Ferrari has unveiled its all-new 499P Le Mans Hypercar with which it will bid for overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours next season, for the first time in exactly 50 years.
The world’s most famous sports car maker gave the historic new model its world debut at Ferrari’s Finali Mondiali extravaganza at Imola, revealing a prototype that features a clear nod to its endurance racing past as well as a styling connection to its current road cars.
Two 499Ps will be entered by the factory Ferrari AF Corse team in the 2023 World Endurance Championship, which incorporates Le Mans. The model will make its racing debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring in Florida on March 17.
The name follows Ferrari tradition from past Le Mans contenders, 499 referring to the displacement of its V6 twin-turbocharged engine, with P standing for Prototype – an echo of its last factory endurance racer, the 312P of 1973. The yellow stripe incorporated in the livery is also a nod to the iconic sports racer.
All the angles Rolling out at #FerrariFM2022 #FerrariHypercar #WEC #Ferrari499P pic.twitter.com/lyqiSvAhft
— Ferrari Hypercar (@FerrariHypercar) October 30, 2022
Ferrari has built the car to LMH regulations rather than the parallel LMDh rulebook chosen by the likes of Porsche to ensure the 499P is a true in-house Ferrari. The more economically-friendly and simple LMDh formula relies on a spec hybrid system supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering and Bosch, with an Xtrac gearbox, whereas the battery technology in Ferrari’s bespoke 900v, 200kW Energy Recovery System (ERS) connected to the front axle has been developed from the experience learned within the company’s Formula 1 team. Balance of Performance will be used to limit overall power to 500kW (670bhp) across both codes of Hypercar.
“We chose LMH because it is important for Ferrari to make all the car and all the parts,” said endurance racing chief Antonello Coletta. “Ferrari is a constructor, the manufacturer of the car and for us it is not our philosophy to buy a part. We decided to come back into prototypes when the rules gave us the chance to make all the car. This car is a manifesto of the technologies of Ferrari.”
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All sounds like they've got a good Car, but, is the team good?, the F1 team have a great Car, but their organisational skills are a bit off.
This effort is being run by AF Corse who have run the Ferrari GT programme at Le Mans for years, so the answer to your question Peter is yes.
Thanks for the info!,I hope they do well.