Ferrari, Peugeot tease hypercar updates

Ferrari and Peugeot have teased significant updates to their FIA WEC Hypercars for the 2027 season, with both brands utilizing the mid-season summer break to track test in Europe.

The Italian brand has shown off a 499P Hypercar testing in camouflage at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The heavily updated prototype is being used to evaluate a number of potential performance EVO 'Jokers' ahead of the 2027 FIA WEC season.

Across the day of running, the car was driven by factory drivers Antonio Fuoco, Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Miguel Molina. According to the Italian manufacturer, the test enabled it to sample a wide range of technical and aerodynamic solutions. 

“This is a step-by-step process that keeps several design options open until the final homologation, providing for on-track testing of different configurations as part of the project’s natural evolution,” Ferrari said.

After winning Le Mans for a third time and the Hypercar Manufacturers' World Championship in 2025, the Italian brand elected not to develop any updates for the car for 2026. In fact, the last significant change to the 499P came ahead of the 2024 6 Hours of São Paulo, when an update focused on brake cooling and aero balance was introduced.

However, back in June, Ferrari hinted that it has been looking into updating its Hypercar, which hasn't won a race since Le Mans last year. 

“We are happy with the package we have,” program boss Antonello Coletta told reporters. "We thought for 2026 the car is a competitive one without needing further development. But again, we are also working, and we will decide when to work on further developments.”

Peugeot has also teased Hypercar updates for 2027 today.  The French brand released a cropped render of its long-awaited 2027-spec 9X8 Hypercar, below, which is currently testing at Paul Ricard.

According to Peugeot, the upgraded 9X8 will feature “a series of technical evolutions aimed at enhancing performance, efficiency and competitiveness”, in a bid to win its first WEC race and fight for the Manufacturers’ World Championship. While the majority of the car is obscured in the shot, the angle shown does reveal an all-new roof-mounted air intake.

“Since its debut, the Peugeot 9X8 has been a platform in constant evolution. Competing at the highest level of endurance racing means continuously learning, adapting and progressing,” said Emmanuel Esnault, the team principal of Peugeot TotalEnergies.

“The intensity of competition at a world championship level reinforces our determination to keep evolving. Our objective is clear: to position the 9X8 consistently among the top contenders. As we look ahead to 2027, the team is taking the next step in its development, focused on a revised approach to performance, efficiency and design. This work is a key milestone in preparing the next chapter of the Peugeot 9X8 story and perpetuating the legacy of Peugeot in endurance racing.”

The 9X8 has been chopped and changed multiple times since its debut in the second half of the 2022 FIA WEC season, with Peugeot using up its allotted Jokers to widen the car’s set-up window and change its aerodynamic philosophy. It has worked hard to improve the car’s reliability too, though updates focused on safety and reliability are not considered EVO ‘Jokers’.

However, tweaks to the WEC Hypercar sporting regulations for 2026 have granted Peugeot more leeway to overhaul the car once again, as “Additional Evolutions (EVO ‘Jokers’) can be granted for a demonstrated significant lack of performance as determined by the governing body.”

This reveal comes after Peugeot reaffirmed its commitment to the 9X8 project and the WEC’s Hypercar formula until at least 2030 ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this summer.

“We’re committed,” Favey explained. “It’s difficult for us to project beyond 2030, but at least to have the certainty that we can, with the current car and further evolutions, continue to work on being more competitive until then; that for us is enough to justify staying for another three years now.”