Ferrari will stay within the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class till not less than the top of the 2029 season.
The newly-crowned 2025 WEC producers’ and drivers’ title winner has revealed that it has added two years to its unique dedication to the highest class, according to the extension of the present guidelines cycle introduced on the Le Mans 24 Hours in June 2024.
Ferrari sportscar racing boss Antonello Coletta mentioned: “Our programme was born for 5 years from 2023 till ’27 as a result of it was a cycle that the FIA outlined when it comes to guidelines.
“Now the FIA has moved [the end of the cycle] to 2029, and for Ferrari it’s confirmed that we go forward till ’29.”
The brand new guidelines cycle introduced final yr by the FIA and the Car Membership de l’Ouest, which collectively run the WEC, permits producers to proceed with their present equipment till 2029.
That may enable Ferrari to race the 499P Le Mans Hypercar that ended a 50-year manufacturing facility hiatus for the marque from prototype racing for an additional 4 years.
#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen
Photograph by: Shameem Fahath / Motorsport Community
The announcement in June ’24 represented an extension of the homologation of the prevailing vehicles, as distinct from the information delivered at Le Mans this yr that the lifetime of the Hypercar class will run via till the top of 2032.
The goal of the FIA and the ACO – with, it appears, common help of the producers – is to carry the LMH and LMDh guidelines collectively for the beginning of 2030 season. Coletta confused Ferrari’s help for the convergence course of, which kicked off with a primary assembly in Paris in September.
“If we’ve the identical platform, it is going to be simpler [to balance the cars] than in the present day,” he mentioned. However he said that it’s untimely to debate Ferrari persevering with in Hypercar, nearly actually with a successor to the 499P, past the top of the present decade. “Now it’s too early to discuss it, as a result of we’ve nothing on the desk, solely a hypothetical new approach,” he defined.
The primary assembly of the FIA, the ACO and the producers, additionally attended by IMSA, determined solely on the timeline for the introduction of the brand new guidelines and that it’s going to work to mix parts of the LMH and LMDh rulesets. There had been a push to attempt to carry the LMH and LMDh guidelines collectively previous to 2030, however this was rejected as unworkable.
One other proposal for a wholesale swap to LMDh guidelines was additionally rejected. Coletta once more performed down the prospect of the 499P programme being prolonged into the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
“Not within the close to future,” he mentioned when requested about Ferrari racing its prototype in North America. “I have no idea in the long run, however in the mean time we focus on the WEC.”
Ferrari set for unchanged Hypercar driver line-up in 2026
#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi
Photograph by: Shameem Fahath / Motorsport Community
Ferrari seems sure to defend its WEC titles subsequent yr with an unchanged drive line-up. Coletta said that Ferrari is “very pleased with our drivers” and that modifications to the line-up of the manufacturing facility Hypercar squad run by AF Corse is “not a matter on the desk”.
That follows his feedback at Le Mans that there was “no intention to vary anyone”. Contract extensions have been introduced for 5 of the six Ferrari Hypercar drivers over the previous yr, the newest late final month James Calado.
Coletta confirmed that Ferrari stalwart Alessandro Pier Guidi, whose most up-to-date new deal was introduced early in 2024, is below contract for subsequent yr. No point out was product of the 2026 programmes for Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Nicklas Nielsen within the bulletins on their continuation with the marque because the summer time.
That is according to regular Ferrari follow. Coletta defined that Ferrari would solely formalise its plans for its drivers subsequent yr after the completion of this yr’s marketing campaign in Bahrain final weekend.
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