It looks all but certain that the series will go up on the previous 32-car limit to 34 for the coming campaign.

WEC boss Gerard Neveu told Motorsport.com: "We have put pressure on our guys to push it a bit more; 34 is the maximum, but we hope for that."

Neveu said that he could not confirm the size of the grid until the official announcement of the entry list in Paris on February 9, pointing out that the closing date for the series is not until the start of next week.

He explained that there would not be a big change in the balance between classes from the 2017 season, which attracted a 28-car full-season entry.

The insisted that the LMP2 entry would hold up, despite the return of reigning champion Rebellion Racing to LMP1.

"Because of the possibility of LMP2 teams making the jump to P1 when we gave them the chance to fight with Toyota, there was the chance that we would have an empty P2 grid, but this does not look like being the case," he said.

A grid of around eight LMP2s appears likely, down from last year's 10.

With the increase in numbers in LMP1 and the arrival of BMW in GTE Pro, that would still allow for more cars in GTE Am than last year's five cars.

Neveu explained that there was significant interest in this class because a 2018/19 entry allows for an amateur driver to race twice at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The WEC previously accepted 34 cars for the 2015 season, but not all the entered cars, including Nissan's front-engined GT-R LM NISMO, took part in all the races.

Pierre Fillon, president of the Le Mans-organising Automobile Club de l'Ouest, predicted that there would be no problem hitting the 60-car maximum for the 24 Hours in June.

"I am worried for the selection committee; we will have a big job," he said.