FIA World Endurance Championship Latest

Ferrari Commits to Top Flight Sportscar Return. (24.02.21)

Ferrari has announced its plan to enter the World Endurance Championship in 2023 with a yet-to-be named Hypercar. The Maranello based manufacture will mark the end of its 25-year absence from the top class of endurance racing by joining Glickenhaus, Peugeot, Toyota and ByKolles in the Hypercar category. The last prototype car Ferrari produced was the 333SP for customer racing, but it was never successful at Le Mans.

Ferrari has a long and successful history in endurance racing, having won outright at Le Mans nine times and taking a 27th class win in 2019 in GTE Pro.

“In over 70 years of racing, on tracks all over the world, we led our closed-wheel cars to victory by exploring cutting-edge technological solutions: innovations that arise from the track and make every road car produced in Maranello extraordinary,” said Ferrari President John Elkann. “With the new Le Mans Hypercar programme, Ferrari once again asserts its sporting commitment and determination to be a protagonist in the major global motorsport events.”

The Scuderia has stated that it has begun work on the “design and simulation” stages, but is yet to reveal any technical details or testing programme. Also to be announced is the driver line-up, but the team has a large roster of drivers it can choose from. As well as 2019 Le Mans winners Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Daniel Serra, Ferrari has the likes of Miguel Molina, Davide Rigon, Emmanuel Collard, Nicklas Nielsen and Giancarlo Fisichella in the GT roster.

Alongside the GT drivers, Ferrari could pull from their single seater academy. Formula 2 drivers such as 2020 runner-up Callum Ilott and 4-time race winner Robert Shwartzman could be in the mix, along with current F1 drivers Antonio Giovinazzi and veteran Kimi Raikkonen. Having previously expressed an interest in LMP1 back in 2013, the re-evaluation comes ahead of the incoming F1 cost cap.

“The news that Ferrari is set to join the new Hypercar category is simply amazing. What’s even more incredible is that Ferrari will join at least five other manufacturers to compete in the WEC’s top-tier category from 2023 – the scene is set for an unforgettable period in endurance racing history,” said Frédéric Lequien, CEO of the FIA WEC. “We are delighted that our new regulations have attracted so many prestigious automotive brands. Ferrari is a prestigious marque which is synonymous with Hypercar, so I have no doubt that they will be extremely competitive out on track – we are honoured to welcome Ferrari back to the top class of endurance racing.”