Ferrari has provided the first teasing look at its new race car being developed to meet LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) rules, meaning it will be eligible for both the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Ferrari thus far has only announced a commitment to the WEC, whose highlight is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, though its LMH could still appear at select SportsCar Championship rounds, such as the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Ferrari is developing its LMH in time for the 2023 motorsport season, the first season in which LMH cars will also compete against cars developed to meet the separate LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) rules.
Acura, Alpine, Audi (maybe), BMW, Cadillac and Porsche are all committed to LMDh, while Glickenhaus, Peugeot, and Toyota are all committed to LMH, along with Ferrari. Lamborghini also announced in May that it will join the LMDh fold in 2024.
When Ferrari’s LMH hits the track at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, it will be the first time in 50 years that a Ferrari has competed at the top level in the French endurance classic.
Ferrari isn’t going it alone this time around, though. It will partner with AF Corse for the LMH campaign, with the new team to be known as Ferrari – AF Corse. AF Corse currently competes in the WEC’s GT classes, using Ferrari’s GT race cars.
Looking at the teaser of Ferrari’s LMH race car, we can see thin light strips that likely form part of the headlights. A similar design features on Ferrari’s Daytona SP3 Icona Series limited-edition supercar unveiled in 2021.
It’s possible that the design motif will also appear on a road car inspired by Ferrari’s LMH race car, a model that’s thought to serve as the successor to the LaFerrari. Recall, Ferrari tends to launch one of its so-called Special Series models like the LaFerrari and previous Enzo once every decade, and next year the LaFerrari will be a decade old. Stay tuned.