Ferrari has officially announced the start of a Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) program that will see the manufacturer enter the new top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2023.
Following a period of study and analysis, Ferrari says it has kicked off the development of an LMH car with work already underway on design and simulation studies. The track testing program, the name of the car and the drivers who will make up the official crews will be announced at a future date.
Fifty years have passed since the Italian marque’s last official participation in the premier class of the World Sportscar Championship in 1973. Ferrari president John Elkann commented, “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. With the new Le Mans Hypercar program, Ferrari once again asserts its sporting commitment and determination to be a protagonist in the major global motorsport events.”
Richard Mille, president of the FIA Endurance Commission added, “We took a lot of risks developing the Le Mans Hypercar concept, and a lot of effort and perseverance went into defining the regulations so that they capture the spirit of what we wanted LMH to be, and that is to allow for various philosophies in terms of technical approaches and aesthetics of the cars. Today we can be satisfied with the achieved results, with Ferrari joining other renowned brands. Ferrari has a long and prestigious record in sportscar racing, most recently winning the FIA World Endurance GT Manufacturers’ Championship but also taking multiple overall victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although there’s still a lot of work to be done, we’re already witnessing history being made and in few years’ time the FIA WEC grid should be the strongest ever.”
