Is Ferrari planning an LMP1 Le Mans comeback, 50 years after its last overall victory?
Ferrari is seriously considering returning to Le Mans with a sports prototype in the LMP1 class, fittingly in 2015, 50 years after the last overall victory with Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory in a Ferrari 250 LM.
The sports car manufacturer would thus be reviving an old tradition. Ferrari won the overall standings of the endurance classic nine times in total and still remains in third place in the list of brands with the most victories (Porsche 16, Audi 11). Ferrari won six times in a row until the Ford GT40 finally interrupted their winning streak.
It remains to be seen whether this can be interpreted as an anniversary, as the last time it was used by the factory was in 1973.
Although various private teams attempted to compete in the top class of Le Mans again between 1995 and 1999 with a Ferrari and to compete for overall victory, namely with the Ferrari 333 SP, successes failed to materialize. At the request of Momo founder Gianpiero Moretti, this racing car was built primarily for races in North America (victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1998). Ferrari was never particularly pleased with the customer teams' entries at Le Mans, as it became clear that a 12-hour victory was by no means a good recipe for a 24-hour victory. The best result was only sixth place with Moretti, Didier Theys and Max Papis in 1997.
Ferrari against Porsche
For years, Ferrari battled successfully against Porsche, and continues to do so today in the GT class. However, the premier class has not been dominated by historically weighty brands for some time now. The first step towards changing this was taken by Porsche with this year's announcement that it would be back on the grid in 2014 to fight for overall victory. It would therefore be a nice and elegant move by Ferrari to follow this commitment.
Ferrari decides in 2013
The sensational comeback could therefore take place in 2015. Ferrari wants to decide on this before the end of the year. There are a few reasons why the Italians are considering a second mainstay alongside Formula 1. The new Formula 1 engine format will also allow a cost-effective balancing act in LMP1 from 2014. From next year, two hybrid systems (recuperation of kinetic energy and thermal expansion) will also be permitted there. Secondly, the wind tunnel is not fully utilized due to resource constraints and would therefore still have capacity available for a second project.
Strategically more effective opponents
Luca di Montezemolo recently said somewhat dismissively: "Ferrari wants to compete with car manufacturers and not just with lemonade manufacturers". If all the current LMP1 brands remain, Ferrari would be racing against Porsche, Audi and Toyota. Other brands such as Nissan could also find their way into the prototype class. However, it remains to be seen whether Ferrari will actually be ready in just under two years, as Porsche planned four years for their comeback and built a new factory with 200 new employees... Time is running out!
