2023 Ferrari Le Mans hypercar testing begins

Perhaps no other car company has a richer heritage of racing at Le Mans than Ferrari and now we can finally see the firm’s new entry into the Le Mans Hypercar class for the 2023 event. 

Ferrari’s new race car will of course race in the Le Mans 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season, going up against the likes of Peugeot’s 9X8. The Hypercar class will also include cars from Cadillac, Toyota, Glickenhaus and Porsche. From 2024 we’ll see Alpine and Ferrari’s arch-rival Lamborghini join the fray. 

These latest images give us our best look yet at the Ferrari hypercar and we can see Maranello has taken a different approach to Peugeot. The huge rear wing of this prototype is the biggest divergence from its French rival, and it’s connected to a large central fin. The front has some resemblance to the Daytona SP3, but overall it looks like a typical modern Le Mans front runner. 

We’ve previously caught the new road-going hypercar testing in a LaFerrari mule body and we expect the two cars to share a similar powertrain. Ferrari already has an extensive history of hybrid powertrains from the LaFerrari’s electrically-assisted V12 to the new 296 GTB’s V6. Whether the firm chooses V6 or V12 power remains to be seen.

A unique, historical and unforgettable day at Fiorano as our #Ferrari #LMH completed the first kilometers on track!😍@FIAWEC @24hoursoflemans #FerrariRaces pic.twitter.com/srKSOu52o6

“This is a very exciting moment, eagerly awaited both by the people who worked on this project and Ferrari fans,” said Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari Attività Sportive GT. “Being able to touch the result of many months of work, planning, and simulations gives us new energy and motivation. We are proud of what we have achieved, and although the LMH’s masking during testing hides the car’s volumes and styling, I think it is undeniably recognisable as a Ferrari.”

Peugeot will be entering its 9X8 in the 2022 WEC, starting late in the season at Monza this year. Given we’re only just seeing Ferrari’s new hypercar testing, it may have to wait until the last race of the 2022 season (Bahrain) to mark its competitive debut.

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