Ferrari To Race 499P Hypercar In FIA World Endurance Championship
The Ferrari 499P is the new Le Mans Hypercar which will tackle the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship in the elite class from 2023. The ‘P’ moniker is traditionally used by the Prancing Horse for its prototypes; the numbers preceding it signify the engine’s unitary displacement.
This car is an outcome of a vision rooted in the past. The scarlet team has so far claimed 22 world titles and 9 overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Next March, the Ferrari 499P will debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring with a livery reminiscent of the renowned 312P from the 1970s as tribute to Ferrari’s last works entry 50 years ago. One of the Maranello-entered endurance cars will also be adorned with the number 50, while the other will bear 51, one of the most successful racing numbers in its history.
The official line-up of drivers who will race the 499P however, will be announced later.
The Ferrari 499P is the effort born from the new FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) and ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) technical regulations outlined for the Hypercar class. Ferrari had endeavoured on an innovation and development path to produce a Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) that is faithful to tradition and sees the track as the ideal terrain for developing cutting-edge technological solutions to be integrated into its road cars.
The development of this 4-wheel-drive prototype fell on 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.
The design of the 499P was refined with the support of the Ferrari Styling Centre under the direction of Flavio Manzoni. The car’s technical and aerodynamic features are enhanced through simple, sinuous shapes, following the expression of Ferrari’s DNA. The bodywork of the prototype is sculpted from a flat surface, with aerodynamic flows passing through the side pods over the recesses between the main ridges surrounding the cockpit, cooling the radiators concealed beneath the bodywork.
The large louvres on the wheel arches, a Ferrari hallmark, aim to reduce the pressure inside the wheel housings. At the rear, a subtle carbon-fibre skin covers the various functions, leaving the wheels and suspension visible. The tail is characterised by a double horizontal wing – the main wing and upper flaps are designed to guarantee the necessary downforce and achieve maximum performance.
Meanwhile, the lower wing also features a ‘light bar’ to enhance the rear design with a decisive yet minimalist touch. Above the car is a multiple air intake that feeds the V6 engine intake and supplies cooling to the battery and gearbox.
The 499P’s hybrid powertrain is a combination of a mid-rear power unit with an electric motor driving 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 as such performs a crucial structural function, as opposed to the versions fitted to competition GT cars where the engine is mounted onto the car’s rear sub-chassis. The ICE is complemented by the ERS (Energy Recovery System) which has a maximum 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 via the brake-by-wire system, requiring no external power source. The battery pack, with a nominal voltage of 900 V, 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 7-speed sequential gearbox.
The hypercar is built on an all-new carbon-fibre monocoque chassis and features cutting edge solutions. 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 also developed from and further innovate upon the experience honed in GT racing.
“The 499P sees us return to compete for outright victory in the WEC series. When we decided to commit to this project, 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 9 overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said John Elkann, Ferrari Executive Chairman.
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.
“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,” said Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari Attività Sportive GT.
Meanwhile, Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Ferrari GT Track Car Development commented: “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. This unprecedented challenge motivated everyone into 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.”
