Ferrari are back where they belong! The great Italian marque will compete in the 2023 World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Le Mans, prompting the question: will their Formula 1 stars Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz get a chance to race the 499P Hypercar?
Enzo Ferrari, for most of his life in charge of the Scuderia, ran the Formula 1 programme in tandem with their sportscar programme. At the time, often the prototypes were more important, to the point that Drake nearly pulled the plug on F1 in favour of endurance racing back in the seventies.
But that changed as Ferrari focussed their attention on F1 for the past five decades or so, however they are back now on the stage that Enzo so loved with the spectacular looking 499P to hit the tracks next year.
Indeed the livery on the new bolide pays hommage to the brigade of Ferrari 312PB, Red with bright yellow stripes and trimmings, cars that campaigned in the seventies, with their F1 drivers such as Clay Regazzoni, Jacky Ickx, Arturo Merzario and others doing duty in F1 and the sportscar championship og the time.
The 499P pays hommage to Ferrari’s illustrious endurance racing past
For their return, Ferrari have yet to confirm their drivers but have a pool to choose from among their GT campaigners, Antonello Coletta, the team principal for the project, said: “We prefer to choose from our existing line-up; this is our dream, but I don’t have the final answer.
“Honestly, if our drivers are competitive and strong [during testing of the LMH], then why do we need to change? I prefer to race with drivers from our family.”
That pool of drivers includes Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco, Davide Rigon, Nicklas Nielsen, Daniel Serra, Alessio Rovera and Andrea Bertolini.
However, it does beg the question: Will Ferrari allow Sainz and Leclerc to race at Le Mans?
This would allow their current F1 stars to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ickx and Regazzoni did during the team’s last foray into the premier class of endurance racing.
Highly unlikely it can be argued as modern F1 has a schedule packed with a record 24 races in 2023, but crucially there is no clash with Le Mans, which runs on the weekend of 8 to 11 June, sandwiched between the Spanish Grand Prix a week earlier, and Canada a week after the world’s greatest endurance race.
Will Binotto allow Sainz and Leclerc to race at Le Mans in 2023?
Would Ferrari boss Mattia condone the pair being added to the driver rosters? Perhaps not however, being race drivers, no doubt Charles and Carlos will tap up the boss for a chance to race the cars at Le Mans as time does allow, and who knows they may relent – see the huge Pr potential of such an endeavour – and do what the great Enzo would have done, if he were still around.
Whatever the case, the Hypercar series could also be the next-generation proving ground for young talent, an alternate feeder series, as the cars are almost on par with F1 in terms of technology, the greatest difference perhaps is that one has a roof and the other a Halo and, of course, the race lengths.
Young drivers, many in the Ferrari pool, will benefit from racing at such a high level while getting more seat time and doing more laps than in other series, a luxury many of their peers cannot always afford or be privy to. It is certainly a hot seat to have for a driver.
Ambitions run high at Maranello, as Ferrari return to endurance racing at the highest level (well beyond their GTE involvement is very big news for motorsport, their CEO John Elkann fired up by the programme
Elkann: The 499P sees us return to compete for outright victory in the WEC series
“When we decided to commit to this project,” explained Elkan. “We embarked on a path of innovation and development, faithful to our tradition that sees the track as the ideal terrain to push the boundaries of cutting-edge technological solutions, solutions that in time will be transferred to our road cars.
“We enter this challenge with humility, but conscious of a history that has taken us to over 20 world endurance titles and nine overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” concluded Elkann.
Coletta spoke of othe project: “The 499P is a dream come true. Today is an important moment for all the people who have worked so hard on this project over the past two years. We wanted to pay homage to our history, with many references, both large and small, to a past made up of successes and titles.
“We do so however, looking ahead, creating a manifesto of our commitment to the world endurance championship. The 499P is a prototype that is decidedly Ferrari, in the fullest sense of the term, and it gives us an enormous thrill to finally show it to our clients and to the many enthusiasts of the marque,” added Coletta.
Ferrari 499P Press Release
Imola, 29th October 2022 – 499P is the name of the new Le Mans Hypercar with which Ferrari will tackle the FIA WEC in the elite class from 2023, a name evoking the history of the Prancing Horse manufacturer.
In the past, prototypes were identified by the letter ‘P’, frequently preceded by the number of the engine’s unitary displacement. The 499P is no exception. The car is an outcome of a vision proudly rooted in the past, that gave rise to the legend of today, enabling the company to achieve 22 world titles and 9 overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Nevertheless, it has its sights set firmly on the future, both in terms of the technical and design content that the prototype features. The livery, with which the 499P will debut at the forthcoming 1000 Miles of Sebring, includes a revived version of the renowned 312 P colour scheme from the 1970s, which also visually underscores the historical connections interrupted 50 years ago, but that have remained ever present in the brand’s essence.
For this reason, one of the Maranello-entered endurance cars will be adorned with the number 50, while the other will bear the number 51, one of the most successful ever. The official line-up of who will race the 499P will be the subject of future communications.
Le Mans Hypercar: Winning DNA
The new FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) and ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) technical regulations outlined for the Hypercar class have led Ferrari to embark on an innovation and development path to produce a Le Mans Hypercar (LMH), faithful to tradition, that sees the track as the ideal terrain for developing cutting-edge technological solutions to be integrated onto its road cars.
The 499P is a manifesto to Ferrari’s commitment to endurance racing.
The four-wheel drive prototype complies with the technical regulations and requirements of the hybrid-engined Le Mans Hypercar class, delivering a maximum power of 500 kW to the wheels and with a minimum weight of no less than 1,030 kilos.
In defining the 499P, the company has drawn on the vast resources of technical, professional and human excellence that epitomise the Maranello marque, entrusting the management to Attività Sportive GT, under the direction of Antonello Coletta and the technical supervision of Ferdinando Cannizzo, head of the department in charge of engineering and development of Sports and GT racing cars.
New hybrid power for the Ferrari 499P
The 499P’s hybrid powertrain combines a mid-rear power unit with an electric motor powering the front axle. The internal combustion engine (ICE) has a maximum regulation-limited output to the wheels of 500 kW (680 cv) and is derived from the road-going twin-turbo V6 family.
The ICE, which shares the architecture of the engine fitted to the 296 GT3, has undergone a thorough overhaul by Ferrari’s engineers, aimed both at developing ad hoc solutions for the prototype and lightening the overall weight.
Among the specific characteristics of the 499P’s V6 is the fact that the engine is load-bearing and therefore performs a valuable structural function, compared to the versions fitted to competition GT cars, where the engine is mounted onto the car’s rear sub-chassis.
The second ‘soul’ of the hybrid powertrain is the ERS – Energy Recovery System – with a maximum power output of 200 kW (272 cv). The electric motor is equipped with a differential and is driven by a battery that is recharged during deceleration and braking, requiring no external power source.
The battery pack, with a nominal voltage of 900v, benefits from experience honed in Formula 1, although it was purpose-built for the project. The 499P’s overall maximum power output is 500 kW (680 cv) and the powertrain is coupled to a seven-speed sequential gearbox.
Wind designed
The design of the new Ferrari 499P was refined with the support of the Ferrari Styling Centre under the direction of Flavio Manzoni. The car’s technical and aerodynamic features have been enhanced by means of simple, sinuous shapes: – an explicit expression of Ferrari’s DNA.
The balance between tense lines and flowing surfaces, expressed in a futuristic, pure and iconic language, defines a clear yet essential architecture. The bodywork of the prototype is sculpted from a flat surface, from which the side pods and wheelarches develop harmoniously.
Aerodynamic flows pass through the side pods over the recesses between the main ridges surrounding the cockpit, cooling the radiators concealed beneath the bodywork. On the Ferrari 499P, the surface area of the wheel arches, a Ferrari hallmark, are characterised by large louvres, aimed at reducing the pressure inside the wheel housings.
Together with the headlight clusters, they imbue the nose with a sense of character and expressiveness, with subtle references to the styling traits first introduced on the Ferrari Daytona SP3.
The rear is the ultimate expression of how to blend technology, aerodynamics and design. A subtle carbon-fibre skin covers the various functions, leaving the wheels and suspension completely visible.
The tail is characterised by a double horizontal wing; the main wing and upper flaps have been meticulously designed to guarantee the necessary downforce and achieve maximum performance.
The lower wing also features a ‘light bar’ that enriches the rear design with a decisive yet minimalist touch. Finally, in a dominant position above the car is a multiple air intake that feeds the V6 engine intake and supplies cooling air to the battery and gearbox.
Innovative technologies
Built on an all-new carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, the Ferrari 499P features solutions that represent the cutting edge of motorsport technology.
The geometry of the double wishbone, push-rod-type suspension results in outstanding qualities of damping stiffness, the benefits of which are evident at both maximum velocity as well as in cornering.
The electronics systems are developed from and further innovate upon the experience honed in the world of GT racing.
No less sophisticated is the braking system, which integrates a brake-by-wire system necessary to allow the recovery of kinetic energy by the front electric axle under braking. The system has been developed to combine precision and speed of response with reliability and durability, complementary aspects that are one of the keys to success in endurance racing.
The electric front axle uses energy recovered while braking, storing it in the high-voltage battery before transmitting torque to the front wheels when a certain speed is attained, thus helping boost the performance on the tracks scheduled to host the 2023 calendar.
Ferrari partnership with AF Corse
The Ferrari 499P will be managed on track by Maranello technicians and engineers with the collaboration of AF Corse. The partnership continues the winning streak which began in the 2006 FIA GT with the F430 GT2 that secured Team, Driver and Constructor titles in its debut season. The vast majority of GT successes in recent years have been the result of the partnership between Ferrari and AF Corse, including all those achieved in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) since its inception in 2012.
Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Ferrari GT Track Car Development: “For the whole team and myself, this is a really thrilling moment. We know that we have a huge responsibility. We have designed and engineered a car that is brand new and particularly complex in every aspect.”
An unprecedented challenge for Ferrari
Cannizzo continued: “This unprecedented challenge motivated everyone into an all-encompassing, all-sharing collaboration involving every department of our company and our technical partners. Starting from a blank sheet of paper was a source of unique and continuous motivation in order to find effective solutions to guarantee the 499P’s performance and reliability.
“From the very first shakedown to the first race, we have planned a very intense development programme, both on the test bench and on the track, which has given us some interesting feedback. The work of synthesis that awaits us over the coming weeks, and which will see us involved in further track testing, is the most important for fine-tuning and the final integration of all the systems.
“We still have a lot of kilometres to go, but the team is aware of the importance of the project and will continue to show commitment, passion, maturity and great professionalism,” concluded Cannizzo.
Which still begs the headline question: Will Sainz and Leclerc to race Le Mans with Ferrari 499P Hypercar?