Ford has set an uncompromising target for its upcoming return to the top class of international endurance racing. As the manufacturer prepares to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar category in 2027, senior leadership has made its expectations unmistakably clear.
During its annual Season Launch event in Detroit, Ford Racing released further details about the new programme. The company confirmed its first three drivers and revealed that the eagerly anticipated prototype will run a naturally aspirated V8 engine.
However, the biggest message emerging from the event focused on ambition rather than engineering. Ford wants to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and fight immediately for overall victory.
A formidable challenge awaits as Ford prepares for 2027 WEC Hypercar campaign
Former Red Bull Ford Powertrains Programme Director Dan Sayers will lead the project as Team Principal. The Englishman recognises the scale of the task ahead but insists the team remains fully committed to achieving its objective.
“This challenge is definitely up there,” Sayers acknowledged. “With all the manufacturer involvement and the number of cars, the competitiveness of the category is fierce – it’s brutal. To win, every single aspect has to be perfect, but everybody is fully focused on the objective of getting Ford back to its spiritual home, which is the top step [of the podium at Le Mans].”
The Hypercar class has become one of the most competitive arenas in global motorsport. Multiple major manufacturers now compete for victory, which raises the stakes even higher for Ford’s ambitious return.
A programme rooted in heritage
For Ford, the Hypercar programme represents far more than a standard racing campaign. The project carries deep historical meaning for both the company and the Ford family itself.
“Le Mans is ingrained in our DNA – both that of our company and my family,” he mused. “I grew up with the stories of the GT40s from the sixties. When we went back in 2016, on the 50th anniversary of the first win and beat Ferrari to win again [in-class] with the GT, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. To experience a little bit of the feeling they had in the sixties was amazing, but there was always that lingering feeling of, ‘what if we could go for the overall win again?’ Now, we’re doing it.
“Back then, we were the challenger, we were the newcomer and we made a statement about who we are and what our company can do when we set our mind to it. We changed the perception of Ford globally with that race, so this Hypercar programme is much more than just a racing programme to us – it’s really a statement that the legends from our past are not just in the past. That’s still who we are today and what drives us today.
“We’re developing the whole [Hypercar] powertrain in-house, just like Henry Ford did with [his self-built first racing car] ‘Sweepstakes’ 125 years ago. The engine is at the heart of everything we do, and we’re building it the Ford way – the engine we’re developing for Le Mans is something truly special. We have five-litre V8s racing everywhere from Dakar to Daytona, so if you think we’re going into Hypercar without a V8, you’re out of your mind!”
Pressure from the very top
With such a proud legacy comes significant pressure. Ford’s leadership openly acknowledges the weight of expectation surrounding the Hypercar entry.
Ahead of the 1966 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Henry Ford II famously handed senior team members handwritten notes that simply read, “You Better Win.” Six decades later, the sentiment still resonates within the company.
Ford Motor Company Executive Chair Bill Ford reinforced that message during the Detroit event.
“Our company was born on a racetrack in 1901,” reflected the American automaker’s Executive Chair, Bill Ford. “My great grandfather won the race, got the money and started Ford Motor Company – but it’s much more than that.
“When I think about the Ford family, we’ve all loved racing since the day we were born – our family name is on every car we race. That’s a lot of pressure, but it’s also a lot of pride. When we race, we’re racing for our family, we’re racing for our employees, we’re racing for our dealers, we’re racing for our customers and we’re racing for America – so this car has to go to Le Mans and it has to win. Period.”
Ford’s mission for 2027 WEC Hypercar campaign: return to the top
As development of the new Hypercar continues, Ford faces one of the toughest competitive environments endurance racing has ever seen. Nevertheless, the company’s leadership has set a clear benchmark.
Ford does not simply want to participate in the modern Hypercar era. The manufacturer intends to fight for victory at Le Mans and reclaim a place at the very top of endurance racing.
