Reliving the Ferrari 499P's WEC rise ahead of 2026 season opener

Although the Ferrari 499P is already an icon in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Italian Hypercar has only competed at the highest level since 2023. Underneath the hood is just a 3-litre V6 power unit, but combine that with 4WD and a whole host of advanced ERS and hybrid powertrain mechanics, the end result is one of the most dominant cars in modern endurance racing.  

However, it took a little while for Ferrari to assert themselves as the best Hypercar on the grid, with plenty of ups and downs along the way. They first entered the World Endurance Championship in 2023 under the Ferrari AF Corse banner, which remains today. When they line-up on the grid at the start of the 2026 season, it’ll be Ferrari’s fourth season running the 499P in WEC. But let’s take a look at how the Ferrari 499P reached the pinnacle of endurance racing…

2023: The Legendary Ferrari 499P Is Let Loose

For the Ferrari 499P’s inaugural season in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Italian motorsport giants had two teams of drivers competing under the Ferrari AF Corse brand. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen drove the #50 car, while James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi piloted the #51 machine. However, it was the #50 499P crew that quickly took the WEC world by storm.

Ferrari’s long time away from top class endurance racing was quickly forgotten, with the #50 499P claiming pole position in qualifying on its debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring. The #51 also had a strong showing, qualifying in fourth behind the two Toyota hypercars, which were considered the benchmark machines heading into the season opener. However, at around the halfway mark of the race, neither of the Ferraris were running well, sitting in fourth and seventh overall. In the end, the Fuoco, Molina, and Nielsen #50 finished the race on the last step of the podium, claiming third in the 499P’s WEC debut! But sadly, the #51 piloted by Calado, Giovinazzi, and Pier Guidi finished in a disappointing seventh.

Fuoco, Molina, and Nielsen once again outperformed their teammates at the Algarve International Circuit, this time going one better, getting second place behind the #8 Toyota driven by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa. The #51 improved from their last outing in the United States, but still only finished sixth overall. However, the #51’s luck was about to change in a big way during the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, but the legendary Belgium circuit also brought bad luck for the #50 crew.

Antonio Giovinazzi got the #51 Ferrari 499P off to a great start in qualifying, putting the car in pole position to start the always dangerous 6 Hours of Spa. But the celebrations were sadly short-lived, as a track limits violation meant that Giovinazzi’s fastest time had to be deleted, moving the #51 down into third and moving their teammates up to second. A good piece of Ferrari strategy soon rendered this setback completely meaningless. As the race was about to start, conditions turned for the worst. The Ferraris' gamble on tyre choice meant they ran the ideal wet tyres, unlike most of their rivals. And after the first corner, the gamble had already paid off, with both Ferraris moving to the front of the grid in P1 and P2. However, this advantage didn’t last long, as within 30 minutes of running, the track was already dry enough for slicks, and a poor pit stop strategy put both cars in a bad spot.

A rare rookie mistake on cold tires led to Antonio Fuoco accidentally ending the #50’s race early with around an hour and a half left in the event. This put all the pressure on the #51, but thankfully for Ferrari, they delivered, claiming their first podium as a crew after getting a third-place finish in Spa.

As great as this result was for the #51 crew of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi, neither of the Ferraris had won a race yet, and they were running out of venues in the 2023 season. But fresh from their first podium finish in Belgium, the #51 car was ready to put an end to that wait at the ultimate test of endurance racing - the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

It was actually the #50 car that claimed pole position, with the #51 crew just behind them in second. However, as the race progressed and darkness fell on the track, the Le Mans honours were slipping away from Ferrari, with Alessandro Pier Guidi binning the leading Scuderia into the gravel trap, costing the #51 considerable time in recovery and repairs. Surprisingly, once the track had started to see daylight again, the #51 had worked its way back into contention of winning Le Mans, with just the #8 Toyota standing in its way of glory. But winning Le Mans is never that easy, with an electronic issue providing a late scare for the #51 crew. This was thankfully only a minor issue, but once again, the Ferrari had wasted valuable time in the pits. However, the luck that had been missing for most of Ferrari’s Hypercar debut season had finally come back, with the #8 Toyota spinning out and needing repairs, costing the Japanese manufacture around three minutes, meaning all Ferrari had to do now was bring the car home in one piece. But as time ticked by, it was finally Ferrari's time to stand on the top step of the podium, with the #51 battling hard throughout the race to take home the Le Mans 24hr crown in 2023!

The hard work in the factory had finally paid off, but this was sadly the last high-point for the #51 crew in 2023, as the remainder of their season didn’t go to plan. The #51 car achieved a highest finish of fifth in the remaining three races of the season, while their #50 counterparts claimed a podium in Ferrari’s home Grand Prix at Monza and in Bahrain. Overall, Ferrari AF Corse finished second in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship behind Toyota Racing.

2024: A Third Ferrari Joins The WEC Grid

By now, World Endurance Championship fans were used to seeing the #50 and #51 Ferraris flying around circuits. So, AF Corse decided to add another Ferrari to the grid, with the #83 being piloted by Yifei Ye, Robert Shwartzman, and Formula One legend, Robert Kubica. However, despite all the excitement surrounding another Ferrari entering the WEC lineup, the season got off to a slow start compared to the Ferrari 499P’s debut year in 2023. None of the three Ferraris managed to get a podium in the first two races, with the best finishes coming from the new #83 AF Corse in Qatar and the #50 at the 6 Hours of Imola - with both machines getting fourth.

Ferrari finally got some success in the 2024 season once we reached the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Keen to make up for Antonio Fuoco’s mistake last season which caused a retirement, the #50 crew got Ferrari’s first podium of the season, clinching third place behind two Porsche rivals, with the #51 closely following their teammates in fourth. Sadly, the new #83 499P Ferrari hadn’t adapted to the pace of WEC just yet, finishing eighth at Spa, matching their eighth place in the previous race in Italy. However, just as things were about to get even worse for the #83 crew, both the #50 and #51 were about to recreate their Le Mans magic once again.

In 2025, we didn’t do as well in qualifying around the historic French track, with both Ferraris on the second row at the start of the Le Mans 24hr. But that didn’t stop the Ferraris quickly getting to the front of the grid, and once we were there, there was no stopping the Prancing Horses. However, you can never get too cocky at Le Mans, as many other teams were finding out. Most of the daylight running’s entertainment came from spins, near misses, and engine failures - we just had to hope that the night running wouldn’t be more of the same. But as night fell, the #83’s bad luck got even worse, hitting into the BMW Hypercar and receiving a penalty, which was a slap on the wrist compared to the damage caused to the German manufacturer’s car. Sometimes, bad luck just seems to follow you, as things didn’t improve for the #83, despite leading the race for most of the running. An electrical fire caused irreparable damage in the pit lane, meaning Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, and Yifei Ye’s Le Mans 24hr debut in the Ferrari 499P came to a swift end. 

However, the #50 and #51 Ferraris were still going strong at Le Mans, and in fact, they were looking like the favourites to win it once again. A bit of hard racing between the #51 crew and the #8 Toyota led to a penalty for the Ferrari, however, both cars were fine to keep running after the contact. The drama continued until the final seconds of the race, with the leading #50 Ferrari slightly low on fuel. But, after some clever management from the team and driver, Ferrari made it back-to-back wins at Le Mans, with the #51 crew also finishing on the podium in third, turning what could have been an awful weekend after the #83 car caught fire, into one of the greatest achievements of their WEC journey so far.

Despite their success in France, Ferrari struggled during the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, with the #51 crew of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi getting fourth place - the highest finish out of the three Ferraris. Brazil was also another race to forget for the struggling #83 team, with an eleventh place finish summing up the majority of their season so far. Although things weren’t looking ideal for the debut Ferrari 499P, they still had time to make an impact with the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas coming up next.

Ferrari were once again strong in qualifying, with the #51 crew taking pole position at COTA, and the #83 car also getting on the front row. The #50 Ferrari didn’t do as well in qualifying, but still managed to come home in fifth. However, qualifying is just part of the battle, as finishing an endurance race is a task in itself, and winning one is even tougher. After about 40 minutes of running, Ferrari were sitting in P1, P2, and P3, but on-track politics were starting to get a little heated. A strategy call from the #51 crew meant that they allowed the #83 AF Corse to take the lead of the race, much to the disappointment of Antonio Giovinazzi behind the wheel of the #51. But Giovinazzi’s day was about to get much worse after making contact with one of the Peugeots. What looked to be a standard late dive and a bit of contact, led to a larger failure in the car, meaning their race was over with more than four hours of running left in the event.

Although one of the Ferrari 499Ps was out of the race, we still had two cars well in contention of winning in the United States. But with just 40 minutes left in the race, the leading #7 Toyota was given a drive through penalty for not respecting a yellow flag, handing the #83 Ferrari crew the lead! It was Robert Shwartzman who had the responsibility of bringing the car home, and he had a very upset Toyota gaining on him at a rapid pace. Thankfully, Shwartzman drove a superb race, and did just enough to get the car over the line in first place, the maiden win for AF Corse, and Ferrari’s first WEC Hypercar victory outside of Le Mans while competing in the 499P. The #50 crew also managed to hold on to a podium position, finishing third at COTA. 

After this historic victory in the United States, Ferrari would have hoped that the rest of the season would be full of success. Sadly, this plan didn't work out as expected. Their races in Fuji and Bahrain resulted in poor finishes and complications. Consequently, in the WEC Constructors' championship, they secured third place overall, which was lower than their debut season.

2025: Let The Ferrari Dominance Begin

After a slow start to the FIA World Endurance Championship season in 2024, Ferrari had to get off to a better start in 2025 if they stood any chance of winning the championship. Also, something I haven’t really mentioned throughout this article was the lack of change in the driver lineups between each season. For both 2023 and 2024, Ferrari ran unchanged lineups for their cars, with the #83 AF Corse car debuting in 2024. However, Robert Shwartzman was the first WEC Ferrari Hypercar driver to be replaced since the 499P lined up on the grid in 2023, with FIA Gold licence driver Phil Hanson taking his place in the #83 machine.

Like last year, the first race of the WEC season took place in Qatar. As I noted before, Ferrari took a while to get going last season, but they certainly didn’t repeat that in 2025. After the #51 crew got their car into pole position, Ferrari were once again in a familiar position on race day, with the Prancing Horses often doing well in qualifying but then under-delivering during the race. However, after the first turn, the #50 car had already joined the #51 at the front of the grid, with the AF Corse #83 struggling in the middle of the pack. 

Although the #83 crew got off to a slow start during the Qatar 1812 KM, it only took them about 20 laps to work their way up the grid and into a battle for 5th place with the #20 BMW. But their luck was about to change, as after around 70 laps had passed, the two Cadillac Hypercars had worked their way into the lead. But this didn’t last long, as a major miscommunication caused the #12 Caddy to rear-end his own teammate, leading to major damage and both cars needing repairs. That promoted all three Ferraris onto the podium, with #51 leading the way, the #50 in second, and the #83 in third. This remained deep into the race, with the trio swapping positions here and there, but largely controlling the race despite the #50 getting tangled up with a BMW earlier in the session. To be honest, besides a bit of entertainment in pit-stop strategy, the Ferraris made it look easy. By the last lap of the race, it was obvious that the #50 had won - but the battle for second-place was fierce, with traffic playing a huge part in the #83 staying ahead of their counterparts in the #51. Meaning, for the first time in Ferrari history, and for only the second time in WEC history, Ferrari had completed a historic P1, P2, and P3 in their third season at the highest level of endurance racing!

Despite being the last Ferrari 499P to cross the line during the opening weekend, it was actually the #51 Ferrari crew consisting of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi that took control of the early stages of the 2025 WEC season. The #51 car got back-to-back wins at the 6 Hours of Imola and 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, which was the first time Ferrari had won their home race with the Ferrari 499P and the first time they had won at Spa. But the most dramatic and remarkable story of the 2025 season didn’t come from the #51 crew or the #50, but the newly formed lineup of Hanson, Kubica, and Ye in the AF Corse #83. 

I mentioned that the Ferrari 499P was usually one of the best cars in qualifying, well, when vying for the best starting position at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, qualifying couldn’t have gone much worse. The highest starting position for the Ferrari Hypercar was seventh, with the #50 saving a bit of pride for the Tifosi. However, the #51 car was down in eleventh and the #83 AF Corse crew were thirteenth. So we needed to have luck on our side and a solid strategy if Ferrari was to win its third Le Mans 24hr in a row. 

But despite their poor qualifying, after the first hour of the race, the Ferraris made up some ground on their rivals. The #50 was now in fourth place and chasing down the leaders, with the #51 moving up to eighth. Sadly, the #83 was still stuck near the rear of the Hypercar field in fifteenth, but Le Mans is a marathon, not a sprint, meaning they still had plenty of time to find their feet. As a few more hours passed, you could tell that the Ferrari 499P certainly had enough pace to be in the conversation of winning Le Mans for a third time in a row. The #50 crew were now leading the race during the lap 56 full course yellow, and they also had their teammates sitting in third and fourth just behind them, with the #83 at the rear of the Ferrari gang. However, the Ferraris were constantly switching position during the night, with the #83 actually leading for a while until a mistake from Phil Hanson put them in the gravel with 15 hours left in the race. 

Once daylight had fully covered the track, it was looking like Ferrari had a real chance of their second P1, P2, P3 finish of the season, with all three of the 499Ps running in the top four, with only the #6 Porsche keeping them company. As the race progressed closer and closer to the checkered flag, Robert Kubica suddenly found himself alone at the front piloting the #83, which for most of the race had trailed behind its Ferrari counterparts. And remarkably, after a dramatic final stint from the former Formula One driver, the #83 AF Corse team crossed the line as Le Mans 24hr winners for the first time, making it three in a row for the Ferrari 499P.

Honestly, if you missed this race, I highly recommend you re-watch it, as no amount of writing skill can bring back the emotions, in particular the final stint, which was driven to perfection by Kubica. The #50 crew didn’t get a fairytale ending though, as they saw their fourth place at Le Mans snatched away from them via a post-race DSQ because of a technical fault.

After the out-pour of emotions during the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, the rest of Ferrari's season couldn’t match the hype of their season start. None of the three 499Ps won a single race after Le Mans, with their best finishes coming via the #50 drivers. Fuoco, Molina, and Nielsen secured a second-place finish at COTA in the Lone Star Le Mans, and third in the last race of the season, the 8 Hours of Bahrain. However, despite failing to win after their heroics in France, their amazing start to the season was enough to secure Ferrari their first FIA World Endurance Championship constructors’ title since they joined the Hypercar class with the 499P back in 2023!

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. I obviously couldn’t cover every moment since Ferrari’s 2023 Hypercar debut, but if you want to share your favourite moments with me, drop a comment below!