The Ferrari 499P represents the return of Ferrari to the World Endurance Championship and to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a mythical race where the Maranello brand has achieved nine outright victories.
Ferrari will put an end to 50 years of absence from the World Endurance Championship in 2023 with the Ferrari 499P, a hybrid Hypercar that promises to put the Italian brand back in the fight for victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a mythical test where Ferrari has nine absolute wins.
The last dates back to 1965, when the Ferrari 250 LM fielded by the North American Racing Team and driven by Masten Gregory, Ed Hugus and Jochen Rindt, led the treble of three private Ferraris at La Sarthe. That legendary prototype with a 3.3-litre V12 engine now has a worthy successor: the Ferrari 499P.
Ferrari has decided to return to the elite of endurance racing after the introduction of the Hypercar regulations, which will allow the specialty to begin a golden age with a grid full of historic manufacturers, such as Peugeot, Ferrari, Alpine, Toyota, Porsche… and that promises to offer – perhaps – the best races in its history.
Ferrari’s proposal to win – that is its only objective – is the 499P, an expected prototype, probably the most on the entire grid, and months after seeing it for the first time on the track with a camouflage decoration, we have been able to look at its final aspect. And, at this point, Ferrari has managed to surprise us.
The 499P – 499 for the engine displacement and P for Prototype – has been presented at the Imola Circuit, the legendary Italian track where the Ferrari Finali Mondiali have taken place, or what is the same, the end of the season party for its Corse Clienti and Ferrari Challenge competition programs.
There, in addition to the definitive decoration for the prototype, which sports the colors red and yellow, the mechanics that the Italian brand is betting on for its return to Le Mans have been unveiled. The 499P’s propulsion system is made up of a combustion engine that shares the same architecture as the 296 GT’s twin-turbocharged V6, and an electric motor that drives the front axle.
For the electrical part, Ferrari has opted for an Energy Recovery System (ERS) with 272 CV of power and for 900V batteries developed based on the manufacturer’s experience in Formula 1. The total power of the prototype is 680 CV and is limited by regulation. The engine is mated to a seven-speed sequential gearbox.
“The 499P allows us to fight again for outright victory in the WEC. When we decided to commit to the project, we began a path of innovation and development,” said John Elkann, president of Ferrari, who is committed to the WEC as a laboratory for ” push the limits of cutting-edge technology, solutions that will eventually carry over to our road cars.
Miguel Molina, a Spanish pilot with possibilities
The prototype has already completed an intense program of development tests, which will continue over the next few months, with the aim of preparing its debut in competition at the 1000 Miles of Sebring, which will take place on March 17.
With the number 50 worn by the Ferrari 499P at its presentation, the Italian company was referring to the 50 years that have passed since they last participated in the first category of the World Endurance Championship, with the 312P, in 1972. They will also run with 51, a figure that has accompanied them in numerous triumphs in the GT category.
As for drivers, the Maranello team has not yet revealed who will drive the Ferrari 499P, but we do know that one of the contenders for one of the six available seats (there will be two units in the WEC) is Spanish Miguel Molina, who has several years competing as an official Ferrari driver in GT.
