Ferrari
officially marked the start of its third season in the FIA World Endurance
Championship’s top class by unveiling the 2025 livery of the 499Ps which will
compete under the official Ferrari – AF Corse team banner. The number 50 and 51
Le Mans Hypercars continue to uphold the legacy, prestige, and triumphs of the
Maranello brand while reinterpreting the stylistic elements the 499P has
inherited from the iconic 312 PB.
The
crews remain unchanged in 2025, a season in which Ferrari aims to contest the
Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ World Championship titles while defending its Le
Mans crown. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen will share the
number 50 car, while Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio
Giovinazzi will take the wheel of the number 51. The 499P, entrusted to the six
drivers, will maintain the same technical configuration as the car that
competed in the latter half of last season. The championship kicks off on
Friday, 28 February, in Qatar.
The
livery. While preserving continuity, the 2025 edition of the 499P unveils
striking design elements that make it instantly recognisable. The defining
theme remains the Maranello manufacturer’s signature red, which dominates the
bodywork, complemented by Giallo Modena in a colour scheme already ingrained in
the collective memory after the team’s back-to-back victories at the 24 Hours
of Le Mans. Set to make its race debut in Qatar on 28 February, the 499P thus
pays homage to Ferrari’s recent history while still celebrating its
predecessor, the 312 PB. This was Maranello’s last Sport Prototype, which
competed until 1973 before a 50-year hiatus that ended in 2023 with Ferrari’s
return to the top class of endurance racing.
True
to the philosophy of the Prancing Horse, the 2025 499P looks ahead, supported
by the creativity of Ferrari’s designers. The livery has been modernised with a
new composition, blending red – a darker shade that reinterprets the colours
seen on Ferrari race cars from past decades – with Giallo Modena, accentuating
the car’s body lines.
The
499P’s livery features a dominant glossy red finish, optimised for high car
visibility, particularly in nighttime racing. This is complemented by matte
accents that align with Scuderia Ferrari HP’s Formula 1 single-seater design.
The cockpit retains the signature yellow diagonal stripe – a hallmark of the
499P since 2023 – but unlike last season, this graphic now extends across the
side pods instead of the lower section of the side. This design choice
accentuates the side pods longitudinally, further enhancing the car’s dynamic
presence. The effect is particularly striking when viewing the 499P from above
– such as from the grandstands – offering fans an original and innovative
visual experience.
The
car. At the opening round of the World Championship in Qatar, Ferrari will take
to the track with the 499P in the technical configuration introduced in the
fifth round of the 2024 season contested in São Paulo, Brazil. This marked the
debut of the first technical evolution package (joker), which featured updates
such as a redesigned brake cooling duct system and, aerodynamically, the
addition of flicks beneath the front headlights.
Building
on this configuration, the team worked throughout the winter to optimise the
overall technical package, both in the permitted test sessions on the track and
in the simulator. The winter development programme extended beyond the car
itself – where meticulous refinements within regulatory limits enhanced
reliability, incorporated regulatory updates, and fine-tuned every area where
performance trailed the competition – but also focused on improving all
race-related team operations.
The
powertrain. The 499P has a hybrid powertrain that combines an internal
combustion engine – a mid-rear-mounted twin-turbo V6 – with an electric unit,
the ERS (Energy Recovery System), on the front axle.
While
possessing bespoke characteristics, the internal combustion engine is derived
from Ferrari’s family of twin-turbo V6 engines, also found in road-going models
– a testament to the technological transfer between racing and production cars.
Current FIA WEC and Formula 1 regulations envisage the use of turbocharged V6
engines paired with an 800V hybrid system. This philosophy is exemplified by
the Ferrari F80, the Maranello-based brand’s latest supercar, which shares the
same six-cylinder engine architecture and several components derived from the
499P.
The
team. As previously announced, the Ferrari – AF Corse team retains the same
driver line-up that has competed in the Hypercar class since the 2023 season.
In
the 499P number 50, Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen – winners of the 2024 24 Hours of Le
Mans – will look to build on their endurance racing list of triumphs in the top
class, which already includes six podiums and three Hyperpoles across the past
two seasons, in addition to their Le Mans victory. Meanwhile, the sister car,
the number 51, will again be crewed by Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi. They
secured one victory – at the Centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in
2023 – three podium finishes, and one Hyperpole.
The
goals. After finishing third in the Manufacturers’ World Championship standings
in 2024 and second in 2023, Ferrari’s goal for 2025 is to score valuable points
at every round of the championship to mount a challenge for both the
Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ World Championship titles. A title win would see
the Prancing Horse claim its first endurance racing world championship trophy
since 1972, when it last triumphed in the World Championship for Makes.
The calendar. The Lusail International Circuit will host the Prologue (21–22 February) and the Qatar 1812 km (28 February). The world championship will then stop at Imola, Italy (20 April), Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (10 May), Le Mans, France (14–15 June), São Paulo, Brazil (13 July), COTA, USA (7 September), Fuji, Japan (28 September), and Sakhir, Bahrain (8 November).