Ferrari will return to endurance racing next year with the 499P. Le Mans Hypercar broke the cover over the weekend, introducing the world to a sleek racer. It won’t make its official racing debut until next year, but the car did hit the track when it launched, which you can watch above.
The 499P made its debut during this year’s Ferrari Finali Mondiali at the Imola Circuit, a year-end event for fans of the company’s motorsports. The car drove on the track with gusto, although the driver did not push it to the limit. The Ferrari is powered by a rear-centre combustion engine and a front-mounted electric motor. Racing regulations limit engine output to 680 horsepower, while the electric motor produces 272 hp (200 kW). However, the combined total output is limited to 680 hp.
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The electrified engine is connected to a seven-speed sequential transmission. Powering the electric motor is a battery derived from the 900 volt F1. Ferrari recharges during deceleration and braking. The video above not only records the 499P’s ride on the track, it also records the exhaust tone. At the heart of the car is a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, and it sounds powerful and promising.
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A Ferrari 296 GT3 race car joins the 499P in its lap around Imola. The two are linked via their V6 engine’s 129-degree architecture, but they’re not the same, according to Ferrari. The automaker chose the V6 because it was light and compact.
The video also shows off the car’s new red livery in motion. Ferrari added yellow accents as a callback to the 312PB race cars from 1972 and 1973. The Ferrari 499P will make its racing debut next March at the Sebring 1000 miles, the inaugural race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). When Ferrari enters the track, the two cars it campaigns for will wear the numbers 50 and 51. The automaker has yet to announce the drivers.
The race car has undergone more than 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometers) of testing. We expect Ferrari to rack up a few more miles before making its racing debut, as the company will have to complete homologation before the end of the year. March is at hand.
