Ferrari has returned to the top step of the FIA World Endurance Championship podium after a dramatic finish to the Lone Star Le Mans at Austin. The #50 Ferrari 499P of Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina claimed victory in the six-hour race after the #7 Toyota retired with barely 15 minutes remaining, handing the Maranello manufacturer its first WEC win of the 2026 season.
It was a remarkable conclusion to a race that had appeared to be heading towards Toyota’s first victory at the Circuit of The Americas. Instead, Ferrari capitalised on the late drama to end its wait for another World Endurance Championship success and put the #50 crew back on top.
Ferrari starts from pole with the #51 499P
The race began with the #51 Ferrari of Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado at the front of the field after Antonio Giovinazzi had secured pole position on Saturday.
The #51 maintained the lead during the opening stages, while the sister #50 Ferrari quickly recovered ground. Strategy then began to reshape the race, with Ferrari and Toyota operating on different refuelling windows.
As the race progressed, however, the #51 gradually slipped backwards. A problem during one of its pit stops also cost valuable time to the 499P while James Calado was at the wheel, compromising a race that had begun with Ferrari firmly in control.
The Maranello marque has made the 499P central to its renewed endurance racing ambitions, with the prototype also playing a major role in Ferrari’s recent Le Mans success and growing WEC profile.
Toyota #7 takes control of the WEC race at Austin
Control of the race eventually passed to the #7 Toyota of Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway. Starting from ninth on the grid, the TR010 Hybrid steadily worked its way through the field before moving into the lead during the final two hours.
For a long time, Toyota appeared to be on course for its first victory at the Texas circuit. The #7 had completed an impressive recovery from the fifth row of the grid and looked to have put itself in position to convert that comeback into a landmark win at COTA.
Late Toyota failure hands Ferrari a dramatic Austin victory
Then came the decisive twist. With around 15 minutes remaining and victory seemingly within Toyota’s grasp, the #7 suffered a hydraulic problem affecting the power steering. The car was forced to slow dramatically and surrendered the lead in the closing stages, bringing a bitter end to the race for Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway.
The lead therefore passed to Miguel Molina in the #50 Ferrari, who had shortly beforehand overtaken the #35 Alpine. The Spaniard then had to withstand a late recovery from Charles Milesi but managed to preserve enough of a margin to reach the chequered flag in front.
Ferrari consequently secured an enormously important victory, returning to winning ways in the WEC following its triumph at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans and recording its first success of the 2026 campaign.
For Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, the result also brought a major sense of relief. The trio had not won a WEC race since March 2025, when they claimed victory in the Qatar 1812km.
Cadillac promoted to second as Alpine completes the podium
Behind the victorious Ferrari, the #38 Cadillac of Jack Aitken, Sébastien Bourdais and Earl Bamber was promoted to second place after the #35 Alpine received a five-second penalty for an unsafe pit release.
The French car shared by Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg and António Félix da Costa therefore completed the podium in third. Despite losing second place through the penalty, it represented Alpine’s first top-three finish of the season.
The #007 Aston Martin took fourth after an excellent weekend in which the car had already shown strong competitiveness during free practice. The second Alpine, the #36, finished fifth ahead of the #8 Toyota.
The #17 Genesis finished seventh, followed by the #15 BMW in eighth, while the #94 Peugeot completed the top ten.
Ferrari #51 leaves Austin without points
It proved to be a far more difficult race for the #51 Ferrari. After dominating the early stages from pole position, Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado eventually fell all the way to 11th.
The #20 BMW finished 12th, meaning the two cars that had arrived in Austin at the head of the World Championship standings both left Texas without scoring any points.
Aston Martin wins LMGT3 as Mattia Drudi celebrates again
In LMGT3, victory went to the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 driven by Mattia Drudi, Zacharie Robichon and Ian James.
The British car finished ahead of the #91 Manthey Porsche, while the sister #23 Aston Martin completed the podium. It was an outstanding result for both the American team and the British manufacturer, with two Aston Martins finishing inside the top three.
The #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari finished fourth, with the #77 Ford Mustang completing the top five.
Further back, the #33 TF Sport Corvette, which had arrived in the United States leading the championship, could manage only 12th place. The #34 Corvette finished even further down the order in 14th after suffering suspension failures, while the #69 BMW-WRT also failed to score points.
