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The 499P: Introducing Ferrari’s Beautiful New Le Mans Hybrid Prototype

    The nose of a Ferrari 499P prototype
    enlarge / After 50 years of absence, Ferrari is building another endurance prototype from the factory.

    Ferrari

    IMOLA, ITALY – After a 50-year hiatus, Ferrari returns to top-level endurance racing with a new hybrid prototype race car. Called the 499P, in 2023 Ferrari will be campaigning for a pair of cars in the World Endurance Championship, a series with the 24 Hours of Le Mans as its crowning jewel.

    As I’ve written before, 2023 will be an exciting time for prototype racing fans. After LMP1h’s cubic megabucks era collapsed under the weight of unsustainable budgets, the World Endurance Championship top tier has spent a few years in the doldrums as Toyota faced minimal opposition from much smaller teams. But the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (which hosts the Le Mans race) now has a new ruleset called LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) designed to pique the interest of automakers by keeping costs down – €30 million vs. the €80 – 200 million that LMP1h cost – and, with less reliance on aerodynamic downforce, allowing for a closer visual link to their road products.

    The 499P is arguably the most beautiful LMH car to date. You recognize style features of cars such as the new 296 GTB on the nose.
    enlarge / The 499P is arguably the most beautiful LMH car to date. You recognize style features of cars such as the new 296 GTB on the nose.

    And so far it works. Toyota was the first to LMH with its GR010, followed by boutique manufacturer Glickenhaus, and this year saw Peugeot make its way back to endurance racing with its new 9X8 – still no rear wing – ahead of a full campaign in 2023. But none of those brands have the same magic as Ferrari. Even though he last won Le Mans in 1965, it is still has more of those overall wins (nine) than Toyota (five) and Peugeot (three) combined, with only Audi (13) and Porsche (19).

    The fact that the new rules have brought Ferrari back into the sport means it should already be considered a success, although Formula 1’s cost cap may have played a role, as the company had resources it no longer needed. championship could use.

    Sorry but this is getting complicated

    Now, it wouldn’t really be sports car racing if it wasn’t unnecessarily complicated, and so, in addition to LMH, another new prototype hybrid endurance race car rules set has been written for the International Motor Sports Association’s championship here in North America, called LMDh.

    LMDh is more technically prescriptive; each automaker must use one of four approved carbon fiber chassis or spines as a starting point, and the gearbox, electric motor and battery are all spec components. But as with LMH, there is much less reliance on aerodynamic downforce, which can make the cars look more like the ones you might find in a showroom. It has worked too, with new cars racing in 2023 from Porsche, BMW, Acura and Cadillac. Audi’s planned return has been shelved in favor of a Formula 1 program, but Lamborghini will arrive in 2024.

    Two competing sets of sports car regulations usually work badly for everyone, but fortunately in this case the ACO and IMSA allow both LMH and LMDh cars to participate in their races, with performance balance to ensure as level playing field as possible.