24h Le Mans
The 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season saw Ferrari AF Corse consolidate its status as a serious candidate for victory in the Hypercar class. Despite a second successive win in the championship’s showcase event – the 24 Hours of Le Mans – the Maranello-based carmaker had to settle for third place in the manufacturers’ standings.
At the dawn of 2024, Ferrari AF Corse was determined to prove that the iconic manufacturer’s triumphant return to the top class of endurance – climaxed by its 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary win – was no flash in the pan. With its pair of Ferrari 499Ps, plus a third running in its customer AF Corse’s colours, the team hoped to be in the mix for the FIA WEC Hypercar manufacturers’ and drivers’ championship titles.
Initially, Ferrari opted for stability – renewing its faith in the 2023 driver line-ups: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen in the #50, and Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi in the #51. From the opening rounds of the season, the team showed it was competitive with two Top Five finishes before reaching the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the championship’s headline event.
The #50 499P overcame the atrocious weather conditions to bring Ferrari its 11th outright win in the iconic French race. “We are extremely proud of this success for the whole team. It’s a key moment in our season,” said Antonello Coletta, Head of the Ferrari endurance programme.
Despite the win, the firm continued development work after Le Mans. Significant improvements were made to the 499P, especially its brake cooling ducts and aero package, in time for the 6 Hours of São Paulo. The upgrades, combined with a better understanding of the car, enabled the team to show increasingly competitive race pace.
The second high point of the season came at Lone Star Le Mans where the #83 499P – entered by AF Corse as a customer car – topped the podium. However, all ambitions of the title vanished in Bahrain, leaving the Prancing Horse in third place in the manufacturers’ championship table.
Nonetheless, with two wins, five podiums overall and a second place in the drivers’ championship for Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen, the 2024 season was ultimately a promising one for Ferrari AF Corse. As Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Endurance Race Cars, points out: “Compared to 12 months ago, our progress [...] is clear. We are satisfied with having recorded significant improvements over last year, aware that there are more steps to take to compete for titles.” While the championship titles remained out of reach, the season allowed the manufacturer to lay down a solid platform for the future. Coletta remains confident: “We saw confirmation of our cars’ and crew's improved competitiveness. We now have a solid foundation to build upon for the 2025 season.”
With an improved technical basis and line-ups bolstered by the experience gained over he last two seasons, Ferrari AF Corse is in better shape than ever to challenge for the championhip titles in 2025.
