Ferrari has provided some fascinating insight into what powers its 499P hypercar, ahead of the race car's entrance at Le Mans 2023 next week. And boy, it's a complicated beast.

The 499P is a special car. Sure, it has all that high-tech bits, but note that this is the first factory-made Ferrari Le Mans race car in 50 years. It is set to race against the BMW M Hybrid V8racer and Porsche 963 Hypercar, among others.

The key ingredients that will mean the difference in victory or defeat for the 499P are its four-wheel-drive system (4WD), and its energy recovery system (ERS). The latter is very crucial in maintaining power, while the former is present to take on curves at speeds of 118 mph.

The ERS is composed of a high-voltage battery and a motor generator unit. Together, this system can generate around 270 horsepower for both its traction and the regenerative braking phases. When braking, the system can produce electrical power which is then stored in the batteries.

This system, together with the V6 combustion engine, can produce up to 670 horsepower as limited by FIA regulations for endurance races. Both the engine and the electric motor can then be used alternatively to accelerate the car - much like how it works in the Ferrari SF90 Spider.

With algorithms in place, the ERS works together with the rest of the car's system to keep the car running in the long and grueling motorsport event.

The 4WD system meanwhile, is activated by the ERS when reaching a speed of 118 mph. This provides optimized energy distribution to the rear tires resulting in less wear. Plus, Ferrari says this helps it in dealing with understeer, particularly in the faster corners of the Le Mans track. Alternatively, the car also has better handling when in its front-wheel-drive mode, which the company says is great for the low-speed turning sections of the track.

A year ago, the Le Mans-spec Ferrari went around the Imola to show the world what it can do. But if you want to see more of this technological wonder, note that this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans is only a few days away. The race's qualifying rounds will start on June 8, while race day will commence on June 10.