One of the hot topics leading out of the 2016 FIA WEC season and into this year’s competition was the enigma of GTE Pro balance of performance after a season that saw change after change, leading to an impression of a system that was proving not fit for purpose.

The response, announced just weeks ago, was the new ‘auto’ Balance of Performance where GTE performance balancing across the 2017 FIA WEC 6 hour races is effectively handed over to a mathematical algorithm, applied to the measured performance of the cars in competition.

The cars are ‘locked in’ to their current BoP for two races with the first ‘auto’ adjustment to be made for the Nürburgring (Le Mans has a different process applied).

Why then have several of the cars had fuel capacity adjustments made for the Spa Francorchamps race? (The Ford GTs getting 4 litres less fuel, the Ferraris and Porsche marginally more)?

The answer is – it seems – simple!

“Fuel capacity is not part of the auto BoP adjustment process,”’ say the WEC.

“The adjustment has been made to ensure that the cars have parity over the number of laps they are able to achieve, this is adjusted track by track.”

So now you know!