Ferrari 499P - 2024 Lone Star Le Mans Winner

The car that returned Scuderia Ferrari to the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the 499P was Ferrari’s first foray into the newly created Hypercar class in the FIA World Endurance Championship, where it has won the fabled 24 Hours of Le Mans two years running. Introduced for the 2023 season, the 499P marked Ferrari’s reappearance in the elite class of endurance racing for the first time in 50 years.

Winning DNA

Whilst the car is undeniably designed to lead Ferrari into the future, the 499P moniker evokes the history of the Maranello manufacturer, a naming system dating back to its previous Le Mans entries; the 499 refers to the unitary displacement of its engine, while the P stands for Prototype. The Hypercar also sports a livery in the same colours as the 312P from 1973 as a nod to Ferrari's last involvement in endurance racing half a century ago, recalling a long association with a competition core to the DNA of the Ferrari brand. The cars’ race numbers were decided for similar reasons – the number 50 highlighting the length of time that Ferrari had been absent from the top class at Le Mans, and the number 51 has adorned a winning Ferrari GT car on four occasions.

New Hybrid Power and Innovative Technology

In defining the 499P, Ferrari drew upon their vast resources of technical, professional and human excellence that epitomise the Maranello marque, entrusting the management to Attività Sportive GT, under the direction of Antonello Coletta and the technical supervision of Ferdinando Cannizzo, head of the department in charge of engineering and development of Sports and GT racing cars. The design, whilst restricted by aerodynamic and packaging requirements, remains unmistakably a Ferrari, unsurprisingly for a car purely designed and manufactured in Maranello, refined with the support of the Ferrari Styling Centre under the direction of Flavio Manzoni. The car’s technical and aerodynamic features have been enhanced by means of simple, sinuous shapes: an explicit expression of Ferrari’s DNA. The balance between tense lines and flowing surfaces, expressed in a futuristic, pure and iconic language, defines a clear yet essential architecture. Sculpted bodywork encourages aerodynamic flows through the side pods, cooling the radiators concealed beneath. The wheel arches are characterised by large louvres and, together with the headlight clusters, imbue the nose with a sense of character and expressiveness, with subtle references to the styling traits first introduced on the Ferrari Daytona SP3. The rear is the ultimate expression of how to blend technology, aerodynamics and design; a subtle carbon-fibre skin covers the various functions, leaving the wheels and suspension completely visible. The tail is characterised by a double horizontal wing; the main wing and upper flaps have been meticulously designed to guarantee the necessary downforce and achieve maximum performance. The lower wing also features a ‘light bar’ that enriches the rear design with a decisive yet minimalist touch.

Built on an all-new carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, the 499P features solutions that represent the cutting edge of motor sport technology. Double wishbone, push-rod-type suspension provides an outstanding damping stiffness, the benefits of which are felt on the straights as well as when cornering. The electronics systems are developed from and further innovate upon the experience honed in the world of GT racing. The Hypercar features a hybrid powertrain, combining a mid-rear power unit with an electric motor powering the front axle, and is coupled to a seven-speed sequential gearbox. The 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6 used is the same engine used in the 296 GT3 and its road-going cousins, with a maximum power output of 500kW (680cv). Added here is an Energy Recovery System (ERS) that’s connected to the front axle, and fed by a brake-by-wire system. The ERS is good for 200 kW, and the battery that powers it uses know-how accrued from Ferrari’s vast F1 experience. Among the specific characteristics of the 499P's V6 is the fact that the engine is load-bearing and therefore performs a valuable structural function, compared to the versions fitted to competition GT cars, where the engine is mounted onto the car’s rear sub-chassis.

Competition History

The Ferrari 499P is managed on track by Maranello technicians and engineers with the collaboration of Racing Partner AF Corse, extending the long-successful partnership that began back in 2006. For the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, Ferrari GT racers Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen took control of the #51 car, whilst two-time LMGTE Pro World Champions Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado were joined by Ferrari’s Formula 1 Reserve Driver Antonio Giovinazzi behind the wheel of the #51 sister car.

The eagerly awaited debut of the 499P would come at the 1000 Miles of Sebring, with the #50 car establishing an early benchmark by securing pole position. However, despite leading off the line, the Ferrari would be overtaken by the two Toyota Gazoo Racing entries, eventually finishing third, claiming a podium on Ferrari’s return to Prototype endurance racing. Ultimately the 499P was often outpaced by the Toyotas, who secured the title for a fifth year in succession, but Ferrari remained ahead of the other manufacturers. After only once failing to secure a podium all season, Ferrari AF Corse were the only real challengers to the Japanese team, and both cars took the championship battle to the season finale in Bahrain. The highlight of the season though came at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans: the #50 again qualifying on Hyperpole, but it was the #51 car with Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi that would secure a victorious return to Circuit de la Sarthe after an intense and dramatic contest.

For the 2024 season, Ferrari AF Corse introduced a third 499P: the #83, raced by official Ferrari drivers Yifei Ye and Robert Shwartzman, and FIA WEC LMP2 champion and Formula 1 race winner Robert Kubica. It was at Le Mans again that the 499P would shine: this time, it was Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen in the #50 who registered outright victory, claiming Ferrari’s eleventh success at the race. In an ever-increasingly competitive championship now featuring nine separate manufacturers, the team remain right in the fight for the title amongst entries from Porsche and Toyota.

Lone Star Le Mans, 1st of September 2024

This model of the Ferrari 499P is a perfect 1:8 scale recreation of the #83 AF Corse Hypercar raced to victory by Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman and Yifei Ye in the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas on the 1st of September 2024. Kubica qualified the #83 second on the grid, behind only the #51 Ferrari AF Corse of Antonio Giovinazzi, giving the Italian marque a great opportunity of victory if they could manage the full six-hour race in the searing heat of Texas. A strong start by the two Ferraris maintained their positions off the line, whilst the #50 Ferrari of Miguel Molina rapidly rose from fifth to third, ensuring an early-race Ferrari 1-2-3 after just half an hour. However, just five minutes later, Giovinazzi allowed Kubica to pass, releasing #83 into the lead as the cars digressed strategies, Kubica beginning a remarkable triple stint. Disaster struck for the #51 as a spin at Turn 12, whilst attempting to lap the #94 Peugeot, ultimately retiring before the two-hour mark after struggling to restart and return to the pits.

Completing his triple-stint, Kubica promptly handed over to Ye, who skilfully defended against a fast-approaching Nick De Vries in the #7 Toyota that had seen phenomenal progress from ninth on the grid. De Vries would eventually pit and undercut the #83, handing the Toyota over to Kamui Kobayashi for the final stages of the race. Ye concluded his two stints before passing control of the #83 to Shwartzman, who regained the lead through the driver change stops. The Toyota again undercut the Ferrari during the next round of pit stops; however, drama ensued when Kobayashi was penalized with a drive-through for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags while the stranded Peugeot 9X8 of Paul di Resta was being recovered. This penalty allowed Shwartzman to regain the lead, which he fiercely defended against Kobayashi to secure victory by just 1.78 seconds. The #50 Ferrari would complete the podium, a further 25 seconds back.

The #83’s success ensured a sixth different winner in six very competitive WEC rounds, and the margin of victory marked the second closest finish between rival manufacturers in WEC history. Notably, the yellow #83 AF Corse became the first privateer Ferrari to win an internationally recognised sportscar race for over 50 years, also on a day when the Italian marque celebrated winning its home Formula 1 Grand Prix at Monza.

The Ferrari 499P is limited to 499 pieces per livery at 1:8 scale.