Ferrari has just won the fifth round of the 2026 World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) season at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas (USA) with the works 499P driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen. However, rather than travelling straight back home, part of the Italian manufacturer’s Hypercar team remained at the circuit. The reason: test drives were carried out with the development car for the 2027 season.
It is currently unclear whether this car will continue to be called the 499P. Ferrari had previously taken the car out on the track at Monza. The car was also present at Austin, clad in camouflage livery. Another striking feature is the completely redesigned rear wing with large fins on the left and right. The airflow management in the front of the car also differs from that of the current 499P.
Ferrari has not yet commented on which drivers were at the wheel of the development car during the test. However, photographs suggest that they were Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, James Calado and Yifei Ye. It is clear, however, that Ferrari will be making use of various so-called ‘jokers’ for the car. Manufacturers are entitled to these in order to carry out performance-related developments on the Hypercars. In principle, Ferrari should still have four ‘jokers’ remaining that could be used.
This winter, the race car must then be tested in the WindShear wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina. This forms part of the homologation process that all WEC hypercars must undergo. Only then can the car be used in racing.