Ferrari reveals 296 GT3 Evo at Spa 24 Hours
Maranello's GT3 racer has already proven hugely successful - now it should be even better still
Fair to say Ferrari is enjoying something of a purple patch in its sportscar racing programme. On top of three consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours victories (plus everything else the 499P has scooped up since ‘23), the 296 has also been rampantly successful in GT3 racing. Bringing together both the LMGT3 spec car (for the World Endurance Championship, most notably) and the standard GT3, the 296 has racked up 140 victories and 405 podium finishes across the globe - including Daytona 24 and Nurburgring 24 triumphs - with a host of customer teams.
That’s in no time at all, either: just 343 races and little more than two seasons, the 296 GT3 revealed at the Spa 24 in 2022 ahead of competition in ‘23. Now Ferrari has chosen the same location to show its updated Evo spec of GT3, which will be racing from next year. Great news for prospective and existing customers, because it’s a raft of changes that should make a front-running GT3 car even better - and an upgrade package will be available for those already campaigning a 296. Indeed it’s probably only bad news for those who’ve been trying to keep up…
As befits a Maranello motorsport refresh, 296 GT3 to GT3 Evo is actually pretty far-reaching. Ferrari says the new car is the ‘result of targeted and concrete actions aimed at creating an even more competitive car in all conditions, while maintaining the concept of “modularity” that has made the 296 GT3 a true benchmark, especially in terms of ease of maintenance and set-up.’ So while the turbo V6 is unchanged - a bit further forward, lower down and tilted for the rear diffuser against the road car - the gearbox has been tweaked. Following analysis from the two years of competition, there’s now a new ‘cascade’ for the ratios, which is said to benefit torque at both low and high speed.
Suspension kinematics have been tweaked on both axles, not with outright speed in mind but actually durability - it should reduce stress on the hardware. Cooling is improved for the Evo as well, with new intakes and ducts; even the steering pump should now maintain optimum temperature better thanks to underbody changes. Speaking of temperature, there’s an extra fan for the air-con inside as well, to assist with driver overheating.
This being a race car, one subject to strictly controlled (and fiercely contested) Balance of Performance rules, the big changes were never really going to be in powertrain or the like. So the Evo’s significant modifications are aero-focused; the aim was ‘a more predictable and stable response from the car in all race situations, while maintaining the performance of the standard 296 GT3 in terms of vertical load and efficiency.’ So almost every body panel has changed, with a new look for the front splitter, rear diffuser, arch louvres and bonnet intakes, all of which should improve stability in the less-than-perfect air found when following other cars.
Elsewhere the rear wing is reprofiled, and now the GT3 gets the quick adjustment from the LM model; the WEC-spec car has also now donated its rear wheel arch bodywork. This means ‘more vertical curvature’ at the front of the arch, so a greater variety of tyres can fit. For some idea of how exhaustive (some might say obsessive, but then this is racing) the Evo upgrades are, Ferrari has moved the rearview mirrors closer in, altered the angle and better visibility. This was thanks to ‘a series of studies and calculations aimed at investigating the frequencies and modes of vibration of the exterior mirrors in the current version.’ Talk about sweating the details. And you thought it was just a new livery. Following this weekend’s reveal, the Evo’s race debut will happen sometime in 2026. Don’t be surprised if the 296 GT3’s race win tally hits 150 not very long after.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff