A long awaited return. After fifty years, Ferrari has returned to compete among the sports prototypes in the premier class of the WEC. Expectations for the debut in the Hypercar were low, with the Cavallino aware of the strength of the experience Toyota could count on. Added to this is the implacable Sebring track, which with its famous bumps puts the reliability of the cars to the test, making it the worst circuit to make its debut. The elegant 499P instead was second strength in Florida, even snatching an unexpected pole position from Toyota.
Lack of pace
The race re-established the hierarchies expected on the eve, with the world champions absolute rulers of the Mille Miglia. The #50 Ferrari of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen finished on the podium, with a delay that exceeded two laps after eight hours. Several episodes have amplified a gap that could have been less: penalties, mistakes at pit stops, a risky strategy and, in the case of the #51, even a few too many misunderstandings during lapping. The Cavallino team is a young team, much more complex than the multiple victorious team that has accumulated successes in GTE-Pro. The AF Corse staff is joined by that coming from Ferrari itself and a group of engineers enlisted by the Formula 1 team. Taking measures with the sporting aspects of the category will be part of the team’s growth process, which will go hand in hand with that of the car.
Net of individual episodes, the 499P still denoted a lack of long-distance pace compared to the Toyota. The difference opened up more and more as the laps went by, reaching a peak towards the end of each double stint on the tyres, a sign of excessive wear. An aspect to work on, also given that the Sebring road surface is low-grip, but also not very abrasive. The #51 red car also appeared to be in much more difficulty than its twin sister who finished on the podium, in some ways a surprise if we consider that on many occasions in GTE-Pro Pier Guidi and Calado were the reference points for the Ferrari team, without detracting from some excellent Fuoco and Molina. James Calado spoke of a difficult weekend and of a lack of pace, however, declaring how in the team there is awareness of why and which way to go. The pole position snatched from the Toyotas also tells of a set-up for the 499P which in Florida made it possible to easily find performance on the flying lap, but which perhaps could have been more compromised for tire management.
The advantages of the 499P
Overall, Sebring showcased a beautiful Ferrari, starting from a solid design base. Some technical choices turn out to be successful, such as for example the compact heat engine, which with just 3 liters of displacement is the second smallest on the grid after the 2.6-litre Peugeot. The Acura winner at Daytona, second even with the WTR team not involved in the tire pressure scandal, demonstrated how a compact engine can be an advantage in the Hypercar-GTP regulations. Weight distribution is optimized and the polar moment of inertia is reduced, to the advantage of reactivity when changing direction. The smaller overall dimensions also ensure ample freedom for the aerodynamic department, free to optimize the external appearance to seek greater consistency. Finally, a smaller engine also means less internal friction, so the perceived engine braking in fuel-saving lift-and-coast maneuvers isn’t too aggressive.
In a regulation that forces cars to work within a narrow window of downforce and aerodynamic resistance, it is no longer the search for absolute efficiency that makes the difference. Conversely, designing a car that stays in its operating window for as long as possible without being affected by external conditions ensures a competitive advantage. The Ferrari 499P is a project that aims to generate a substantial fraction of the cargo from the wings. In addition to the rear one, a cascade of profiles is hidden inside the muzzle which constitutes a real front wing. The Cavallino has therefore chosen to pursue an approach opposite to that of Peugeot, as in this way the car is less affected by variations in height when driving, which lead to a loss of load from the bottom.
Finally, another value of the project is that of reliability. Both Reds completed the Mille Miglia without the slightest hint of a technical problem. Among the special observations in Florida was the gearbox, which could have been affected by the violent blows taken on the bumps at Sebring. The technical department led by Ferdinando Cannizzo for the 499P decided to design a new change for reasons of suspension kinematics, housing of the spring-shock absorbers and coupling with the engine. Not starting from one of Ferrari’s pre-existing transmissions made it possible to optimize performance, but from a reliability point of view it was a leap in the dark. However, the Sebring Mille Miglia revealed another little mystery that hovered around the 499P. In fact, the images of the pits revealed that the main cooling intakes draw the air directly from the nose, near the front suspension.
Towards Portimao
The next round of the WEC will be the six hours of Portimao, a track where Ferrari has carried out abundant test sessions, including the last one in February. There is the question mark of how the 499P will change in the hierarchies on the Portuguese track, net of the progress in experience and set-up. In testing, the pilots identified in thehigh load one of the strengths of the project, a sign of an aerodynamically consistent car, which is little affected by external conditions. The Portuguese circuit is one of the best in which to show off the load-bearing qualities of the cars, not to mention that the all-wheel drive hybrid will ensure a significant advantage over the LMDhs along the fast final bend. On the other hand, faced with a Red that proportionally generates an abundant fraction of the load from the wings, there is the suspicion that Sebring was a track capable of making a good impression on the 499P, which relies less on the bottom than its competitors. In Maranello, however, there is awareness of a Ferrari with so much untapped potential, certainly more in comparison with a Toyota already in its third year of experience with the GR010. The world champions remain the absolute favorites in view of the centenary at Le Mans, but for the Cavallino to dream is no longer forbidden.
#WEC #Ferrari #499P #promising #signs #Sebring #FormulaPassion