The debut of the updated Ferrari 499Ps on the Interlagos track has gone very well so far, with the official #50 and #51 Reds battling against the Toyotas to finish behind the GR010 Hybrids in Friday’s Free Practice 2 by a matter of thousandths.
The 6h of Sao Paulo, valid as the fifth round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, where the track is being run on an abrasive and rather poor asphalt that required medium and hard compounds from the supplier Michelin, also considering temperatures that could rise, is also the first outing of the Maranello Hypercars equipped with new features that have been brought in very calmly and prudently by the men of the Prancing Horse.
For some time now, in fact, both the Chief, Antonello Coletta, and the Engineer Ferdinando Cannizzo, had stressed that they wanted to wait at least until the end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to understand where, how and if to improve the hybrid prototype of the Emilian company, especially since total knowledge of it was not yet achieved, before the second victory achieved on the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The success achieved by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, and the podium of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi confirmed the quality of the vehicle, but in Brazil the time had come to finally change the first things, not because there were problems, but to actually risk fewer headaches in the future.
#50 Ferrari AF Corse, Ferrari 499P: Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco
Photo by: FIA WEC
“We used the first ‘Evo Joker’ for the new rear brake cooling duct and this also required a slight aerodynamic update to balance everything out,” explains Cannizzo.
“The first time we tested the innovations was in March, but we should have introduced them already in Imola to allow the FIA and ACO to collect the data necessary to draw up the BoP for Le Mans with the usual two races in advance.”
“We weren’t really in any rush because Le Mans isn’t a stressful track for the brakes, so there was no reason to introduce the updates straight away.”
“We chose to bring them here to see how they go and gain experience, but I’m sure we’ll benefit when we go to tracks that will put the braking system to the test.”
Ferrari’s Head of Endurance cars also revealed that the work doesn’t end here for him and his team, but as with the first evolution, there is absolutely no rush to produce something revolutionary.
“We are also working on other new features, obviously, because we always want to improve. But we also have to be very careful and cautious in changing the car.”
“First we want to understand if it is actually necessary to make changes to something. So for the moment I don’t know when they will be introduced, also because the car is proving to be competitive. We will also have to see if the FIA and ACO will approve the changes”.
#50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
On the drivers’ side, there is equally confidence that things can go well, as Nielsen points out: “For us this is the first real test in terms of on-track performance against our rivals. It’s still early to draw conclusions, but I’m confident that everything will work well.”
“It’s different to test on your own and then be in action with the other cars, but I’m not worried that the updates aren’t good, although I haven’t done a lot of testing to try them out to be honest.”
“At that time we were doing different programs with the two cars, but still it’s not like anything has changed radically in terms of driving. The hope is to do well everywhere, like for example at Fuji, where last year we suffered, to be honest.”
“In fact, our car was very competitive in the fast corners, while in the slow sections we struggled, like at Fuji with its very narrow sections.”
“We’ll see how it goes, we’ve seen our 499Ps go well on all the tracks this year, so I’m confident that it will be the same here. I think the updates have achieved the objectives set and that we are on the right path.”
Giovinazzi added: “I didn’t drive the car with the updates much, but I did more simulator work. In the end it was about reducing the brake temperatures, which is what made us suffer the most.”
“What we tested was within the objectives and the work done both on the track and in the simulator was aimed at understanding whether the package worked well in this respect.”
“The title fight? I think we are still in the game, but we know that things can change quickly and we have to stay there, ready for anything. Frankly, our car was the fastest for three races, but we didn’t win anything or achieve the results we wanted.”
“But Ferrari, as a manufacturer, have won Le Mans again and shown that the 499P is a good car, so it’s just a matter of putting it all together and trying to bring home a first win with our #51.”
Molina also agrees regarding his #50: “Since the beginning of the year we knew that Le Mans would be a good seasonal objective, after which we would start thinking about the rest of the championship”.
“For sure a good result at the 24h helps to put you in a good position to fight for the title and now we have a good chance to fight. From now on we will focus totally on that.”
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