Ferrari has unveiled the uprated Evolution package for its outgoing 296 GT3 race car, set for its debut in the 2026 sportscar racing season.
Three years after Ferrari showcased the first iteration of the 296 GT3 at the 24 Hours of Spa, the Maranello marque shared the updated 296 at this year’s running of the GT endurance event.
The Evolution builds on the outgoing success of the 296 GT3 with subtle mechanical and aerodynamic upgrades, including a new gearbox ratio cascade and aims to improve “front vertical load stability […] in the slipstream of another car, and aerodynamic sensitivity”.
Numerous national and international GT racing championships utilise the joint-Oreca-designed Ferrari 296 GT3, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, and in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, by AF Corse, Risi Competizione and other customer teams.
Risi Competizione claimed their maiden victory at IMSA’s 24 Hours of Daytona last year in the GTD Pro category, whilst AF Corse has won three WEC races in their LMGT3 category.
AF Corse claimed back-to-back WEC wins at the 6 Hours of Fuji and the 8 Hours of Bahrain 2024 season finale; meanwhile, they have one so far this year from the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
In the Intercontinental GT Challenge series, in the first year of the Ferrari 296 GT3, the Frikadelli Racing Team claimed victory at the iconic 24 Hours of the Nurburgring with drivers Earl Bamber, Nicky Catsburg, Felipe Laser and David Pittard.
The 296 GT3 has five titles to its credit, including Drivers’ and Team titles in the Pro class of the GT World Challenge Europe (Endurance Cup).
The changes Ferrari implemented
Ferrari has used a mixture of wind tunnel testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations to improve the outgoing package.
Along with these changes, on-track testing (including in the presence of other cars) enabled them to validate their improvements with a special focus on improving the car’s performance under dirty/disturbed air.
With the closeness of GT racing, not only in the two most prominent multi-class racing championships – WEC and IMSA, the objective was on the high aerodynamic performance in traffic.
The 296 GT3 Evo has two prominent air ducts in the front bonnet to improve cooling for the brakes by 20%, and to the cockpit with an additional fan for the driver.
First implemented on the WEC’s LMGT3 specification 296, the Evo’s new rear wing uses a quick adjustment mechanism, enabling mechanics to adjust the wing angle using a simple screw.
The entire rear wheel arch bodywork is borrowed from the LMGT3, featuring more vertical curvatures at the front to better accommodate the different tyre suppliers across various championships, with the WEC using Goodyear and IMSA using Michelin.
Front and rear suspension kinematics are moved to improve reliability and reduce load on the components, and so, the Evo (not yet homologated) debuts in 2026 with outgoing 296 GT3 customers offered an upgrade kit to Evo-specification.
Stay tuned for a full gallery post – READ MORE – Alessio Rovera: ‘Ferrari was really good, but dirty air made it tough’
