Ferrari confirms 499P hypercar Le Mans line-up
Ferrari has today confirmed the six-driver roster for its two-car 499P programme in the 2023 World Endurance Championship. The group is as expected, a mixture of proven GT masters and ex-F1 talent, charged with getting the prancing horse an overall Le Mans victory for the first time in almost 60 years.
The number 50 car (for 50 years since Ferrari last competed for the overall Le Mans win, in 1973) will be jockeyed by Antonio Fuoco, Muguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen. Fuoco is an Italian star of endurance racing, with a podium finish at Le Mans last year in the AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo among a host of previous achievements. Molina is more of a seasoned driver and most notably a 2021 ELMS LM GTE champion. Nielsen, the youngest of the trio, also saw his most recent success in 2021, as LM GTE Am WEC champion, GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup champion, and LM GTE Am victor at Le Mans.
Car number 51 will be driven by Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado. Giovinazzi is best-known for his stints at Sauber Alfa Romeo, in 2017 and from 2019 to 2021. He also has a fifth-place finish in a GTE Ferrari at Le Mans in 2018 under his belt.
Guidi is a two-time LM GTE Pro winner within the last four years, in 2019 and 2021, with second-place finishes in 2020 and 2022, achieving as much alongside teammate James Calado who he will now be sharing 499P #51 with. The two have Le Mans history going back to 2016 and the beginning of the 488 GTE programme, with them playing a crucial role in its hard-won success. They are a uniquely successful crew, with no other taking consecutive championships in the LM GTE class (2021 and 2022), or three overall (2017, 2021 and 2022).
It’s surely hoped by all parties that this momentum carries through into the 499P hypercar effort, as they vie for long-awaited overall victory at Le Mans in a top class competition featuring the most manufacturers in two decades.
Ferrari
LMH
499P
Le Mans
Hypercar
Antonio Giovinazzi
