Ferrari’s next-generation GT3 car, the Ferrari 296 GT3, made its track debut on Tuesday in Fiorano, beginning its development programme ahead of making a racing debut in 2023.
The car was developed in collaboration with Oreca and is the successor to the extremely successful 488 GT3.
The Fiorano shakedown alternated between sessions of laps on the course and stages where the 296 GT3 was assessed by the mechanics, according to a statement from Ferrari.
Alessandro Pier Guidi and Andrea Bertolini, took turns driving the car, which was clad in scarlet and black camo and featured a six-cylinder engine but no electrical hybrid system, unlike the road-going version.
“Today marks the occasion of GT racing becoming part of our future and it’s a special moment,” said Stefano Coletta, the boss of Ferrari’s Attivita Sportive GT department.
“We chose to carry out the first tests in Fiorano because it’s our home and to allow the people who worked on the project to share a very special emotion.”
“The car has an intense testing program ahead of it, but we’ve already had some good feedback from this first session.”
The 296 GT3 will debut in the GTE classes next year, running alongside the new Le Mans Hypercar in the FIA World Endurance Championship, marking Ferrari’s return to the top class at the Le Mans 24 Hours – a race it has won nine times total, the most recent in 1965.
AF Corse is developing the car, and it is anticipated to debut at the Fiorano test circuit in June.
“For us, the most important anniversary is that 2023 is 50 years since we last raced in prototypes, the best and most important category,” Coletta said during the Rolex 24 at Daytona in February.
“When Ferrari chose to be involved in the top class, it just had to be in Le Mans Hypercar.”
“Ferrari has made all the cars in its history, so no choice really, this is our philosophy.”
“I can say our project is going ahead very fast. It’s very complicated, because the LMH is more complicated than the LMDh, but this is what we have chosen.”
“Our technicians have already created a map of the test programme.”
