WEC - 1000 miles of Sebring D-9: Can the Ferrari 499P win outright?

Car : 499P (LMH) - 3.0 twin-turbo V6

Head of Ferrari Attività Sportive GT : Antonello Coletta

AF Corse director : Amato Ferrari

Technical Director GT and Sports Cars : Ferdinando Cannizzo 

Team manager : Battistino Pregliasco

Drivers #50 : Antonio Fuoco / Nicklas Nielsen / Miguel Molina

Drivers #51 : James Calado / Antonio Giovinazzi / Alessandro Pier Guidi

Technical Coordinator : Luca Massè

Race Engineer #50 : Damien Augier

Race Engineer #51 : Justin Taylor

Where does the 499P stand?

Like Toyota, Peugeot, Glickenhaus or Vanwall, Ferrari has opted for the LMH regulations, wanting to have control over all the components of its Hypercar. The car was unveiled on October 29, 2022 at Imola, during the Ferrari Finali Mondiali. "Like all the brand's prototypes, it will carry the letter P, which stands for Prototype," explained Antonello Coletta. "As for the number 499, it corresponds to the unit capacity of the engine." In this case, a 3.0 litres twin-turbocharged V6. From the moment of its presentation, the Italian car hit the bull's eye. But if his cars have always been aesthetically successful, "il Commendatore" only judged them by their race results, and on this side, the mystery remains...

“From the Shakedown on 6 July 2022 to the final tests before the debut, we completed over 24 thousand kilometres with the 499P,” Giuliano Salvi, Ferrari GT & Sports Race Cars Race & Testing Manager, explains.“ From the simulator to the track, we employed a new working methodology to achieve a fast, reliable Hypercar.” 24,000 kilometres were covered on various European circuits (Fiorano, Imola, Mugello, Vallelunga, Paul Ricard, Aragon and Portimão) and also in the USA, such as Sebring International Raceway (Florida), where the Italian beauty will make its racing debut next week. “For the hypercar, after the vehicle’s homologation, there are a limited number of track tests” Salvi said. “Therefore, we tried to use every opportunity to effectively integrate all the systems and improve the reliability level of the car’s components”.

Before that, Ferrari had even maximised its testing by running two cars at the same time over a large number of sessions, something few manufacturers allow themselves. 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. 

Reliable and fast, it would seem that the 499P is just that. “The team have been working day and night, it's just been flat out to try and get the car into a position where it's raceable and reliable, but we won't know until we actually race the car,” Calado said. “So of course we can't say what's going to happen we just don't know, but you know we're looking forward to the challenge, we're looking forward to the the learning process and ultimately – hopefully - that brings us results in the future.” While the team did experience some issues during the test sessions, there was nothing too alarming, as the engineers were said to have quickly overcome them.

Is the Ferrari / AF Corse team up to the task?

Some people have wondered... we never did! Why not? Very quickly, on 7 June 2021, Ferrari confirmed that it would continue to rely on AF Corse, the entity that has contributed so much to all its successes in GT, both in WEC and GT3.

In a highly competitive GTE Pro category, Amato Ferrari's team has repeatedly taught the competition a lesson in strategy, despite the fact that it is a small commando. The team's racing prowess has worked wonders, so much so that in 12 years of GTE Pro (2011-2022), Ferrari is by far the most prolific manufacturer in the class, with five wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2011, 2012, 2014, 2019 and 2021) compared to Porsche's three (2013, 2018 and 2022), Aston Martin's two (2017 and 2020) and Ford's (2016) and Corvette's (2015) one. In the championship (ILMC and WEC combined), the prancing horse company also has the lion's share of successes with 36 compared to 20 for Porsche, 19 for Aston Martin, six for Ford, two for BMW and one for Corvette. Finally, Ferrari has won seven GTE constructors' titles, Porsche two and Aston Martin one. You don't change a winning team. Guys, look at what you have managed to do in recent years," said Ferdinando Cannizzo to his troops a few months ago. Why shouldn't we succeed in doing in Hypercar what we have done in GT?"

As for the drivers, there too, contrary to what some people say, it's a big deal. Far from being ridiculous in F1 and during his various appearances in Endurance, Antonio Giovinazzi joins five other drivers for whom the discipline has no secret... unlike the category. As James Calado rightly said a few days ago: "The thing is the trafic. It's rare that we've been on a track with with GTs. Until then, in our GTs, we were always the ones complaining about the prototypes and I think now it's completely changing to the the opposite direction. So that's something that will take some getting used to."

James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi are pure racers, and the young Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen never stop surprising the team and would be really fast in the car. Miguel Molina, an outstanding team player, was favoured by his employer over Alessio Rovera, and it is safe to assume that Antonello Coletto & Co had reason to give him a chance. Let it be said, the trio of #50 is solid, very solid!

Finally, on the wall, the two track engineers headed by Luca Massè are also among the best. Justin Taylor, who made his name at Audi, shone with Rebellion Racing, JDC-Miller Motorsports and even in IndyCar where he followed Sébastien Bourdais. As for Damien Augier, who used to work for Dams in GP3 / F2 after being part of R-Ace GP or ART GP. Last year, he made his mark in endurance racing in the #83 AF Corse / Oreca.

Sebring, a hostile playground for the Italian team?

When we asked him last November, Antonello Coletta replied: "Sebring is certainly not the easiest circuit to start racing at, as we have to send the equipment to the United States relatively early and therefore end our tests. But it's the same for everyone. It's up to us to make sure that we are in a position to fight with our competitors with dignity, and even to be in a position to win. To answer your question, we have that in mind, but will we be able to do it? I'm not sure."

Ferrari approaches the Hypercar challenge with great humility, but not without ambition. Could it be otherwise for a brand that was initially created for the sole purpose of racing? But above all, the transalpine brand has prepared its move well, determined to make a success of its entry. Two test sessions have been organised at Sebring International Raceway, a track that is so specific and so hard on the mechanics, and if James Calado insists that the main aim will be "to learn as quickly as possible and improve the car" but still "with the hope of doing well", Sebring does not frighten Ferrari, which will be able to rely on a lot of data, when Toyota has not yet driven its 2023 GR010 Hybrid there and the Peugeot 9X8 has simply never set foot on the track.

Moreover, while any comparison would be fortuitous and the Hypercar category is anyway governed by a BoP, the lap times recorded at Sebring would be very encouraging. That's enough to make some specialists think that the 499P - along with the Cadillac - is the main rival of the Toyota GR010 Hybrid for this opening round. Will the track confirm this?

Will the pressure be too much to handle?

When you are Porsche and Ferrari, two brands with a sporting vocation, any failure is unacceptable. Even more so for the prancing horse brand, which is returning to the top class of endurance racing after an absence of half a century. "Endurance is important for the tifosi, but also for our customers," admits Coletta. "Their loyalty through endurance racing is also what has made our history. We are returning to the top class after 50 years and everyone has thanked us. We have a big responsibility." For James Calado: "Being a Ferrari driver is slightly different to other teams. There is a lot of pressure because they've historically always wanted to win. We'll just work and take it step by step throughout each session, throughout each lap, and just do the best we can. So it's pressure but it's normal and we'll just go into it with the most relaxed approach we can and do the best best we can in the given situation."

Because yes, on March 17, all eyes will be on the Ferrari 499P and the WEC could record the best ratings in its history outside of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. People say great things about this car, this team, and they expect a lot from this brand that leaves no car enthusiast unmoved.

But it will have to be up to the task. Failure will not be tolerated. A key element in the brand's GT victories since 2016 and a stakeholder in Mochael Schumacher's winning F1 epic with the prancing horse, Ferdinando Cannizzo knows the business too well to gloss over this. "We are aware that we are playing a part in an exciting chapter of Ferrari's history," he says. "It's up to us to make sure it's a good one." And from its very first lines, which will be written at Sebring.