The entry lists for the Blancpain GT Series have been released, with 50 cars confirmed for the Endurance Cup and 20 for the Sprint Cup competition.
Both championships will have smaller grids than last season, although the Endurance Cup's dip from 57 is largely down to the recently-imposed cap on professional entries.
SRO, which runs both series, announced last October that it would limit the number of competitors in the top category to 26.
Eight fewer teams are registered for the Sprint Cup, although some additional one-off appearances are expected to be made throughout the season.
As in previous years, both championships will count points towards the overall Blancpain GT Series title, which was won in 2017 by Lamborghini drivers Mirko Bortolotti and Christian Engelhart.
The Endurance Cup list features 11 manufacturers – Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Aston Martin, Porsche, McLaren, Lexus, Bentley and Nissan.
Jaguar will alson compete at selected rounds with a car run by the Emil Frey Racing squad.
Observing the new cap, 25 cars will race for overall honours in the all-professional category, while 12 are listed in the Pro-Am ranks.
The grid is completed by eight Silver Cup runners and five Am-class competitors.
“Despite our decision to limit the number of Pro cars I am pleased to say that the series has never been so competitive, with 11 manufacturers competing for overall honours in 2018," said championship founder Stephane Ratel.
"The field provides perfect balance, with 25 all-Pro cars complimented by a further 25 entries [in other categories]. This exceptional level of competition sets the standard in global GT racing."
ENTRY LIST: Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup
ENTRY LIST: Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup
The Sprint variant will involve mostly all-professional driver lineups, with 14 set to fight for overall honours, plus four entrants in Pro-Am and two in Silver Cup.
Despite the drop in numbers, Ratel suggested the figure was near what he had in mind for the championship this year.
“The Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup will feature 20 full-time competitors this season." he said.
"This is down from the 32 cars we had last year, but further one-off entries that have already been confirmed for selected rounds will bring us closer to the ideal number for Sprint races, which we have previously estimated at 24."
“The field comprises several high-profile professional entries, including a four-car assault from our reigning Sprint Cup champions Belgian Audi Club Team WRT."
"I am also pleased that the Emil Frey Racing outfit will deploy two of their new Lexus RCF-GT3 machines, giving the car its full-season debut."
45 Blancpain GT cars are currently at Paul Ricard for the official pre-season test, in preparation for the season openers at Monza (Endurance – April 22) and Zolder (Sprint – April 7-8).
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