Ferrari to Focus on Incremental Updates for 499P Hypercar in 2026
Ferrari has officially announced it will not pursue EVO Joker updates for its 499P Hypercar in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season. Instead, the team plans to concentrate on enhancing the vehicle’s performance through non-disruptive areas of development.
In the ongoing 2025 season, Ferrari has excelled, clinching victories in four of the six races, including a third consecutive win at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Given this strong performance, Ferrari faces challenges in advocating for any performance-enhancing modifications to the 499P, especially as rivals like Porsche have been granted EVO Jokers for their 963 model.
Mauro Barbieri, Ferrari’s endurance race cars performance simulation and regulation manager, stated, “We’re working on trying to improve our weaknesses. So far, we are happy with the performance and we don’t see the need to introduce a Joker at the end of the year.”
Ferrari’s last major update, introduced in 2024 at São Paulo, primarily focused on brake cooling and aerodynamic balance. Barbieri emphasized that the current setup meets their competitive needs, asserting, “There’s no huge need for anything.”
In contrast, several competitors, including Alpine, BMW, and Cadillac, are poised to implement significant upgrades for the 2026 season, hoping to narrow the competitive gap with Ferrari. Barbieri acknowledged that 2026 presents a pivotal opportunity for upgrades, as all Hypercars will undergo homologation at the Windshear wind tunnel during the off-season.
“It’s an opportunity,” Barbieri noted. “We’ll see next year in Qatar how the cars will look, and how many brought aero updates.”
As the season progresses, the focus will be on how these developments impact the competitive landscape within the Hypercar class.
