Ferrari arrives at the Le Mans 24 Hours with its 499P after an impressive start to its return to the pinnacle of sportscar racing. It has been on the podium every time so far in the maiden campaign of its new Le Mans Hypercar. There was that shock first-time-out pole at Sebring back in March, and a scintillating charge from a lap down to continue the run of silverware last time out at Spa in April. But there’s a problem for anyone who has maybe started thinking about a victory for the Italian manufacturer as it ends its 50-year factory absence from the prototype ranks at the French enduro. And it goes by the name of Toyota.
The 499P is firmly established as number two in the Hypercar pecking order as sportscar racing’s new era gets going in earnest with the arrival of new manufacturers in the World Endurance Championship. It’s just ahead of the Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh and some way clear of Porsche’s 963 LMDh and the Peugeot 9X8. But anyone dreaming of a glorious Le Mans comeback for a marque looking to add to its tally of nine overall victories needs to look at the gap to the Toyota GR010 HYBRID over the first leg of the 2023 WEC. The Japanese manufacturer enjoyed a two-lap advantage over the eight hours of the Sebring 1000 Miles in March, then one lap after six hours of racing at the Portimao 6 Hours in mid-April, and a minute or so at the Spa 6
