Ferrari returns with 499P Le Mans Hypercar

After years of speculation, a host of false dawns and then a series of grained spy shot images, there can now be no doubting it: Ferrari’s long-awaited return to endurance racing’s biggest leagues is officially on.

The Maranello marque finally took the wraps of its new 499P Hypercar, which will be the machine to return Ferrari to the top class of the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time in 50 years when it competes at the world’s biggest race next year. The car is the most anticipated of all the new breed of Le Mans Hypercars, not just due to the stature of its parent company within the racing world, but also because of the sheer number of hints various Ferrari bosses over the years have dropped about wanting to return the Prancing Horse to the top tier – none of which ever actually came to fruition.

Ferrari has held numerous press conferences at Le Mans over the years, and almost all have hinted that a return is on the cards, only for it to never actually happen. A full decade ago Luca di Montezemolo said he wanted to take the firm into LMP1, and it was confirmed an evaluation took place, but nothing came of it. Until now…

The 499P was unveiled during an event at Imola, and has already been testing behind closed doors ahead of its competitive debut in next year’s Sebring 12 Hours – the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Its official livery, complete with yellow stripe is a throwback to the glorious 312 P of Ferrari’s last premier-division factory racer of 1973. Beyond the stripe, the name also reflects Ferrari’s traditions, 499 representing the displacement of its six-cylinder engine, ahead of P for Prototype. Based on the V6 in the GT3 version of the 296 GTB, the twin-turbocharged engine is mated to an Energy Recovery System (ERS) connected to the front axle for four-wheel-drive propulsion.

The factory effort will be run by long-term Ferrari partner AF Corse. Its return coincides with renewed interest from manufacturers in the premier division of sports car racing. Twenty twenty-three will see the 499P go up against rivals from Toyota, Peugeot, Porsche, Cadillac and Glickenhaus. BMW, Lamborghini, Alpine and potentially Acura will arrive the following year.

Ferrari’s sports car racing head, Antonello Coletta, said: “We wanted to pay homage to our history, with many references to a past made up of success. 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”