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Motorsport

Is Ferrari open to a Le Mans return?

Published: 01 Aug 2013

Ferrari has not ruled out a return to the top tier of Le Mans, TG.com can reveal.

Following rumours that the Italian carmaker's racing division was preparing an LMP1 competitor for the 2015 endurance race, Ferrari told us "it would be premature to say more about this particular topic", but did not deny it was considering an entry.

A spokesperson for Ferrari's motorsport division told TG.com: "For over 60 years, Formula One has been a part of Ferrari's DNA and our commitment to the sport will continue so long as it remains a relevant platform that can guarantee the highest level of technology, research and development for our road cars, while providing a fair and genuine sporting contest.

"In parallel to our Formula 1 programme, we have always paid close attention to other racing series, currently those run for GT cars, as these provide further opportunities for our technology transfer programme to road cars.

"In the past we also ran special projects, such as the one based on the FXX car and we have many other ideas we are currently working on," he concluded. You see? Not a denial.

Wouldn't it be magical if we saw a proper Ferrari prototype going down the Mulsanne straight at 3am? Don't forget, Ferrari has scored nine wins at La Sarthe, putting it third in overall wins behind Audi(12) and Porsche (16), the latter preparing its LMP1 car for next year's eagerly awaited return.

And which petrolhead can forget the gorgeous Ferrari 250LM (pictured) and 330 Testa Rossa that took victories in the ‘60s? Exactly. Plus, to see a huge four-way Battle Royale between Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota and Audi would be nirvana. All that needs to happen then is for Aston Martin and Jaguar to build proper LMP1 prototypes, and you can forget about F1.

Let us know your thoughts on a likely Ferrari return to Le Mans - should they fight in LMP1 at La Sarthe, or stick to the GT classes and Formula One?

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