Ferrari Announces LMH Factory Program!

Really really hope this car will win Le Mans with Alonso ..

 

It will be interesting to see how each manufacturer defines success for their program. With so many coming in (both with LMDh and Hypercar) not everyone can will Le Mans or win Daytona. I wonder how many will pull the plug after a couple years.

I kinda think we need more than just IMSA and WEC for these cars to be eligible to keep the manufacturer and customer teams interested. GT3 and LMP2 are as successful as they because there are so many different options on where you can race them.

As far as the looks of the Ferrari...well i hope there is A LOT of camo on that car..

 

That is hideously ugly! We bucked the trend with a comparatively beautiful modern F1 car that could be the class of the field if we got out of our own way, but this is a crime against nature it's so bad.

There's not enough camo in the world to cover up how fugly it is!

I really wish the original Hypercar concept stuck, racing tuned versions of the manufacturer's halo cars. These are just slower, garish, extensions of LMP1+2, save a few exceptions. I'll watch for the competition, but the class is a failure in my book, for what it was originally meant to be.

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Don’t understand the criticisms of the styling—it’s meant to go fast, not win a beauty contest. At least it has a sloped nose and not the blocky, upright designs in vogue with most LMP cars.

The fins and wing end plates are huge but as long as the car is moving forward—hopefully mostly doing so—drag is negligible. The slotted end plates are interesting and novel and probably influenced by F1 design.

Bodywork is appreciably low so that’s good. Interested to see what the PU is. Also, being 4wd, what the front tire width is. Peugeot went with same width front and rear so must be a more forward CG and aero, hence no rear wing got them.

 

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Exactly. Plus, it could always be worse.

 

They need to stick Alonso in it! Maybe CS too. Get pointy with it. F 1 is going soft.

 

Right. It ain’t no 330 P4 but so is an SF90 not a 288 GTO (or other Pininfarina icon).

 

Not the best looking car but then again, Ferrari test mules are often ugly.

Hopefully things will be nicely proportioned once the camo comes off.

 

It's a pure racer who cares how it looks as long as it wins.

 

I disagree. Looks are also important. Race cars can be the most beautiful cars because there are less restrictions compared to street cars. What I don't like about this car is mainly the side view. long wheel base, comparatively small wheels, hunchback greenhouse (emphasized by the very low sides and dorsal fin).

So maybe I'm not liking this category of race car, but the Porsche looks a little better, but only just.

 

Race cars like these are Concept/prototype class which are heavily governed by Rule/Regs and the most important Aero dynamics. GT1/2/3 etc are race versions of road cars these are the cars that look and are meant to be beautiful. Gone are the old days where aero came 2nd to looks. Out of all the current LMH cars shown this looks the most like the car to beat from a form = function point of view. The Porsche look like an outdated 10year old design to me. The Ferrari design has both evolution and revolution in its design language IMO one word "extreme"

 

I think Scuderia Ferrari will boss it at LeMans... recruiting AF Corse to run the racing operations is a wise move which will hopefully keep any politics to a minimum. What will be interesting now is the driver line-up... will they do a PR thing and ask Kimi or Alonso, or will they look in-house?

 

Well - its an ugly car - no two ways to describe it. And I know that the rules dictate the design. I know what wins becomes beautiful, but also that many times if it looks right it is right... and I dare say - this does not look right... yet. I'm not a fan of the tadpole cockpit design. I know its the slipperiest out there but ugly none the less. While Group C from the 80's were not the best looking - they had elegance - especially the Lancia LC2 and 956.... why cant we just update those designs...? write the rules that those shaped become competitive.

 

True, the drag-inducing aero at the rear look exagerated. We should soon find out is this the final design version.

Ferrari deserted endurance and Le Mans which made them famous once they started getting defeated against (Ford, Porsche, Matra).

They now wants to re-enter the fray when there are several teams already engaged, some with huge experience.

They won't be favourite against Toyota, Porsche, or Peugeot, without forgetting Lamborghini, Alpine, Glickenhaus, BMW or Cadillac.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head there. IMSA is just 10 races, and WEC only 6 !

If they can't sell enough of Hypercars, some of these manufacturers will soon withdraw.

GT3 cars sell worldwide and have different series in many different countries: it's a huge market with plenty of races for private teams.

 

yep. I do get Mr. Ferrari's point - it was costing too much to compete in all series - so pick on - and also the one where you could get paid the most.

 

I second that !

Once they abandonned the idea of Hypercar street version being compulsory homologated, I knew that the initial idea would drift towards another aero-designed series.

The different cars will carry absolutely no visual DNA of their constructors; that's not what was originaly intended.

LMP2 on steroids, it's all the Hypercars will be.

 

I agree that rules can be made to have good looking cars. Look at the changes in F1 to make the cars look better this year.

I will add the 2 best looking Group C cars, the XJR14 and C11. The XJR14 set the racing world on fire when it came out. Great car by TWR FORD, I mean Jaguar

 

Trouble is, we understand aerodynamics now, and it’s not always pretty

 

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2022/07/07/isotta-fraschini-hypercar-in-build.html?fbclid=IwAR0A6OaOLQIhqhhVwuqXu9ybILZHHcKex9QVX2u9wLUpjTWAMtWmurhB3N4

 

Why are you talking about the rear wing´s drag? The vertical fins add little to drag, and the wing (there is the drag) is very thin. And anyway, the Hypercar rules set limits of drag/downforce ratio, so there is not going to be big differences between cars.

I actually think it´s interesting that there are three very different cars for the same set of rules.

 

Constructors can have different design philosophies without taking risk because BoP will, in principle, equalise their chances.

We already see that in GTE or GT3 where cars with completely different design and powertain choices can compete.

 

Yes, LC2 and 956!!

To be really cool—and avoid “tadpole” cockpits—these cars should be open like an F1 or the old Can-Ams with air inlet scoop behind the driver not over the roof top.

 

A minimum cockpit size could be imposed like it was on the Prototypes in the early 60s ( Ford GT40, Ferrari P2, Porsche 906, etc ...).

The FIA also abandonned the minimum door size.

 

When you are Ferrari, you use other people's money to go racing, not yours!

But Mr Ferrari disliked advertising on his cars and for years reluctant to have sponsors.

He derided other teams for having their cars turned into mobile billboards and missed out on the tobacco money for a long time.

The Scuderia was courted by Phillip Morris for years before it finally accepted their Marlboro sponsorship.