Ferrari unveiled a camouflaged prototype of its Le Mans Hypercar race car last week, which will compete in the World Endurance Championship in 2023.
Scuderia Ferrari has been testing its entry on the Fiorano circuit prior to its debut in the Le Mans Hypercar competition next year. This follows the high-profile regulation change affecting the World Endurance Championship, as a flood of OEMs have decided to support the series with significant financial and engineering resources, perhaps ushering in a new era of endurance racing’s heyday.
This racer will represent Ferrari in the Le Mans Hypercar (LMh) class, where it will face off against Toyota Gazoo Racing, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, and Peugeot, the latter of which made its track debut at the 6 Hours of Monza competition.
Le Mans Daytona Hybrid (LMDh), a second regulation set in which Porsche, BMW, Lamborghini, Alpine, and Cadillac will also race, will be added to the hypercar class starting in 2023.
Some of the testing is shown in a video that Ferrari released on Tuesday. The initial few tests were mostly focused on inspecting the powerplant and related electronics, which are reported to be a V-6 and hybrid combination similar to what is seen in the 296 GTB.
Andrea Bertolini, Nicklas Nielsen, and Davide Rigon participated in the tests with Alessandro Pier Guidi, a two-time world champion in the GT classes of the World Endurance Championship.
“It was a real honor to be one of the first drivers to drive this wonderful car,” Rigon said in a statement. “It’s a real Ferrari, in every sense. Right from its first acceleration, it gives you great confidence, has good braking, great handling and feels brilliant behind the wheel.”
The Ferrari racer will use a custom chassis and powertrain from its on-track competitors that combines a combustion engine and a hybrid component in accordance with LMh standards. As part of the intricate Balance of Performance procedure, which guarantees that both LMh and LMDh cars are competitive with one another, its peak outputs are dynamic and are constantly modified.
The racer will, in contrast to Peugeot’s 9X8h, have a very wide rear wing with enormous end-plates and a central strake that grows from a fin mounted above a large, rectangular intake snorkel. It will maintain the typical proportions of contemporary endurance racers as another horizontal plane is positioned beneath the high-mounted wing and extends past the rear diffuser.
Additionally, LMH cars will be pitted against vehicles created to adhere to the distinct LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) design regulations for the first time the following year. In order to create an equal playing field, LMDh vehicles are also eligible for the Hypercar and GTP classes.
Acura, Alpine, Audi (maybe), BMW, Cadillac, and Porsche are all dedicated to LMDh, whereas ByKolles, Glickenhaus, Peugeot, Toyota, and Ferrari are all dedicated to LMH. Lamborghini also made the announcement that it would merge with LMDh in 2024.
