Ferrari says it is in for a “very difficult” Le Mans 24 Hours this year, but insists outright pace alone won’t decide the winner of the blue riband round of the World Endurance Championship.
The Prancing Horse arrives in the 94th edition of the French endurance classic chasing a fourth consecutive victory with the 499P. However, it suffered a relatively lacklustre start to this year’s event on Sunday, with the best of its three Hypercar entries finishing almost nine tenths off the pace in eighth position.
Ferrari was also comfortably outpaced by Toyota in April’s WEC season opener at Imola, while it could only manage a third-place finish behind the two BMWs at the unofficial dress rehearsal for Le Mans at Spa-Francorchamps.
Technical director Ferdinando Cannizzo admitted that extending Ferrari’s unbeaten run in Hypercar would be far from straightforward, pointing to the increased competition his squad faces in 2026.
"This year is perhaps the most difficult 24 Hours of Le Mans we have faced as Ferrari,” he said on Wednesday.
“From the tests we have just completed, we have understood that we managed to maximise our performance, and we are very satisfied. Compared to last year, the improvements are significant and clear, and I am very pleased with what we have achieved.
“However, not everything is under our control. To fight for victory and for the podium, we will need several things to fall into place. I won't say any more than that.”
“We must maximise everything that is under our control: performance, reliability, operations, strategy, and perhaps even be more aggressive to surprise our rivals, because we know that in many areas of performance we cannot compete with them,” he said.
“Therefore, we need to approach the race in a slightly different way. We are thinking about how to change the game and be there at the right moment. But it will not be easy for us."
However, Cannizzo did not completely write off Ferrari’s chances at La Sarthe, insisting the team is not “scared” by the gap it faced to its rivals in testing.
The Italian engineer believes superior race execution and aggressive approach could put it right in the mix this weekend, even if it doesn’t end up with the fastest car in the class.
"Everything is fairly obvious. Just look at the test timing sheets to understand which competitors are strong in certain sections of the circuit. That tells much of the story,” he added.
“But it should not scare us, otherwise we would be defeated before we even start. I can say that we are not the favourites. We are definitely not the favourites — quite the opposite. But our mentality is to ignore what is happening around us, work as a team, stay strong, ensure the car reaches the finish in good condition, interpret the race correctly, and perhaps even take more risks to try to move one of our cars further up the order and at least fight for a podium.
“It will not be easy because I think our reliability will be put under considerable strain in order to maintain the level of performance needed to be competitive. We will have to push extremely hard. But that is part of the game.
“We are here, we do not give up, we will try to do our best, and the experience we have accumulated over previous years could help us. We have faced very different challenges, so nothing scares us. We are a strong and united team.
Cannizzo echoed comments made by his Toyota counterpart David Floury, who claimed that some rival manufacturers were engaging in “stupid games” by not showing their true hand in the test day.
“As for our rivals, some of them hid their true pace, perhaps unnecessarily, because the data is there for everyone to see,” he said.
“The reality is that we know the performance of some competitors will be very difficult to match, even if they did not fully show it. We know this will be a very difficult race for us.
“But once again, we will focus on our strengths. We need to perform well, stay focused, and execute everything perfectly. Because sometimes it is not the fastest car that wins, but the one that interprets the race best over the course of 24 hours."
