Ferrari is finally returning to Le Mans after 50 years

The Italian luxury automobile manufacturer, Ferrari has set its sight on the FIA World Endurance Championship after about 50 years. The brand has announced the start of the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) programme and from 2023 will see the manufacturer enter the new top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Photo Credit: Ferrari

Despite Ferrari’s last participation in the Le Man’s being 1971 and the premier class of the World SportsCar Championship in 1973, it has had rather glorified victories. It has a respectable record in the closed-wheel competition with 24 world titles (most recently in 2017) and 36 victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The brand also held the longest streak of winning six races in a row from 1960 to 1965, the streak was finally disrupted by Ford in 1966. The brand has kicked started the development of the new LMH car to include in recent weeks the design and simulation phases. The track testing programme, the name of the car and the drivers who will make up the official crews, will be part of future announcements.

Ferrari president John Elkann commented: “In over 70 years of racing, on tracks all over the world, we led our closed-wheel cars to victory by exploring cutting-edge technological solutions: innovations that arise from the track and make every road car produced in Maranello extraordinary. With the new Le Mans Hypercar programme, Ferrari once again asserts its sporting commitment and determination to be a protagonist in the major global motorsport events”.

Photo Credit: Motorsport Images

Le Man’s new hypercar class would feature a hybrid powertrain and weigh about 2270 pounds. The engine is limited to 670 horsepower out of which 268 can be produced from its electric motor. The brand would soon reveal the final hypercar soon. In order to be eligible for the car to race, the brand has to put the car on sale and produce at least 25 examples of it.