Photo: Charlie Lopez/DPPI
Lamborghini CEO Stefan Winkelmann has ruled out the Italian marque pursuing a hydrogen program in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the future.
While the likes of Toyota, Alpine and BMW have expressed interest in the hydrogen class to debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2028 following the delay announced by the ACO last month, Lamborghini has taken a different view.
Winkelmann explained that Lamborghini is focused on hybridization, which is currently served by its LMDh program in the WEC and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with synthetic fuels and full electric cars further on its agenda.
Asked if Lamborghini might consider hydrogen during a press conference at Le Mans last month, Winkelmann replied: “That’s not an option for us.”
Lamborghini technical chief and acting head of motorsport Rouven Mohr added:From a purely technological point of view, it’s an interesting thing. But as Lamborghini, we have our own road map of hybridization with classic combustion engines.
“We are a small brand and this also applies to the development of technology. We need to focus on what is our priority. We can’t spread our effort into 10,000 different things. We have a clear strategy and hydrogen is not on our priority list.”
Winkelmann said the final step in his hybridization drive will be the unveiling of the successor to the Huracan sports car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
A GT3 version of the as-yet-unnamed car will be introduced by Lamborghini in 2025 before a race debut in 2026, with a Super Trofeo version to follow in 2027.
“We will be the first sports car manufacturer to have all cars hybridized, which is an important achievement that customers greatly appreciate,” continued Winkelmann.
“The second step in our view will be to stay with as many hybrids as possible with super sports cars, and look closely at what the opportunities may be with synthetic fuels and move into the next generation with these types of approaches.
“For the most usable car every day, we still believe that, from the 2030s onwards, it will go fully electric, as we showed with the Lanzador [electric concept car] at Pebble Beach last year. This is our strategy.”
While the Huracan successor will be a hybrid, Rohr made it clear that the GT3 version will not be, while also revealing that the race car will use the base engine from the road model rather than the turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 found in the SC63.
“Of course since there is Balance of Performance in the GT3, it won’t be a hybrid and the engine has to be modified,” explained Rohr.
If the Super Trofeo version could be a hybrid, he added:It may be possible, but we have a clear opinion about it. We have to be based on the possibilities of our customers.
“As long as you have high voltage in the car, you turn off a lot of customers because you need a different race team structure.
“We are racing with customers for customers. We have a technology field partly in GT3, but customer racing is the basis for everything. We have to have a car that the teams can operate.”
SC63 song day version under review
Rohr accepted the possibility that the SC63 could be converted into a track car along the same lines as Ferrari’s 499P Modificata.
A mock-up of a possible track-day version of the SC63 was shown inside Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo host during the WEC’s Imola and Spa rounds in an orange livery.
But Rohr said no final decision has been made about a track day car, although he said the extension of the Hipercar rules until the end of the 2029 season gives Lamborghini more time to consider the matter.
“It’s a little early to talk about that because there are some boundary conditions that we need to meet to clearly separate the race car from this,” Rohr said. “Of course, the extension of the homologation period has an impact on this.
“Of course the race car is the first priority, and then we have to discuss how these cars will be separated technically, because you can’t do another badge. It looks easy from the outside, but it’s not that easy in reality.”
Asked if the sale of track day versions of the SC63 could help fund the program, Rohr replied: “Of course, it would be very attractive financially.”
