Toyota has been given an additional weight penalty for the season-opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The season kicks off this weekend with the 4 Hours of Silverstone and sees the reigning champions taking fresh Equivalence of Technology (EoT) penalties, aimed at reducing the performance gap between LMP1 competitors.
The latest bulletin issued on Tuesday confirms a minimum weight of 932kg for hybrid competitors, which is an increase of 14kg.
The latest EoT means the two Toyota TS050 Hybrid's will be 99kg heavier than the turbocharged Ginetta G60-LT-P1 cars and 109kg heavier than the normally-aspirated Rebellion R-13s.
"In light of data gathered in July in Barcelona [during the Prologue], particularly regarding the hybrid cars, we decided to rework the EoT to ensure that we are leaning towards this broader target," a statement by the FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest stated.
Further handicap measures will be revealed this week ahead of the race, with the aim of ensuring the LMP1 field is more closely fought. This includes a new success ballast rule.
"We also introduced an LMP1 success ballast which is based on championship points and has been designed to create a thrilling championship, race after race. However, to implement work, we need a good EoT baseline.
"After careful examination, we decided that an adjustment of the baseline established for Barcelona was needed," added the statement.
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