2022 Ferrari 499P

The Ferrari 499P is a sports prototype racing car, designed by the Maranello company according to the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) regulations to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The project was conceived under the direction of Antonello Coletta, Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti, who coordinated the strategic and technical effort that brought Ferrari back to the top class of endurance racing. The initial announcement of Ferrari’s participation in this class was made in February 2021, signaling its intention to re-enter top-level endurance competition, after fifty years of absence. The formal partnership with AF Corse, a long-standing partner in GT racing entrusted with supporting and assisting in the sporting management of the Hypercar program, was then publicly confirmed a few months later, on 7 June 2021. The first tests, with mules and semi-definitive prototypes, took place between 2022 and 2023 at Fiorano, Imola, Barcelona, Portimão and Monza, accumulating around 10,000 kilometers of running before the official presentation at the Finali Mondiali Ferrari in Imola in October 2022. The development program involved factory drivers Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Fuoco, supported by Ferrari test driver Andrea Bertolini. The name 499P follows tradition: 499 is the unit displacement of each cylinder, while P stands for “prototipo”. The livery reprises the traditional Rosso Corsa, complemented by Giallo Modena details that recall the 312 P of the early Seventies, the last official Ferrari to compete in endurance racing, in a direct homage to the marque’s heritage. On the 2023 cars, the shade chosen—Rosso Le Mans—offered a slightly more orange hue, while from 2024 the color evolved into Rosso Racing, identical to that used on Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars, reinforcing the visual link between the endurance program and the brand’s top-tier motorsport identity. From a technical perspective, the 499P is powered by a hybrid powertrain: the internal combustion engine, a 120° V6 of 2994 cc with two parallel turbochargers, derives from that of the Ferrari 296 GT3 but with deep modifications. It is not mounted on an auxiliary subframe but acts as a structural element within a carbon fiber monocoque conceived and developed by Ferrari. The system’s total output is limited by the regulations to 500 kW, equivalent to 680 hp. Alongside the centrally mounted longitudinal engine, an electric motor-generator of 200 kW operates on the front axle, engaging beyond a minimum speed threshold imposed by the FIA and adjusted according to the balance of performance. The system is powered by a 900-volt battery—drawing on Formula 1 experience—recharged through energy recovery under braking and deceleration. Together, the two units form a temporary all-wheel-drive system, electronically managed to ensure performance balance and full regulatory compliance. The aerodynamics integrates refined solutions that, in accordance with LMH regulations, do not use standardized components as in the “LMDh” cars, and shows particular attention to efficiency and stability, exemplified by the distinctive triple-plane rear wing, designed to optimize downforce distribution while maintaining low drag. It is developed by Ferrari’s in-house engineering department under the direction of Ferdinando Cannizzo, and then refined in its external forms and harmonized with the marque’s stylistic language by the Centro Stile Ferrari led by Flavio Manzoni. The entire project was overseen by Antonello Coletta, who coordinated engineering, design and racing management within a single program structure. The return to competition came in the 2023 season. To celebrate the comeback after half a century, Ferrari entered two official cars: number 50 entrusted to Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen, and number 51 driven by Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi, reviving one of the most successful numbers in Ferrari tradition. On its debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring, the 499P immediately took pole position and a podium; further placings confirmed its competitiveness, up to the queen of races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Ferrari achieved overall victory with car number 51, breaking Toyota’s dominance and bringing the Cavallino back to triumph fifty-eight years after the success of the 250 LM in 1965. That victory, Ferrari’s tenth at Le Mans, coincided with the centenary of the race and marked the historic return of the Maranello marque to the top of world endurance. The season concluded with more podiums and second place among the manufacturers, behind Toyota. In the 2024 season, Ferrari confirmed its two official line-ups and expanded its presence with a third car — the number 83 entered by AF Corse and driven by Kubica, Švarcman and Ye. The 499P’s competitiveness was consolidated, with another overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans — this time achieved by the crew of car number 50 — followed by further success at the Lone Star Le Mans in Austin, where the private 499P number 83 took a historic win. The Lone Star Le Mans victory coincided with Ferrari’s Formula 1 triumph at Monza. In the same season, Ferrari also achieved a rare distinction by winning two of the three races that make up motorsport’s “Triple Crown” — Monaco and Le Mans — with the Indianapolis 500 remaining the only missing leg. In 2025 the 499P confirmed its maturity: the two official cars and the private AF Corse entry dominated the first part of the championship with consecutive victories, including a one-two-three at the debut in the 1812 km of Qatar — the first in the endurance world championship since 1972 — followed by triumphs at Imola, Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, achieving three consecutive overall victories on the Sarthe as had not been seen in sixty years. The 499P carries an important historical significance: it is not just a racing prototype, but the synthesis of Ferrari’s past and future. On one side it celebrates the tradition of the Sports Prototypes that dominated in the Sixties and Seventies; on the other, it embodies technological evolution with hybrid power and advanced aerodynamics; a manifesto of Maranello’s will to remain a protagonist at the highest level of motorsport.

Ferrari 499P chassis n. F255 LMH 12 04 P is one of few test units produced by Ferrari to develop this specific race model. This car is the model on which the FIA homologation was based, the first definitive example effectively completed, and it followed a demanding development path that made it the absolute protagonist of Ferrari’s official return to endurance racing. After the model shakedown at Fiorano, this car took to the track second, taking part in an intense testing program: on 9 August 2022 at Imola, on 23 and 24 August at Mugello, then three days at Portimão between 20 and 22 September with a further return to the same circuit on 28 and 29 September. This was followed by the Monza session on 24–26 October, a prelude to its public unveiling at the Finali Mondiali Ferrari at Imola. Chassis no. 12 04 P presented the 499P to the press on 28 October 2022, already wearing its definitive racing livery — in the colors of car no. 50, chosen to mark “fifty” years since Ferrari’s last participation in the top class of endurance racing — and was then unveiled on stage at the official launch event on 29 October before taking part in dynamic demonstrations on track on 30 October, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi. The program continued with four demanding days at Aragón from 22 to 25 November and further running at Vallelunga on 21 and 22 December. In January 2023 the car was shipped overseas to Sebring for pre-season testing, with sessions held on 23–24 January and again on 6–7 February. Between the test sessions and the race weekend, the cars officially appeared for the first time bearing the AHE Azimut logo, marking the debut of the partnership on the 499P’s bodywork. During the race prologue on Sunday, 12 March, an accident occurred at Turn 1 involving the works 499P no. 51, chassis no. F255 LMH 12 06 P. After the necessary inspections and analyses were completed, the team decided to replace it with chassis no. F255 LMH 12 04 P, which was subsequently prepared and fitted with its official racing livery for the event, including changing from racing no. 50 to 51. For the inaugural round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, car no. 51 started from fourth position on the grid. During the race, with Alessandro Pier Guidi at the wheel, on lap 178 (at 6:27:44 hours), the car made contact on the outside line with the no. 54, AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo driven by Francesco Castellacci. The collision caused a loss of grip and an off-track excursion, bursting the left-rear tire and damaging the bodywork and rear wing. Pier Guidi managed to return to the pits on three wheels, sustaining further damage in the process. The car was repaired with a tire change, replacement of damaged panels, and substitution of the rear section and wing, rejoining the race at 6:36:42. Ferrari 499P chassis no. 12 04 P eventually finished seventh in the Hypercar class, eleven laps behind the overall winner and one lap down on the class leader. Its final lap was completed in 1:51.050, with a personal best of 1:48.892 and a recorded top speed of 297.25 km/h, after a total of ten pit stops. At the end of November 2023 chassis 12 04 P was officially handed over to Azimut AHE, alongside the team’s 488 GT3 and 488 GTE T-cars, as part of the launch of the world’s first evergreen investment fund dedicated to classic and historically significant automobiles. The initiative, managed by Azimut Investments S.A. with the advisory of Alberto Schöen, Ceo of Rossocorsa, is aimed at enhancing and preserving the historical and artistic value of the most prestigious automobiles while promoting ESG sustainability features. With this program Azimut positioned itself as the unique owner of Ferrari 499P chassis 12 04 P. The fund also became Hypercar Premium Partner of Ferrari, winner at Le Mans with the 499P number 83. Since its acquisition, chassis 12 04P has been used not in competition but as a showpiece of the fund’s strategy, presented to the public at selected events. In this role, the car has become a link between Ferrari’s contemporary racing heritage and the world of collectible and investment-grade automobiles. The car took part in the Finali Mondiali Ferrari at Mugello Circuit on 27 October 2023, and later returned to the stage at the Cavallino Classic Modena 2025, where Azimut acted as main sponsor of the event, displaying two 499Ps including chassis 12 04 P.