Ferrari reveals its Hypercar for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Ferrari is already ahead. Expected this Sunday, the reveal of the Italian Hypercar finally took place this Saturday evening at the Finali Mondiali gala in Imola. The Italian firm has thus confirmed its commitment to the next World Championship ofEndurance FIA as well as the Centenary of 24 Hours of Le Mans with this LMH called 499P. The name is a derivative of the unit displacement of the engine, coupled with the initial of prototype, a combination frequently used by the brand in its distant past in the discipline.

Two examples of the Ferrari 499P will be presented at Sebring (United States) on March 11 and 12, 2023 for the Prologue of the season. WEC before the official competition debut on March 17 for the 1000 Miles. The two cars of Prancing Horse will sport the livery revealed this Saturday evening, a red and yellow dress. A livery which forms the intergenerational link with the 312P of the 1970s, whose final iteration, the 312 BP, used this same color code in 1973 during the last arrival of the trans brand.alpine on the Sarthe classic. The design of this new prototype was defined with the support of the Ferrari Styling Center, under the direction of Flavio Manzoni. 

Ferrari will use numbers 50 and 51

“For the whole team and myself, this is an exciting moment, says Ferdinando Canizzo, development manager. We know that we have an immense responsibility. We have designed and designed an entirely new car that is particularly complex in all its aspects.

It is an unprecedented challenge that has motivated all the people, all the parties, all the departments of our company who have been involved in this project. Starting from a blank sheet was a unique and continuous source of motivation to find effective solutions to guarantee the level of performance and reliability of the 499P.

From shakedown to the very first race, we planned a very intense development program, both on the test bench and on the track, which gave interesting feedback. The synthesis work that awaits us in the coming weeks will see us participate in new track tests which will be used for the development and final integration of all systems.

There are still many miles to go, but the team is aware of the importance of the project and will continue to demonstrate commitment, passion, maturity and great professionalism. »

© Ferrari

The face with the number inlaid in a circle also refers to the decorations of the 1970s, in particular to the Ferrari 330 P4 and its resounding hat-trick at the 24 1967 Hours of Daytona. The competition numbers of the two future representatives of the brand in the Hypercar category were announced at the same time.

Returning to sports prototype half a century after leaving the Sports Car Championship at the end of 1973, one of them will symbolically display the number 50, while the second will wear the number 51, another striking number in the history of Prancing Horse in Endurance thanks to its successes in recent years, notably by AF Corse in WEC. The two LMHs will be operated on the track by Maranello technicians and engineers in collaboration with the Italian team.

" A dream come true "

“The 499P allows us to return to competition for victory in the WEC, adds John Elkann, Executive Chairman of Ferrari. When we decided to embark on this project, we embarked on the path of innovation and development, faithful to our tradition which sees the track as the ideal terrain for pushing the limits of avant-garde technological solutions. .

Solutions which will ultimately be transferred to our road cars. We approach this challenge with humility, aware of a history that has led us to more than 20 world endurance championship titles and 9 victories in the general classification of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. »

For Antonello Coletta, head of Ferrari's sporting activities, “The 499P is a dream come true. » “Today is an important moment for everyone who has worked so hard on this project over the past two years, he elaborates. We wanted to pay homage to our history with numerous references, small and large, to a past made of success and titles.

We do this by looking to the future, creating a manifesto of our commitment to the World Endurance Championship. The 499P is a resolutely Ferrari prototype, in the fullest sense of the term and we are very happy to show it to our customers and to the many fans and enthusiasts of the brand. »

© Ferrari

As for the drivers, Ferrari is still leaving the suspense hanging and should wait until the end of the year to reveal them. However, Antonello Coletta, the manufacturer's director of endurance programs, assured that they will be chosen from the Ferrari family.

Although not confirmed, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Alessio Rovera, all official drivers GT Competition should be. Scuderia reservist in Formula 1, Antonio Giovinazzi is also a possibility.

Regarding possible client teams, the brand is giving itself a year of competition to assess the possibility of bringing more than 499Ps to the grid in 2024.

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