Latest news with #WEC
Metro
5 hours ago
- Automotive
- Metro
Le Mans Ultimate review - the real endurance driving simulator
This new officially licensed World Endurance Championship game is a technical marvel but it's definitely not an arcade racer. Of all the world's most prestigious motor racing series – namely, those run by motorsports governing body the FIA – the World Endurance Championship is probably the most hardcore. The clue is in the word 'endurance' – WEC races are long and brutal, with various classes of cars, each shared by several drivers, and then there's the jewel in the series' crown: the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The long-form nature of endurance racing has meant that in the past, few have attempted to translate the format into video games. But now we have an officially licensed WEC game, in the form of Le Mans Ultimate. It's been developed by Netherlands-based Studio 397, best known for the racing sim rFactor 2, whose parent company, Motorsport Games, is run by Stephen Hood – who helmed Codemasters' Formula One games between 2009 and 2014. There's plenty of motorsports pedigree at work here, but beyond the official licences, Le Mans Ultimate and F1 25 come from very different ends of the motorsport gaming spectrum. Whereas the latter attempts to appeal to all F1 fans, regardless of driving talent, Le Mans Ultimate is a racing simulator, squarely targeted at hardcore petrolheads. For starters, Le Mans Ultimate is PC-only (although Studio 397 and Motorsport Games are thought to be working on console versions). Although it does support conventional gamepads, as well as home rigs with steering wheels and pedals, it forces you to use a mouse to scroll through its menus – gamepad control only kicks in when you've told the game to exit from the pits. Format-wise, Le Mans Ultimate's single-player element is about as simple as you can get: a series of race weekends consisting of three sessions – practice, qualifying and the race – for which you must choose your circuit and your car. At this point, it's important to bear in mind that the game has been in early access for the best part of a year, during which period the developer has been adding a constant drip-feed of cars and tracks. So while it has a relatively small amount of tracks, many of the world's best are included. There's Le Mans, of course, but also Spa, Imola, Fuji, Interlagos, Bahrain, Qatar, and Austin. Silverstone is in the works and at some stage in the future a simulation of the whole European Le Mans Series will be added to the game as an alternative and very welcome single-player option. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. The choice of cars is pretty strong too, with LMH Hypercars from eight different manufacturers, including Aston Martin, Porsche, Chevrolet, Lamborghini, Ferrari, BMW, and Alpine – so that's nine GT3-class manufacturers represented. Or you can opt to drive a 2024 spec Oreca 07 LMP2-class car. There are various different livery options aping the real-life teams and Le Mans Ultimate also has an editor allowing you to design their own liveries. Jump into a race weekend and you're given by default an hour for practice, 20 minutes for qualifying, and an hour for the race, although you can tweak those times if you want. They do to an extent reflect the real races, however, without forcing you to spend more than an hour contesting the actual racing. It's on the track where Le Mans Ultimate really shines. The courses have been laser-scanned and possess the ring of absolute authenticity. The cars' sound and, most importantly, feel are utterly convincing, to the extent that we could hear a squeak emitted by the brakes of the Aston Martin Hypercar we initially chose. A lot of technology has gone into modelling Le Mans Ultimate's cars, so, for example, you have to work hard to warm up your car's tyres before full grip kicks in, and grip drops off markedly once those tyres age. Even the GT3 cars – supposedly based on road cars, albeit impossibly exotic ones – are thrilling beasts to drive, and being able to race the LMH Hypercars is a real treat. The default cockpit view is great, too, with clever representations of wing-mirrors and the like (Le Mans Ultimate supports VR setups too, should you have a headset) and warnings when you have cars either side of you, which tends to happen a lot in endurance racing. Le Mans Ultimate does make some concessions to those whose driving talents are not the greatest: you can add racing lines to the circuits along a number of assists, including traction control. But beyond that it's pretty uncompromising. Transgress slightly during a race and you will be black-flagged (annoyingly, the terse radio communications with the pits only really give you your lap-times, so we were black-flagged a few times without knowing why). Race starts are initially tricky, since they involve assembling behind the safety car, which requires precision while you attempt to generate some tyre-warmth. But while the single-player game is superb (assuming you're a motor racing fanatic) it very much feels like a preparation for going online, which is where Le Mans Ultimate's real focus lies. There, you can jump into races, matched with drivers of similar ability. Or – and this is an innovation for a racing game, but given the multi-driver format of endurance racing also a necessity – you can take part in asynchronous co-operative races, where you race one stint, then hand over your car to someone else. More Trending Studio 397 and Motorsport Games are working up to enabling full simulations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans using that format, but it is as yet unclear when that will arrive in the game, whose current focus is squarely fixed on esports territory. Certain aspects of Le Mans Ultimate have a work-in-progress feel – the rather amorphous single-player game and terse in-car communications among them – but all the aspects that matter most in a simulation, especially the car feel and authenticity of the circuits, are very impressive. Le Mans Ultimate is not a mainstream racing game like F1 25, but instead a rigorous simulator of one of the world's most popular motor racing experiences. If you're a big enough fan of racing games that you have a home rig with steering wheel, pedals, and a big screen this is very much built for you. But if you're a casual racing fan with a lesser set-up, the chances are that you'll find it a tad intimidating. However, even for a simulator, it is a technical marvel. In Short: A thrillingly uncompromising racing simulator, that is easily the best endurance racer of the modern era, even if it's got a way to go before it's feature complete. Pros: Extremely authentic tracks, incredible car-feel, and a real stamp of authenticity. Decent selection of cars and tracks and innovative asynchronous co-op mode. Cons: Amorphous single-player element. Feels like a work-in-progress in some areas, especially menu navigation and the terse radio communications. Score: 7/10 Formats: PCPrice: £28.99Publisher: Motorsport GamesDeveloper: Studio 397Release Date: 22nd July 2025 Age Rating: N/A Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. 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The Independent
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
Sebastian Vettel insists he's never returning to F1
Sebastian Vettel has definitively stated he will not return to Formula 1, nearly three years after his retirement. The four-time world champion, who retired at the end of the 2022 season, had previously been linked with a comeback. Vettel explained that F1 is "finished" for him, believing it is time for younger drivers to take over. He had a distinguished career, winning 53 races and securing 122 podium finishes across 16 seasons. However, Vettel did not rule out competing in other motorsport series, such as the World Endurance Championship and the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans event.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Sebastian Vettel decides on coming out of retirement to race in F1 again
The four-time F1 world champion has been gone for three years but hasn't strayed too far from the sport and speculation has continued that he could make a return to action Sebastian Vettel has ruled out making an F1 comeback - insisting his time at the top of the sport is 'over'. The four time world champion retired at the end of the 2022 season, as he sought to spend more time with his family and pursue other passions away from motorsport. That led him back into education, working on environmental projects and promoting women's karting in Saudi Arabia - as well as punditry work on F1. In 2024 he was touted as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes and Sergio Perez at Red Bull, but the 38-year-old has always stuck by his decision that he won't return behind the wheel in F1. And that is something he continues to insist upon, telling Auto Motor und Sport: 'Formula One is over. At some point, the time is ripe to leave the field to others. You can see that especially with the rookies. 'I think it's good that a whole group of drivers has been replaced. This isn't a vote against the old drivers, but rather for the young drivers. I didn't care in the past which of the established drivers was no longer racing. The main thing is that I get to drive." Vettel is still eyeing an attempt at the Le Mans 24 hour race however, even putting together a full-time programme in the WEC. He completed test drives in Porsche's 963 Hypercar, but was not selected in the manufacturer's lineups for either 2024 or 2025. "I don't want to rule out the possibility that something might come of it," he said. "There have been discussions, but somehow it hasn't worked out yet." Discussing his change in attitude towards WEC racing, Vettel continued: 'To be honest, I wasn't that interested in endurance racing from my lone fighter perspective. I see it differently now. I find it incredibly exciting, this team structure, sharing a car, and making compromises." He added: "In motorsport, it's difficult to say: I'll only drive half the races. The WEC would actually be a good fit with its eight races, which are also structured differently than Formula One.'
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Cadillac Captures First FIA WEC Win in Dominant Fashion at Interlagos
The Cadillacs dominated the 6 Hours of São Paulo after Alex Lynn put the No. 12 team on pole and the No. 38, making up their one position lost to a penalty in qualifying for second. This gave the Cadillac its first win as a manufacturer since it joined the WEC in 2023, a 1-2 finish, and marks the first race of 2025 not won by a red or yellow Ferrari. "Personally, this is year number 3 of racing this car," Lynn said on the WEC broadcast. "Many hours of racing the Cadillac V Series.R to finally win a race in the World Endurance Championship, you can not imagine what it feels like, honestly. I'm hugely proud of everyone." Hertz Team JOTA took its first victory in the No. 12 last year as a Porsche 963 with Will Stevens in the car, with Callum Ilott as Lynn was racing in Formula E this weekend. This weekend marks the first time Stevens and Lynn record a win together, and most importantly, the first win for Cadillac since joining WEC. With the Cadillac 1-2, they jump from fourth to second in the Manufacturer Championship, finishing in front of the Porsches in fourth and fifth, and Toyota failing to land either car in a points-paying position. While overall victory at Le Mans is still the goal for Cadillac, a maiden victory does a lot to lift the spirits of the No. 12 team. The No. 12 lost the lead to their teammates in the No. 38 early in the race due to a drive-through penalty served by Will Stevens for a tire pressure infringement. Lynn took the lead back before the halfway mark. At the halfway mark, Lynn had an 11.804-second lead over Button in the No. 38, which was stretched to 57.016 by the end of the race, with Norman Nato over Sebastien Bourdais. BMW finished fifth, nearly another minute behind the second Porsche, ahead of the Peugeots that had their best finishes of the year with the No. 94 in sixth and No. 93 in seventh. Ferrari's factory teams of the No. 50 and No. 51 joined Toyota, also finishing outside of the top ten, failing to secure points for the first time this season. The No. 83 Works Ferrari finished eighth. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
WEC São Paulo: Cadillac penalty shakes up starting grid for 6 Hours race
Cadillac has lost its front-row lock-out for this weekend's Interlagos round of the World Endurance Championship for an on-track infringement. Sébastien Bourdais, who ended up second in the Hyperpole session to Jota Cadillac team-mate Alex Lynn, has been docked one grid position for impeding another car. This occurred during the opening period of qualifying, after which the top 10 cars go through to the final shoot-out. Advertisement Bourdais in the #38 Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh was judged to have impeded the #93 Peugeot 9X8 2024 Le Mans Hypercar driven by Paul di Resta in Turn 12 during the 12-minute session at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen The stewards concluded after reviewing video evidence that while Bourdais's actions were not deliberate, they still constituted the offence of impeding. 'The driver of #38 was in a position to move aside before the braking zone at Turn 12 and should have done so to allow #93 to pass,' they stated in the bulletin confirming the penalty. Advertisement The infringement was adjudged to be a breach of Appendix L of the FIA International Sporting Code. Jota and Cadillac have no right of appeal under the ISC. A loss of one grid position for Bourdais means that the factory Penske-run Porsche 963 LMDh qualified by Julien Andlauer will move up from third to start on the front row alongside Lynn. Bourdais will now line up on the grid alongside the #94 Peugeot in which Malthe Jakobsen, took fourth position in the times during the 10-minute Hyperpole session. It would have been a second consecutive front-row lock-out for Jota, Cadillac's factory representative in the WEC, following on from the Le Mans 24 Hours in June. Advertisement Lynn took pole position for the double points round of the WEC, while Earl Bamber claimed second position in the sister Caddy. The Briton's qualifying performance in Brazil means that he now has three Hypercar class positions in the WEC, the first coming at Fuji in Japan last September when the Cadillac factory programme as run by Chip Ganassi Racing. The Sao Paulo 6 Hours, round five of the 2025 WEC, begins at 11:30 local time on Sunday. Read Also: WEC São Paulo: Cadillac scores 1-2 qualifying lockout for Interlagos 6 Hours race To read more articles visit our website.
