Ferrari has secured the futures of Nicklas Nielsen and Ye Yifei with new multi-year contracts, confirming that both drivers will continue as official members of the Maranello manufacturer’s endurance racing programme. The two drivers have become important figures in Ferrari’s international endurance campaign, including its highly successful 499P Hypercar project in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Both renewals strengthen Ferrari’s continuity in a programme that has already delivered major victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and across the FIA WEC. Nicklas Nielsen has been part of the Ferrari family since 2018, while Ye Yifei joined its official endurance driver line-up in 2024 and quickly established himself as a race winner at the highest level.
Nicklas Nielsen extends long-standing Ferrari relationship
Born in 1997, Nicklas Nielsen has been associated with Ferrari since 2018, when the Danish driver won the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe title. His career with the Prancing Horse has developed steadily since then, eventually taking him all the way to the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Since the Ferrari 499P made its FIA WEC debut in 2023, Nicklas Nielsen has been a regular member of the crew in the number 50 car alongside Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina. That line-up achieved one of the biggest results of Nicklas Nielsen’s career by winning the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, a success that formed part of Ferrari’s renewed prominence in endurance racing and was also highlighted in ScuderiaFans coverage of Ferrari’s Le Mans and WEC programme.
Just a few days ago, Nicklas Nielsen returned to the top step with the same team-mates by winning the Lone Star Le Mans, ending a victory drought that had stretched back to March 2025. The Danish driver also contributed to Ferrari’s FIA WEC Manufacturers’ Championship success in 2025 and finished third in the Drivers’ Championship that same year.
Nicklas Nielsen’s Ferrari record extends beyond the WEC Hypercar programme
Nicklas Nielsen has recorded three overall victories and 13 podium finishes in the FIA WEC with the Ferrari 499P. When his earlier seasons racing GT machinery are also included, his championship record rises to 13 victories and 26 podiums.
His relationship with Ferrari is not limited to the Hypercar programme. Nicklas Nielsen also competes in several international championships with the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. Since joining the manufacturer in 2018, he has contested 110 races in Ferrari machinery, recording five overall victories, 17 class wins, 22 overall podiums and 42 class podium finishes.
The Danish driver’s CV also includes several major titles from the GT categories. Nicklas Nielsen won the FIA WEC Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am in both the 2019-20 and 2021 seasons, as well as the European Le Mans Series LMGTE title in 2019.
In 2021, Nicklas Nielsen also claimed the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup championship. During that same season, he won the 24 Hours of Spa in the 488 GT3 Evo entered by Iron Lynx, sharing the car with Alessandro Pier Guidi and Côme Ledogar.
Antonello Coletta calls Nicklas Nielsen a pillar of Ferrari’s endurance programme
Antonello Coletta, Ferrari’s Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti, underlined the importance of retaining a driver who has developed within the manufacturer’s own racing structure.
“We are proud to announce the contract renewal of Nicklas Nielsen, a driver who has grown within the Prancing Horse family,” Antonello Coletta said. “Nicklas Nielsen is a young, reliable and professional driver who represents one of the pillars of our commitment to endurance racing.”
Nicklas Nielsen described the new agreement as both personally significant and a natural continuation of the journey he began with Ferrari.
“I am very happy about this renewal, which represents something special for me and, in some ways, a natural step,” Nicklas Nielsen said. “It is an honour to continue this journey representing the Prancing Horse.”
Nicklas Nielsen, who recently became a father, will now turn his attention to the next FIA WEC round. The 6 Hours of Fuji will take place over the weekend of September 25-27, where the number 50 crew will try to reduce the gap to the top of the standings, currently occupied by BMW and Toyota.
Ferrari shares that objective with three races remaining and still has more than one opportunity to retain its place at the top of the World Endurance Championship.
Ferrari also renews Ye Yifei after historic Le Mans victory
Ye Yifei’s journey with Ferrari will also continue after the Chinese driver already achieved one of the most significant milestones in the Prancing Horse’s recent endurance history. The 26-year-old has competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship since 2024 at the wheel of AF Corse’s number 83 Ferrari 499P, taking two overall victories.
His first came at the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of The Americas. The second was even more significant: victory in the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Ye Yifei shared the number 83 Ferrari with Phil Hanson and Robert Kubica.
That triumph made Ye Yifei the first Chinese driver to win the overall classification of the world’s most prestigious endurance race. It also added another major chapter to Ferrari’s recent run of success at Le Mans.
Even before joining Ferrari, Ye Yifei had already built a highly varied racing record. The Chinese driver won the French Formula 4 championship in 2016 and the Euroformula Open title in 2020. In 2021, he added both the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 championships.
Ye Yifei reflects on Ferrari contract extension
Ye Yifei expressed pride at extending his relationship with Ferrari and recalled how quickly his ambition of winning Le Mans with the 499P became reality.
“I am proud to extend my collaboration with Ferrari. I remember when I signed my first contract with the Prancing Horse, dreaming of being able to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 499P. That desire became reality in a very short time thanks to the victory in 2025, showing how, by working together with dedication and professionalism, great goals can be achieved.”
“Since joining the Ferrari family, I have felt welcome and I have experienced the trust that connects the members of the team, something for which I thank everyone. My motivation is extremely high to continue doing my best, together with my team-mates, to achieve further success.”
Antonello Coletta backs Ye Yifei for further Ferrari success
Antonello Coletta described Ye Yifei’s first Ferrari contract renewal as an important moment and highlighted the speed with which the Chinese driver began achieving major results after joining the programme.
“We are happy to announce the first contract renewal of Ye Yifei, and this is a very important moment for us. Ye Yifei joined our family in 2024 and, in that same season, won his first race with the number 83 499P at COTA, a success followed in 2025 by the unforgettable victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the third consecutive one for the Prancing Horse.”
Antonello Coletta also emphasised the historic significance of those achievements for Chinese motorsport.
“Ye Yifei, the first Chinese driver to become part of Ferrari’s official endurance racing driver group, was also the first Chinese driver to win at Le Mans, once again demonstrating his full value on that occasion. We are convinced that in the future he can achieve further prestigious results like those he has already accomplished.”
With both Nicklas Nielsen and Ye Yifei now committed on multi-year agreements, Ferrari has secured two established members of its endurance programme as it looks to build on the success already achieved with the 499P in the FIA WEC and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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