If you have been a supporter of Ferrari in motorsport any time since the last 10 years, you would unfortunately know that there hasn’t been a whole lot of success especially concerning Scuderia Ferrari. However, things have suddenly turned around for Ferrari after their return to the 24 Hours Of Le Mans and endurance racing with the arrival of The Ferrari 499P.
The Ferrari 499P, which races in the Hypercar category of the World Endurance Championship, has seen great amount of success despite being introduced just last year having won the 24 Hours Of Le Mans back to back in 2023 and 2024 and the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans at the COTA track just recently, also finishing in the top 3 in majority of the races it has competed in as of right now. This makes the 499P Ferrari’s most successful race car of any kind since their F2008 Formula 1 car and their most successful sports car since the legendary 250 GTO.
So what exactly is behind the 499P? The first thing is that it was designed and built from the ground up to fit the regulations for the Le Mans Hypercar class, with Ferrari using a twin-turbo V6 engine as well as a hybrid powertrain for the car.
The unique aerodynamics for the 499P while pretty typical for a Le Mans Hypercar, make it look absolutely unlike any other Ferrari car road or racecar seen till now. The 499P’s racing livery is also inspired by another historic Ferrari race car, the 312P.
With what has been considered as the new “golden era” of Le Mans and endurance racing here with a whole variety of entrants ranging from successful motorsport teams like Hertz JOTA to automotive giants like Toyota, it makes the 499P’s achievements and current track record even more impressive.
With the endurance racing Hypercar segment continuing to develop at a rapid pace with brands like Aston Martin expected to enter soon as well as the introduction of mandatory two-car rule announced for the 2025 WEC season and beyond, it’s only going to get tougher for Ferrari but as a Ferrari fan I would hope that the 499P can continue to have an era of great success.
Featured Photo © Ferrari S.p.A.
Share:
Leave a Reply