2016’s WEC LMP1 Hybrid contenders

Every class in the FIA World Endurance Championship delivers close racing, but it's the LMP1 Hybrid entries that are always going to win outright.

The 2016 season, which begins next weekend with the 6 Hours of Silverstone, will once again see Audi, Porsche and Toyota challenging for those victories.

The Audi R18...

...and the Porsche 919 Hybrid...

...and the Toyota TS050 Hybrid.

As per previous years, the three manufacturers are taking very different engineering approaches. However, for the first time, all are employing batteries for electric energy storage. Audi decided to abandon flywheel technology, while Toyota is no longer using a super-capacitor.

Here's how the cars compare:

Car	Audi R18	Porsche 919 Hybrid	Toyota TS050 Hybrid
Engine	4.0 litre V6 turbo	2.0 litre V4 turbo	2.4 litre V6 twin-turbo
Fuel	Diesel	Petrol	Petrol
Engine output	c. 507 bhp (378 kW / 514 PS)	c. 493 bhp (368 kW / 500 PS)	493 bhp (368 kW / 500 PS)
Engine output sent to	Rear wheels	Rear wheels	Rear wheels
Transmission	6-speed	7-speed	7-speed
Hybrid class	6 megajoules	8 megajoules	8 megajoules
Hybrid energy recuperation from	Front-axle braking	Front-axle braking / exhaust gases	Front-axle braking / rear-axle braking
Hybrid output	c. 469 bhp (350 kW / 475 PS)	c. 394 bhp (294 kW / 400 PS)	493 bhp (368 kW / 500 PS)
Hybrid output sent to	Front wheels	Front wheels	Front and rear wheels
Electric energy storage	Battery	Battery	Battery
Total system output	c. 976 bhp (728 kW / 989 PS)	c. 887 bhp (662 kW / 900 PS)	986 bhp (736 kW / 1,000 PS)