Ferrari is closing ranks and focusing intensely on preparing for the second 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 499P, which takes place this weekend.
After the historic success of 2023, the Prancing Horse’s Hypercar returns to the scene of the… crime, but with only part of the favor in predictions. While it is true that in the early outings of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, they have shown good competitiveness and versatility, it is also important to note that things could change at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The Balance of Performance now heavily enforces the Power Gain system, which limits performance above and below 250 km/h to level the playing field and prevent anyone from hiding their true pace too much.
However, the possibility of doing well even in a difficult situation like this is there, and Ferdinando Cannizzo, head of Ferrari’s endurance cars, emphasized this while speaking to journalists in France, highlighting that the Maranello team has learned to manage every situation well.
What are your feelings after the Test Day?
“For the end of the race, we are still deciding who will finish first, second, or third! More seriously, after the tests, we do not think we are the favored car, which means we need to double our efforts to understand how to close the gap we saw during the first day of testing. But we are not demoralized. We remain combative and seek all possible setup and strategy solutions to recover and, possibly, eliminate the gap.”
Is there anything that worries you?
“We are naturally trying to work on the details and have a really clean race execution because these aspects will be crucial considering we are not the favorites. So, we need to be very strong in terms of reliability and race execution.”
What are the biggest changes for the drivers and the team compared to last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans?
“Certainly, for the drivers, it will be quite important to maintain high concentration during the race and not get demoralized if our pace is not the most competitive. We need to focus on consistency, not peak performance. We must work together, drivers and team, to make the right choices at the right times.”
With weather that could change…
“The conditions seem very variable, so choosing the right tire at the right time will be crucial. There will probably be some isolated rain showers here and there, which could be an advantage for us if we are not the fastest in terms of performance. So, we need to make the most of each situation, and the drivers play a fundamental role in all of this. I think the biggest challenge for them is to give us the right indications to make the right choice at the right time. This year, we won’t have the ‘scaldoni’ (extreme heat). Although it’s true that in summer it gets hot here, with 20°C during the day, the temperature drops to around 10°C at night. Moreover, it could rain.”
How important is the out lap?
“This aspect is definitely fundamental because on the out lap you can lose more than ten seconds, probably even 15 or 20 depending on the track conditions and the compound being fitted to the car. Clearly, this has a significant impact on strategy because not changing tires might give us the opportunity to get back in action with slightly warmer tires, thus compensating not only for the shorter pit stop time by not changing the tires, but also by exiting with warmer tires and minimizing the time lost on the out lap.”
“We know it’s an important aspect, but there are many considerations to make in a long race, so we need to be competitive during the stint as well. What we must not do is drive beyond the car’s limits, so the drivers will need to be good on the out lap with cold tires, especially during the night, to tackle the first sector where we have long straights and significant braking, with various chicanes, without losing control.”
Did the team have to regain confidence after Imola and Spa?
“This is a good question, in the sense that the first thing we do is try to build confidence even before arriving here at Le Mans, with all the preparation phase we do here at Le Mans reviewing strategies, trying to understand the race on paper even before it happens, testing on the simulator. Then, when we are here, the most important job is to find confidence and maintain calm, whatever situation arises, because agitation does not help. Last year we showed that, even in difficult situations, it allowed us to overcome complex moments and cross the finish line first.”
In 2023 you had less external pressure compared to this year. What changes for you?
“Last year we also had some pressure! But the strength of this team is managing it. This year we know it’s a bit more difficult because after last year’s victory the expectations are very high, but for us, it’s like the first time. We focus on our mission, which is to put the car in the window to get the best performance, we focus on strategy. Everything that happens outside is a distraction for us, we trust in our small circle.”
How do you manage it?
“Drivers, mechanics, engineers, we are all in our own world, we manage to focus and let the pressure slide off, and I think this is the most important element. We know we have the chance to achieve a good result, but we also know that it comes only if the work is done the right way and that’s what we are trying to do. If we can take another small step forward, we will certainly achieve some satisfactions.”
You said you are not the most competitive car here. How important is the introduction of power gain in this situation?
“Certainly, after the first day of testing, it does not seem we are the favored car, but it is also our job to try to close the performance gap we have seen by finding setup solutions that allow us to get closer to the cars that have shown better performance. That said, it is important for us to focus on our package, understanding the strengths of the others and maximizing ours while minimizing our weaknesses. Certainly, the conditions in which we will race can impact our performance in the race, as it will not be easy to overtake in traffic conditions.”
Can traffic be a problem with LMP2 and more LMGT3 cars?
“Even there, we will have to make strategic choices that allow us to minimize these situations to avoid losing time in scenarios where we might be a little weaker and capitalize on our strengths. In short, we do not give up because we think we can achieve a good result.”
Returning to Power Gain, it seems like an important change: are you in favor of this introduction as another BoP tool?
“It is certainly important, but I can give some general indications. In a race and a circuit like Le Mans, the time spent under 250 km/h is about half the time, around 45%. I leave it to you to conclude what it means to run half the time with that power gap, but that’s how it is and we can’t do anything about it. We will aim to develop the car with what we have. If we manage to win, it will be a great victory.”
With a 499P that was very fast on the straight, how many km/h have you lost?
“Certainly, we have lost some competitiveness, that’s a fact. On the other hand, we have shown in previous races, such as Spa and Imola, that we have improved in other areas, so we need to optimize the complete package. Being more penalized on the straight makes us lose some overall competitiveness and complicates our work during traffic phases, so we need to take this into account when setting up the strategy and focus on other strengths. The 499P has proven to be significantly more competitive than last year, and we hope that even here we can compensate for this performance loss.”
Do you think you can use the harder compound?
“I think in these conditions it certainly won’t be an option, but we cannot exclude it at the moment, and above all, if an opportunity arises, we must be aware that our rivals might surprise us. So we must keep in mind that if it becomes an opportunity, there could be advantages. For example, it could be possible to do more stints, even four, but it is something that certainly needs to be evaluated. In these conditions, it seems that the compounds that will be used are the soft and medium.”
How is the adaptation of the 296 to the LMGT3 class and Le Mans proceeding?
“It’s going very well on this track, but in reality, we have seen that it has adapted well to many others. After a first year of experience, we are very pleased with its handling and performance, we know well that we still need to improve many small aspects, we are working on it. However, the last race we did at the Nürburgring showed that the car is really versatile, so we think it can have a good race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
What will be the key characteristics and elements to win?
“There are many elements to winning the race with the 296 LMGT3. Certainly, the crucial point is not to make mistakes during the first phase and during the night, especially for the gentleman drivers, because it is difficult to drive in the dark with two classes of cars continuously overtaking them. The second thing is that the car has many strengths, knowing them well and being able to exploit them on this track, in braking, chicanes, corner entry, the drivability is quite easy. So, I think there are all the elements to achieve a good result, but the 24 Hours is long, so we must take care of it, especially in the early stages, not abusing the curbs and damaging the car. Furthermore, we have professional drivers, as well as Silver and Bronze drivers, and the balance between them will be crucial for the final result.”
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