in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship.

Road car

Vanwall also intend to sell a road version of the hypercar, called the Vanwall Vandervell 1000.

Development

The car was designed and developed entirely in-house at the Vanwall Racing Team base in Greding, Germany. ByKolles Racing planned to use a Gibson LMP1 engine for its non-hybrid Le Mans Hypercar, as its development continues ahead of its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team had to abandon the Gibson V8 engine for a more powerful unit when Aston Martin committed to the class last June with its 1,160 hp Valkyrie hypercar. However, following Aston's subsequent withdrawal and the recent announcement that LMH power levels will be reduced, ByKolles can now use its original plan of using the Gibson GL458 V8 engine, which produces around 700 hp. The car is without a hybrid system, unlike other major car manufacturers involved in LMH and LMDh. However, the team does not expect the absence of a hybrid system to provide a decisive advantage in the early races, despite some teams facing difficulties in their preparation.

Competition history

2023

At Sebring, the #4 Vanwall Vandervell 680 was last on the grid in its class. From the start of the race, Tom Dillmann managed to overtake the non-hybrid Glickenhaus 007. Moreover, thanks to the difficulties encountered by the Peugeot 9X8 and the #51 Ferrari 499P, the team managed to climb to seventh place with only an hour and a half left in the race. However, the #51 Ferrari was finally able to close the gap and pass the #4 car. The standings remained unchanged for the remainder of the race, with the Vandervell 680 Vanwall coming in eighth.

In the second race of the competition, at Portimão, the Vanwall once again started last in class. This time, the car suffered a technical failure; while Jacques Villeneuve was behind the wheel, the car's right front brake started to smoke and quickly caught fire. Villeneuve lost control of the car, which ended up crashing into a safety barrier. Fortunately, the accident was not serious, with Villeneuve being unhurt and the car suffering only minor damage. The team then retired from the race.

At the third race at Spa-Francorchamps, the Vanwall started last in class. A spin from Esteban Guerrieri led to a full-course yellow, followed by Villeneuve crashing the Vanwall into the rear of the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, causing another retirement. Following this race, Villeneuve would be dropped by the team and replaced with Tristan Vautier.

At Le Mans, the Vanwall started 15th in class, only above the #38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 which failed to set a time due to issues with its hybrid system. The Vanwall notably suffered loss of power due to Le Mans' climate. During the race, the car was dogged with suspension issues early on, with clutch issues and an engine failure sending the car into retirement. Following this race, longstanding Vanwall driver Tom Dillmann departed the team and was replaced by João Paulo de Oliveira.

At Monza, the Vanwall again started last in class. Due to Monza's climate, the car experienced braking issues during pit stops, requiring its brake ducts to be cleared at each stop. The car finished 20th overall and last in class.

Following the 2023 season, Vanwall struck a deal with PIPO Moteurs "at the end of October" to use their P21 twin-turbocharged V8 in the Vandervell 680 before it was excluded from the 2024 entry list due to a lack of competitiveness.

Complete World Endurance Championship results

Results in bold indicate pole position. Results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap.

References

{{WEC cars 2023

Sports prototypes
Le Mans Hypercars
Cars introduced in 2022