How Ford is tackling the rest of its Hypercar testing programme

It has an intense few months on the horizon

It's no secret that Ford has been working hard on the development of its all-new Hypercar that's due to debut in the 2027 World Endurance Championship.

It's been seen testing at Paul Ricard, Portimao and Silverstone in recent weeks and at Silverstone alone, it covered nearly 1,300km in mileage.

But now it's moving on to the next phase of testing.

It means the test days will increase, and so too will the number of cars, with Ford's WEC programme manager Dan Sayers confirming to select media, including The Pit Stop Endurance that it will introduce a second car when it resumes testing later this month.

"Everything to date has been one car, but we are excitedly awaiting the second one for Monza for this month," Sayers explained.

"We have two cars already, one test car, one windtunnel car, and this is the third car that'll come along.

"So that's two for the track testing, which is gonna be great.

"Logistically, and operationally, obviously a lot more difficult, but double the learning. So, yeah, can't wait for that in Monza."

Ford plans to split the cars when it comes to objectives. It will have one focusing on control systems, while the other will be used for mechanical setup development. And the timing of this works out well.

That's because after the team's test at Monza, it will begin focusing on endurance testing, ensuring its cars are able to stand the test of long distance running.

The first of those will come at Aragon, before the outfit then heads to the US where it is specifically targeting some testing at Sebring, a track known for giving cars a hard time.

"COTA is obviously a WEC track anyway, so we wanted to go there. And the primary reason for going up to the states is Sebring," explained Sayers.

"As we all know, it's a, it's a decent car breaker. So, we want to go there and test it for durability.

"That's relatively late in the test program for obvious reasons. But to go there and test it around Sebring and then go back in the new year for an endurance test there, we think is the best sign off for it."

Right now, the team hasn't put its car through its paces, as it is still learning how it operates. One of the big challenges the team had to overcome though was integrating its brand new 5.4-litre V8 Coyote engine into the Oreca chassis.

Sayers admitted that there had naturally been some minor reliability issues with the engine, most of which have been quick fixes. But the initial outlook on the engine is positive, with 2027 driver Matt Campbell telling The Pit Stop Endurance that the driveability at the first test was a nice surprise.

"I mean from my side, this has been probably the most interesting aspect that I've probably felt and witnessed so far," Campbell explained to The Pit Stop Endurance.

"For sure, obviously very different to what I'm used to. But in terms of drivability, for me, this has actually been a huge positive of the car.

"And this also is a huge aspect of the car. You know, it's a stress member and also that relationship then with the spine as well.

"So for me, this has been a huge positive.

"Firstly, the sound of the engine is really, really cool, but then, also the feeling and the usability, this is a really key point.

"Obviously for ourselves with the LMDh based platform, you know, we've only got the one driving axle, which is on the rear. So it's obviously highly stressed with the tyre.

"So any added usability through this can help us massively with tyre degradation with systems.

"For me, it's been really, really good so far. And definitely will make things easier down the line on certain aspects regarding, tuning, and so forth. So for me, this has been really, really nice to see."

There's still plenty of work for the team to do, and still plenty to learn, but right now it looks like the team appears to be very much on the right track.

In many ways, the noises coming out of the Ford camp are similar to McLaren. Of course, everyone wants to spin positives, but it does appear both cars seem to be reliable right from the off.

That can only bode well for the 2027 WEC season. Right now though, Ford can't look that far ahead. It still has to complete its first endurance test, and that will be key in evaluating where its performance levels are really at.

But with two cars running from this month onwards, it would be no surprise to see the American team make huge strides forward over the next few months.

And if those strides are made, the prospects of Ford being competitive straight out of the gates could become a realistic possibility.

There's still work to do, but this is a hugely exciting time, not only for Ford, but also for the WEC and its fans.