Ferrari Targeting Second Enduro Test After Aragon Outing

Ferrari recently attempted its first endurance test with the 499P prototype and plans to undertake a second long-distance run before its Hypercar debut in March, according to the manufacturer’s sports car racing director.

Antonello Coletta confirmed to Sportscar365 that Ferrari went to Motorland Aragon sometime after last month’s FIA World Endurance Championship season finale in Bahrain with a view to running its hybrid-powered LMH car for more than 24 hours.

The manufacturer encountered “some problems” during the test, although Coletta would not specify what the reliability issues were.

It is understood that Ferrari did not complete a full, uninterrupted 24 hours of running but the test was not aborted.

BMW recently cut short a planned 24-hour test at Sebring with its BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh car, which is set to debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next month and join the WEC in 2024.

Manufacturers in both WEC and IMSA have faced narrow timelines to develop and test their new cars ahead of homologation for the 2023 seasons.

“We organized the first endurance test,” Coletta said. “We ran a lot. I saw [in] the other [media] 56 hours… but honestly no.

“Honestly speaking, we had some problems. But it’s normal. I hope to resolve all the problems that we had.

“Secondly, I hope to have the chance to organize a second endurance test for the coming months before Sebring.

“We started [testing] in July, and we need to organize [as many] tests as we can.”

When asked how much running Ferrari actually did at the Aragon test, Coletta said: “Honestly, I don’t have an answer now.

“And I prefer not to cover all our future plans. A part that I’m not sure [about is] where we will go because it’s dependent on some factors like the weather and track availability.”

Coletta suggested that reliability will be a hot topic at the start of the upcoming WEC season as Ferrari, Cadillac and Porsche all arrive with new prototype machinery.

Peugeot will also be heading into its first full campaign with the 9X8 after fielding two cars at Monza, Fuji and Bahrain, however it encountered mechanical strife at each of those events.

“The first problem is reliability. I think that will be the key for the success of next year,” Coletta predicted.

“Toyota of course [is reliable] but the problem for the other manufacturers is not competitiveness: it’s reliability. First of all, we need to see the checkered flag.

“I think that it won’t be easy for the first race, for all [competitors].”