Why Ferrari is leaving no stone unturned in its bid for WEC title glory

Win the championship or hold the trophy? Supply Ferrari the selection of claiming a title within the World Endurance Championship this yr or taking possession of the newest piece of silverware given to the victor of the Le Mans 24 Hours by making it three in a row, and a variety of solutions are forthcoming. You get the impression, nevertheless, that the trinkets on supply on the finish of the season, those for the drivers’ and producers’ titles, are what the Italian producer actually desires.

Antonello Coletta, Ferrari’s long-time boss of sportscar racing, waivers, in addition to he would possibly. He desires each, however, he says, “now a very powerful objective of the season is the world championship” and says he doesn’t perceive why “many individuals talk about solely Le Mans and never in regards to the championship”. Coletta doesn’t distinguish between the Hypercar class drivers’ and the producers’ titles. He’s most likely not fussy.

James Calado, who together with Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi took Ferrari’s on-debut comeback win with a manufacturing facility prototype at Le Mans in 2023, is unequivocal. He makes no secret of his want to grow to be world champion. Or relatively world champion once more. He already has three crowns in GTE Professional with Ferrari, and so they have been all pukka FIA world titles – it could be semantics however GTE Professional went from cup to championship standing the yr earlier than he gained his first crown in 2017.

“I’ve at all times mentioned from the start that I’d desire the championship over Le Mans,” says the Briton, now in his twelfth season with Ferrari. “Le Mans is only one race. Sure, it’s large, however a world title is gained over eight races. The precedence is the title.”

So Ferrari has the large goal of successful what is likely to be termed as the general world title in sportscars for the primary time because it took the producers’ prize in 1972 – there was no drivers’ crown again in these days, not till 1981, in actual fact. It’s conscious it wants to enhance on its 2024 marketing campaign, one which yielded a single victory for the manufacturing facility staff, once more at Le Mans and this time with Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina. A works 499P Le Mans Hypercar has but to win a daily WEC race; the one victory for the automotive got here at Austin final September with the so-called buyer entry shared by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Robert Shwartzman.

Ferrari went into the Bahrain finale with an opportunity of taking each titles, however in actuality it knew that it must make do with the piece of silverware it claimed over in France in June. There was some dangerous luck over the course of the eight race, most notably the non permanent stoppage of the race in Spa in Might — or relatively its controversial restart — that just about actually value it a 1-2, and its tactical implosion the month earlier than on residence floor at Imola that did likewise. Then there have been two retirements for the #51 Calado/Giovinazzi/Pier Guidi entry. Ferrari has been striving to enhance and it is aware of it has to whether it is to realize the objective of successful a title within the third season of the 499P.

And in all areas. So says Ferdinando Cannizzo, technical lead of Ferrari’s sportscar racing programmes. Which means eking extra efficiency out of its LMH, taking steps ahead as a staff together with companion AF Corse and, most significantly of all, enhancing reliability. That has been the principle focus of improvement of the 499P because it was up to date for the race after Le Mans at Interaglos in July with the arrival of a rear brake improve, the primary of the evo joker efficiency enhancements allowed over the lifespan of the 499P.

Getting two vehicles to the end within the factors shall be ever extra essential in 2025. The brand new rule mandating that producers run a pair of manufacturing facility entries has been accompanied by a change within the scoring system within the producers’ classification: two vehicles will now accrue factors. Had the brand new system been in place final yr, Porsche and never Toyota would have taken the end-of-season marques’ trophy.

Cannizzio explains that fifty% of the enhancements on the 499P for the brand new season, which kicks off with the Qatar 1812Km 10-hour race on 28 February, have been made to enhance reliability. “We performed on that facet so much,” he says.

Ferrari has reacted to the issues of 2024, not solely those that put its vehicles out of the races however ones unseen by the broader world. Within the first class is the transmission subject that pressured #51 out at Austin. It was triggered by a spin for Giovinazzi and was solved by a change in procedures as a driver recovers from such a rotation. The identical automotive’s retirement at Fuji was the results of an issue with the ability electronics of the hybrid system, which has been resolved by adjustments within the manufacturing processes.

“We have been lacking a safety,” Cannizzo says of the Fuji retirement. “All the pieces that occurs to us is a lesson to be discovered. Each space of the automotive has been impacted by the modifications.”

The enhancements on reliability, that are free and never lined by the evo joker guidelines, ought to mix to present Ferrari a extra aggressive automotive, a contender that’s “extra sturdy, extra assured to drive on the sting”, says Cannizzo. “Inherently it will probably have an effect on efficiency when it comes to consistency.”

Watch: FIRST LOOK: The 2025 Ferrari 499P Hypercar | The journey begins right here

One other 25% of the modifications for ’25 have been centered on regulatory adjustments, similar to the brand new LED sidepod panels that can point out race place, and the remaining quarter are immediately associated to efficiency, continues Cannizzo. He confirms that Ferrari hasn’t taken one other joker and has no plans to take action this yr. The newest pointers from the rulemakers, the FIA and the Vehicle Membership de l’Ouest, demand that any jokers are in place from the start of the season.

However that hasn’t stopped Ferrari from making an attempt to wring extra efficiency out of the 499P. There aren’t any {hardware} adjustments, however the enhancements are associated to “a greater interpretation of our automotive to use the aero, the tyres, the potential”. Put merely, Ferrari acknowledges that it’s nonetheless on a studying curve with what’s a sophisticated racing automotive.

However there may be one other space during which Ferrari has strived to enhance and that’s within the operation of the staff. That it wanted to take a step ahead was clear when it threw away a race it was dominating at Imola when the rain got here. Cannizzo factors out that Ferrari’s prototype squad is “nonetheless a younger staff” because it begins its third season collectively.

“We really feel that the group has good potential, however it isn’t sufficient,” he says. “We have to hold enhancing, enhancing, enhancing. To win this yr we undoubtedly want the efficiency within the automotive, however we additionally have to be glorious in operation and all of the technique choices.”

An inside evaluation aimed toward enhancing strains of communication was instigated post-Imola and the staff now has about 3 times as many KPIs (key efficiency indicators) from its information techniques to help and pace up determination making. The enhancements got here into play virtually instantly.

Cannizzo means that the Le Mans victory was proof of that, most notably within the closing knockings of the race when Nielsen needed to return to the pits quickly after his penultimate gas cease as a result of a door had not been closed correctly. That turned his closing cease for gas and an early one, which meant some strenuous efforts to avoid wasting vitality on the a part of the Dane at a time when the chasing Toyota was the sooner automotive. “In the event you take a look at Le Mans it was an instance of a pure, good response,” he says.

Race winner #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen

Photograph by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photograph

There’s one other issue that Ferrari can’t discuss, and that’s the Stability of Efficiency – discussing the BoP in public is expressly banned within the sporting rules. Cannizzo will solely say that there have been two races, Qatar and Fuji “the place we have been out of competition” and that he won’t touch upon the explanation why. He additionally factors to Interlagos, one other race the place Ferrari wasn’t within the recreation, conceding that it didn’t get essentially the most from the 499P that weekend.

The Ferrari report card from 2024 could be very a lot a case of “might do higher”, reckons Cannizzo. “Final yr was not dangerous,” he continues, “even when we aren’t pleased in any respect.”

Ferrari is barely going to be pleased this time round if it finishes the season with a world title, maybe or maybe not additionally with possession of that Le Mans trophy. No stone seems to have been left unturned in its efforts to realize the championship objective.