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Added on the 16/03/2023 05:26:24 - Copyright : Auto Moto EN
If a racing car’s engine is what most excites enthusiasts, the hybrid powertrain of the Ferrari 499P, the Prancing Horse’s Le Mans Hypercar, is no exception. The Prancing Horse’s Le Mans Hypercar uses innovative technologies to extract the best performance from the combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric unit, the latter on the front axle. This allows the Hypercar to benefit from four-wheel drive in the situations specified in the FIA World Endurance Championship regulations.The Internal Combustion Engine on the rear axle and the Energy Recovery System are two “souls” that enable the 499P to deliver a total maximum power output of around 700 horsepower (515 kW), within the regulatory limits. In the Le Mans Hypercar, the electric unit, when braking, works as an alternative to or with the front brake discs to slow down the 499P, while when accelerating, ERS’s major benefit is the ability to activate 4WD.
The Ferrari 499P of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen finished second at the 6 Hours of Portimão, the first European round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The sixth place of the other Prancing Horse Hypercar, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi, rounded off the weekend. Ferrari said goodbye to Portugal after achieving the target of finishing with both cars entered in the top class.The race took place in dry conditions and temperatures of over 27°C. The number 50 car was consistently at the top of the standings, with the Danish driver taking the first stint at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Molina consolidated second place in the middle section before handing the wheel to his Italian teammate, who crossed the chequered flag one lap behind the number 8 Toyota.
The FIA World Endurance Championship season got underway at Sebring International Raceway which hosted the two-day Prologue featuring four Ferrari 488 GTEs. The tests, in which the 499Ps in the Hypercar category also took part, anticipate the 1000 Miles, the first round of the championship which will be contested on Friday, 17 March on the 6.019 kilometre American track.
499P is the name of the new Le Mans Hypercar with which Ferrari will tackle the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship in the elite class from 2023, a name evoking the history of the Prancing Horse manufacturer. In the past, prototypes were identified by the letter ‘P’, frequently preceded by the number of the engine’s unitary displacement. The 499P is no exception. The car is an outcome of a vision proudly rooted in the past, that gave rise to the legend of today, enabling the company to achieve 22 world titles and 9 overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nevertheless, it has its sights set firmly on the future, both in terms of the technical and design content that the prototype features. The livery, with which the 499P will debut at the forthcoming 1000 Miles of Sebring, includes a revived version of the renowned 312 P colour scheme from the 1970s, which also visually underscores the historical connections interrupted 50 years ago, but that have remained ever present in the brand’s essence. For this reason, one of the Maranello-entered endurance cars will be adorned with the number 50, while the other will bear the number 51, one of the most successful ever. The official line-up of who will race the #499p will be the subject of future communications.
Some of the most iconic buildings on the Ferrari campus provide the backdrop to light projections that express the unique nature of a company composed of over 5,000 people. The show occupies a scenic space of more than one kilometre along Viale Enzo Ferrari and is animated with three-dimensional images and light architectures created by more than 400 elements using the latest low-energy technologies, including projectors, LED bars and laser effects.Projected onto the brick arch framing Ferrari’s historic entranceway are videos of some of the cars that have passed through it over the years. They include the 125 S which made its debut here in 1947, marking the start of an incredible series of models, and the two 499P Hypercars that marked the Prancing Horse’s triumphant return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June.Continuing along the avenue lit up in red, the former paint shop tower is transformed into a large screen emblazoned with the values that the Prancing Horse has always embodied: Individual and Team; Tradition and Innovation; Passion and Achievement.Other elements commemorate the year’s highlights, showing the faces of workers from each part of the company’s identity: Racing, Sports Cars and Lifestyle. Ferrari’s people are at the heart of a range of initiatives announced over recent months, including the broad-based share ownership scheme which will make each employee a shareholder.