Ferrari is a brand of Italian excellence, it is certainly not a mystery. In Formula 1 it is even the most successful team in the history the sport, but despite what one might be led to think, in the beginning of Ferrari’s motorsport journey, the focus was more on GT racing than on the world of Formula 1.
Enzo Ferrari himself was inclined to focus more on this type of racing than on single-seaters competition, but the situation changed in the last five decades. From 2023, however, there will be a turning point and Ferrari will return to the Le Mans competition, in particular it will return to compete within the WEC, a championship which also hosts the longest and most physically exhausting race that motorsport has ever seen, on a track that has become one of the most iconic in the world.
Ferrari has recently presented the car with which it will race next year: the 499P, that also features a livery which pays homage to the racing past that Ferrari boasts in this area, but a question mark remains as: who will be the lucky ones to take to the track in a historic and sensational comeback of this caliber? For the moment the current team principal of the GT project, Antonello Coletta, said:
“We prefer to choose from our current drivers; this is our dream, but I don’t have the definitive answer (on who will drive the cars ed). Honestly, if our drivers are competitive and strong (during the LMH tests ed), then why do we have to change? I prefer to race with the drivers from our family” – Antonello Coletta said.
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That pool of drivers includes Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco, Davide Rigon, Nicklas Nielsen, Daniel Serra, Alessio Rovera and Andrea Bertolini. And, while it is exicting to think of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz making their sportscars, realistically it is indeed unlikely to see them aboard the 499P.
Because the main problems that arise are also at an organizational level: while it is true that the weekend in which the Le Mans 24 hours will start from 8 to 11 June is technically free, with no Formula 1 Grand Prix scheduled for that date, in practice it would be physically unthinkable for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to support the rhythms that would ensue: Formula 1 runs the week before in Barcelona and the following week in Montreal. Although physical tests are on the agenda in Formula 1, it would certainly not be easy for the Monegasque and the Spaniard to sustain rhythms of this type, including press conferences, interviews, and intercontinental travel all within a few days.
John Elkann then specified:
“The 499P sees us return to compete for outright victory in the WEC series. When we decided to commit to this project, we embarked on a path of innovation and development, faithful to our tradition that sees the track as the ideal terrain to push the boundaries of cutting-edge technological solutions, solutions that in time will be transferred to our road cars. We enter this challenge with humility, but conscious of a history that has taken us to over 20 world endurance titles and 9 overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
Ferrari has not won at Le Mans, the most famous sportscar racing event, since 1965.
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