Maranello, 14 February 2025 -
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).