Cetilar unveils blue Ferrari 499P ahead of Hypercar debut

The Ferrari 499P is turning blue. Cetilar Racing has unveiled its Ferrari 499P for the 2026-27 Asian Le Mans Series season, which will be held entirely in Europe this winter due to the ongoing Iran crisis.

The Le Mans Hypercar will be driven by team owner Roberto Lacorte, his son Nicola Lacorte and Ferrari factory driver Antonio Fuoco. It is one of two hypercars set to compete in the Asian LMS, which will welcome the category for the first time this season.

As is customary, Cetilar Racing's colours feature prominently on the hybrid prototype. The familiar metallic blue base is complemented by green stripes running around the cockpit canopy, along with a line across the front end. The design takes inspiration from the livery of the #83 Ferrari 499P, which is competing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) this year.

Cetilar's entry will be joined by another 499P run by AF Corse, featuring Luis Perez Companc, Yifei Ye and Nicklas Nielsen. These will be the only two hypercars on the grid for the category's debut in the Asian LMS.

Several other projects were mooted throughout 2026 but ultimately failed to materialise. As many as three Peugeot 9X8s in their 2022 specification were expected to compete, while there were talks about as many as four Porsche 963 entries. There was also interest in running the Acura and Lamborghini LMDh cars.

Former WEC outfits Glickenhaus, Isotta Fraschini – with new partner High Class Racing – and Vanwall were also linked with potential programmes, but none of those projects came to fruition.

The biggest obstacle, according to industry sources, has been a shortage of available Bronze-rated drivers, who are mandatory in the Asian LMS.

The availability of Bronze-rated drivers has become a major bottleneck for endurance racing programmes that require amateur competitors.

The move to a European-only calendar – with races in Southeast Asia ruled out due to unavoidable clashes with MotoGP at Buriram and cost considerations – has also prompted several well-funded Asian amateur drivers to withdraw.

As a result, the 2026-27 Asian LMS season will serve as a cautious first experiment on European soil to establish whether hypercars can be operated outside the leading endurance racing series, the WEC and IMSA.

Roberto Lacorte, however, is relishing the prospect.

"This is a milestone in the history of Cetilar Racing. Seeing the beautiful Ferrari 499P up close in our colours is an overwhelming feeling that I can hardly put into words," he said at the unveiling.

"We face a demanding but extremely exciting challenge with Cetilar Racing – a new chapter, undoubtedly the most significant one yet, for a team that has written important pages in the history of global endurance racing over the past 10 years.

"The 499P is a legendary car, an extraordinary machine that I will get to share with a top driver like Antonio Fuoco and my son Nicola. That too is a dream come true. I can't wait to get on track at Le Castellet in two weeks' time and turn this dream into reality."

14-15 November: Two four-hour races at Le Castellet16-17 January: Two four-hour races at Jerez20-21 February: Two four-hour races at Portimao

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