Ferrari has given us our first look at its new Le Mans Hypercar contender, the 499P. The 499P will take the Italian manufacturer back to the pinnacle of sportscar racing in next year’s FIA World Endurance Championship.
So what is Le Mans?
24 Hours of Le Mans is an endurance-focused sports car race. Unlike a fixed-distance race where the winner is determined at the end of the distance, 24 Hours of Le Mans is won by the car that covers the greatest distance over the 24 hours. Racing teams must balance speed with the cars ability to run for the whole 24 hours.
What’s different about Le Mans in 2023?
In 2021 a new class was introduced for Hypercars, and from 2023 onwards LMDh cars (a type of sports prototype race car) have been allowed to participate alongside this class.
What is the Ferrari 499P?
• Ferrari sportscar racing boss Antonello Coletta described the Ferrari 499P “as a tribute to our past and a manifesto for our future”.
• The 499P name follows a tradition that dates back to the earliest Ferraris: 499 is the capacity in cubic centimetres of one cylinder of the car’s three-litre V6 twin-turbo powerplant, while the ‘P’ stands for prototype.
• The introduction of the 499P marks 50 years since Ferrari last fielded a factory-backed sports prototype that contested for the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and as a tribute, one of the 499Ps will race with the number 50. The second car will carry #51, a symbolic number for Ferrari in GT racing.
• No drivers have been announced for the Ferrari Le Mans hypercar, but the intention is to fill the six seats from its existing pool of GT drivers.
• Ferrari has so far completed more than 12,000km of testing on two 499P chassis and will make its competitive debut in the Sebring 12 Hours next March.
• Ferrari will be up against Toyota, Peugeot, Porsche and Cadillac in the WEC’s top class next season
You can find out more about the Le Mans 2023 here.
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