Ahead of its racing debut in 2023 in the World Endurance Championship, Ferrari's yet-to-be-named Le Mans Hypercar will break cover at the end of the month. The new LMH machine marks the Prancing Horse's return to top-tier endurance racing after the 312 PB made its last appearance some 50 years ago. Testing commenced in July at the company's Fiorano circuit before it headed to other important venues like Mugello, Barcelona, Imola, and Portimao.
Speaking of Imola, the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari will serve as the venue for this year's Ferrari Finali Mondiali event where the LMH will break cover on October 30. It will be joined by the 296 GT3, which will celebrate its Italian debut following the world premiere held during the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps back in July. It's a follow-up to the 488 GT3, a successful race car that has scored more than 500 victories so far.
Ferrari Le Mans Hypercar
In an interview with the Italian edition of our sister site Motorsport.com, Ferrari sportscar racing boss Antonello Coletta revealed the LMH has already racked up more than 10,000 kilometers (6,213 miles) of testing. He went on to say the hypercar hits the track every 10 days to accumulate experience and do the necessary fine-tuning before the WEC season opener in Sebring set for the middle of March next year.
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"The car is very complicated because we have chosen the Hypercar [LMH rules], while the LMDh regulations call for a slightly simpler car. This choice brings with it some non-trivial complications to solve. That's why I say that the more we drive, the better."
We will have to wait some more for the drivers' names as Coletta told Motorsport.com that these will be revealed after the race car's debut, possibly near the end of 2022. For the development program, Ferrari is relying on WEC GTE Pro racers Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Fuoco, and Miguel Molina as well as factory GT drivers Davide Rigon, Daniel Serra, Alessio Rovera, and Nicklas Nielsen.
It remains to be seen whether the LMH will serve as the foundation for Ferrari's next road-going hypercar. For what it's worth, the vehicle is coming "soon" as per a statement made in June during the Capital Markets Day when the company announced its future plans. It's going to be one of the 16 vehicles launching by 2026, including the brand's first EV due in 2025.
