Recent from its second general victory on the Le Mans 24 Hours in two years with the 499P, Ferrari is hungry for extra success. This weekend at Interlagos it’s debuting the primary “Joker” upgrades for its Hypercar challenger, in an try to enhance its type in FIA WEC races exterior of Le Mans going ahead and within the course of, enhance its title possibilities.
Remarkably, regardless of profitable at La Sarthe in 2023 and ’24, the 499P remains to be winless on the different stops on the calendar. As such, its subsequent goal is to start out profitable races extra commonly and clinch each the WEC Hypercar drivers’ and producers’ crowns for the primary time.
The modifications for this weekend’s race embody a redesign of the brake cooling ducts to change the circulate distribution and guarantee higher cooling effectivity, and a “flick” beneath the entrance headlamps to assist the aero steadiness.
These, based on Ferdinando Cannizzo, Ferrari’s head of endurance race vehicles, are comparatively “minor” modifications within the scheme of issues, which depend as a single Joker. But when Ferrari has bought its sums proper, these tweaks will assist optimize the automotive’s consistency at circuits which might be exhausting on brakes resembling Imola, Fuji and Bahrain.
With the WEC Hypercar formulation ruled by Steadiness of Efficiency, the producers in play have to look past pure single lap tempo to make marginal features. For a manufacturing facility like Ferrari — which is already profitable huge races — there isn’t any purpose to focus on upgrades that enhance peak efficiency. As an alternative, it’s centered on taking steps ahead in reliability and consistency.
“On the entrance (finish of the automotive), we had been fairly wholesome (with braking efficiency), the limitation was on the rear,” Cannizzo defined, revealing that the modifications have an effect on the rear brakes. “These vehicles are delicate to modification and this modified the general steadiness of the automotive, so we now have readjusted it. We touched the ground and the higher physique, to regulate the aero steadiness. Essentially the most seen modifications are the entrance ‘flicks.’
“We’re engaged on effectivity, not making us compromise on setup alternative. So long as you carry the automotive again in the identical place within the efficiency home windows, we don’t count on modifications in peak efficiency.
“This (Joker) one won’t change that a lot however we might have some benefits, possibly in eradicating some constraints on setup — by no means the tracks, however some particular tracks.”
The timing of this Joker package deal may appear curious. Why introduce these modifications instantly after profitable Le Mans? The calendar construction and the principles surrounding Hypercar upgrades present the reply. To achieve permission from the rule-makers to vary the 499P in time for Le Mans, Ferrari wanted to be able to compete with the upgrades for the second spherical of the season at Imola — like Peugeot, which introduced its new-look 9X8 to Italy.
It is because the rule-makers require producers to finish two rounds with any important new updates earlier than Le Mans, to keep away from disrupting the BoP course of for crucial occasion of the 12 months. The 6 Hours of Imola got here too quickly. Observe testing for these new elements started in April at Paul Ricard, the identical month because the race.
“There have been no causes to push for this (to be launched at the beginning of the season) as a result of Le Mans isn’t nerve-racking for brakes,” famous Cannizzo. “So we stated, ‘Let’s begin right here (in Brazil) and see if we are able to achieve expertise in order that will probably be higher after we race on tracks which might be actually nerve-racking on brakes, like Fuji or Bahrain.’
“The championship (in a wider sense) is likely one of the causes we now have launched it now,” he continued. “So long as we had this enchancment within the pocket, why not begin instantly? It gave us the chance to get aware of this modification. We now have examined however not on each observe, so we have to be taught extra and the earlier the higher.”
Improvement work is already underway for added updates too.
“We’re already engaged on enhancing,” Cannizzo revealed. “I’ll say that we’re very prudent and cautious to vary issues on the automotive. We want to perceive first whether or not we actually want one thing, however this isn’t impeding us to attempt to discover areas to enhance the automotive.
“This work is occurring; after we will arrive with one thing new I don’t know. We have to take into accounts that so long as the automotive will nonetheless be fairly aggressive, will probably be the FIA that approves our modifications.
“Our job to enhance the automotive won’t ever cease. The purpose is we have to resolve the appropriate moments to carry modifications.”
