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Added on the 21/04/2023 06:32:56 - Copyright : Auto Moto EN
After an FIA WEC race, the Ferrari 499Ps return to Italy where each car undergoes meticulous inspections and fine-tuning in preparation for the next race. At the headquarters of racing partner AF Corse, the preparation of a hybrid hypercar consists of six main stages which, in addition to assembly and numerous checks, include the fire-up and bodywork scanning. A team effort, where the engineers’ data collection, the mechanics’ expertise and the use of advanced tools converge to achieve the ultimate synthesis.
From the announcement in February 2021 of Ferrari’s return to the top endurance class up until its debut in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship on 17 March 2023, the 499P has passed through several development stages. It was a team effort involving over 30 engineers.The test circuits were chosen according to their characteristics and to maximise the limited time available: Fiorano, Imola, Mugello and Vallelunga; plus Paul Ricard, Aragon and Portimão (three European tracks suitable for endurance tests). Portimão will also host a round of the WEC, as will Monza and Sebring. The two cars had covered a total of over 24,000 kilometres before March.Continuous interaction between the digital and real ‘world’ made it possible to fine-tune the 499P’s various components, using two cars simultaneously and employing a team of 30 engineers. During development, track work accounts for about 70% of the effort, and the remaining 30% occurs in the simulator.
The FIA World Endurance Championship season got underway at Sebring International Raceway which hosted the two-day Prologue featuring four Ferrari 488 GTEs. The tests, in which the 499Ps in the Hypercar category also took part, anticipate the 1000 Miles, the first round of the championship which will be contested on Friday, 17 March on the 6.019 kilometre American track.
499P is the name of the new Le Mans Hypercar with which Ferrari will tackle the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship in the elite class from 2023, a name evoking the history of the Prancing Horse manufacturer. In the past, prototypes were identified by the letter ‘P’, frequently preceded by the number of the engine’s unitary displacement. The 499P is no exception. The car is an outcome of a vision proudly rooted in the past, that gave rise to the legend of today, enabling the company to achieve 22 world titles and 9 overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nevertheless, it has its sights set firmly on the future, both in terms of the technical and design content that the prototype features. The livery, with which the 499P will debut at the forthcoming 1000 Miles of Sebring, includes a revived version of the renowned 312 P colour scheme from the 1970s, which also visually underscores the historical connections interrupted 50 years ago, but that have remained ever present in the brand’s essence. For this reason, one of the Maranello-entered endurance cars will be adorned with the number 50, while the other will bear the number 51, one of the most successful ever. The official line-up of who will race the #499p will be the subject of future communications.
On the eve of the 60th anniversary of its glorious win in the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin announces that it will once again bid for outright victory in the French endurance classic in 2021.Following the announcement of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s decision to introduce hypercars to the top category of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Aston Martin will field a minimum of two works Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercars, specially-developed for the 2020/21 FIA WEC season, including the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.Britain has enjoyed a long romance with the Circuit de la Sarthe, indeed in 2021 it will be 100 years since an Aston Martin first raced there. But it’s nearly a quarter of a century since a British-built derivative of a road car claimed top honours at Le Mans, and invoking the pioneering spirit of the company’s founder Lionel Martin and the ingenuity of some of Britain’s best engineering minds, Aston Martin is now set to carry that mantle into the next decade with a bold attempt to win Le Mans and the world championship.
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