Ferrari has dramatically reopened the 2026 WEC title fight after the #50 499P claimed a crucial victory in the 6 Hours of COTA. The Texas race had looked set to strengthen Toyota’s position in both championships until a late hydraulic problem struck the #7 car of Nyck de Vries, transforming the outcome and giving Ferrari its first win of the season.
The Circuit of The Americas had been viewed from the outset as a potentially decisive round for the championship standings. Its demanding characteristics were expected to give Toyota an opportunity to extend its advantage over BMW in both title battles, particularly with the Japanese manufacturer now possessing an extremely complete package. For most of the race, events appeared to be following precisely that script.
Everything changed only minutes from the finish. Nyck de Vries suffered a hydraulic problem in the #7 Toyota that resulted in a loss of power steering, leaving the Dutch driver unable to turn the steering wheel properly at high speed. That opened the door for the #50 Ferrari 499P to take a hugely important victory and revive championship hopes that had appeared increasingly remote.
Ferrari’s #51 loses ground after costly technical problem
Neither of the two factory Ferrari 499Ps enjoyed a straightforward race in Texas. In the opening stages, the #51 managed the situation extremely well, with Antonio Giovinazzi once again proving a dependable reference at the wheel. During its second pit stop, however, an unspecified problem cost the car almost 40 seconds and dropped it back into the main pack.
The issue occurred after Antonio Giovinazzi returned to the pits and helped explain his reaction when he climbed out of the car. James Calado explained after the race: “We had a problem with the driver coming in, and the car switched off for reasons we don’t know, so I had to do a power recycle. The first time it didn’t work correctly, and I had to do it twice.”
That setback severely compromised the #51 crew’s afternoon after an encouraging start, leaving Ferrari increasingly reliant on its sister car to maximise the opportunity at COTA. The 499P has become an important part of Ferrari’s modern endurance programme, an involvement that has also fuelled interest among Formula 1 drivers, with Charles Leclerc openly expressing his ambition to race at Le Mans with Ferrari in the future.
Ferrari #50 uses Toyota strategy to stay in contention
The #50 took a different path. During the first pit-stop sequence, Ferrari elected to cover the strategy of the #8 Toyota, which had been running out of sequence from an early stage. Toyota opted for a quick refuelling stop, following an approach also taken by the #12 Cadillac, which had become trapped in traffic after a difficult qualifying session.
Ferrari’s mechanics fuelled Miguel Molina’s car to around 60%, effectively putting the #50 into the same strategic race as the #8 Toyota and #12 Cadillac. The clean air undoubtedly helped Miguel Molina exploit the strong pace of the 499P, although the decision also created a period of roughly eight to ten laps in which track position became particularly vulnerable. A neutralisation during that window could have left the Ferrari restarting near the back of the field.
Sébastien Buemi spent a long period behind the #50 despite appearing to have superior pace. COTA has never been an easy circuit for overtaking, making Ferrari’s decision to mirror Toyota’s strategic moves particularly important as the Italian manufacturer attempted to remain in the fight for the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Nicklas Nielsen then continued the job, defending effectively against Brendon Hartley before the Toyota driver eventually chose to bring his stop forward. Ferrari had therefore managed to keep its #50 in contention through a combination of pace, track position and strategic responses to its principal rival.
Safety Cars transform the COTA strategy battle
At the halfway point, a Virtual Safety Car that subsequently became a full Safety Car effectively reset the race, with the two factory Ferraris running sixth and seventh. In an attempt to recover lost ground, the #51 moved off sequence alongside the #36 Alpine, #8 Toyota, #83 Ferrari and #009 Aston Martin.
However, the deficit to the leaders was already too large. A second Safety Car then worked against Antonio Giovinazzi, who had returned to the cockpit, and left the #51 outside the points-scoring positions.
The closing stages ultimately proved decisive for Toyota. The #8 lost ground through a stop-and-go penalty, subsequently converted into a drive-through, following a pit-lane infringement. Ryō Hirakawa’s breach of the pit-lane speed limit was itself caused by an electronic problem, although no further details were given about its precise nature.
The biggest blow came when the #7 developed its hydraulic problem while in a position to secure a result that could have had major championship implications. Instead, Ferrari was there to capitalise, and the #50 completed a victory that dramatically changed the complexion of the title race.
Ferrari’s WEC COTA victory came despite Toyota’s stronger pace
The 6 Hours of COTA was heavily influenced by energy management because the capacity of the virtual fuel tank was reduced compared with previous races. Whenever teams use strategy aggressively under those circumstances, they inevitably accept greater risks over track position, particularly because a poorly timed neutralisation can completely reshape the order.
The competitive level in the WEC continues to rise, meaning the only way to emerge at the front is to exploit every opportunity and maximise the performance available from the car. Cooler conditions on Sunday did not particularly favour the Ferrari 499P and instead shifted the balance towards Toyota’s TR010 Hybrid, which currently appears to be one of the most complete cars on the grid.
Toyota’s winter update has delivered an important step forward for the project. At Austin, the possibility that the Balance of Performance also helped its competitiveness following the disappointing performance in Brazil cannot be ruled out.
Ferrari, by contrast, appears to be paying a price for a car that can struggle to enter its ideal operating window following last winter’s re-homologation process, while the team waits for the major development package scheduled for next year.
James Calado highlights Ferrari 499P drivability challenge
James Calado said the 499P has become slightly more complicated to drive, particularly over a single lap and through the slower sections during the race. Nevertheless, Ferrari’s pace in Austin placed it among the leading group alongside Alpine and Cadillac, even if Toyota appeared to possess an advantage.
Once the race reached the stage where teams began double-stinting their tyres, the #38 Cadillac lost contact while Antonio Giovinazzi was able to stretch the advantage to almost 20 seconds. It was another indication that Ferrari still possessed genuine race pace even on a weekend when the Toyota package appeared stronger overall.
BMW ultimately leaves Texas without suffering too much championship damage on a circuit that has never particularly suited the M Hybrid V8, including in its updated form. The Hard tyre compound did not help the German LMDh cars, although stronger performance had been expected in conditions that were less extremely hot.
Toyota’s problems and the points secured by the #15 BMW therefore significantly limited the damage from a championship perspective. BMW lost only four points in the Manufacturers’ standings and none in the Drivers’ battle.
Ferrari closes on Toyota and BMW in the 2026 WEC standings
Ferrari now finds itself unexpectedly back in contention as the championship heads towards Fuji, Barcelona and Monza. The Italian manufacturer sits 26 points behind Toyota and only 17 behind BMW, leaving everything open across the remaining rounds.
In the Drivers’ Championship, René Rast and Robin Frijns in the #20 BMW retain the lead with 75 points. The #7 Toyota crew is level on points and would have taken a major step towards the title had the car converted its COTA opportunity into victory. The #8 Toyota follows on 64 points.
The drivers of the #51 Ferrari sit fifth, 17 points away from the lead, followed by the #15 BMW of Kevin Magnussen and Raffaele Marciello on 54 points. The #50 Ferrari crew is level with the Kevin Magnussen-Raffaele Marciello pairing following its victory in Texas.
The championship therefore remains extremely tight heading to Fuji, a circuit that could potentially bring the BMW M Hybrid V8 back towards the front. Ferrari has traditionally not been at its strongest at the Japanese venue, but its performance in Brazil demonstrated that, with a favourable enough BoP, the 499P can be competitive on very different types of circuit.
For Ferrari, the COTA victory has therefore achieved far more than simply delivering the first win of the season. It has put the Maranello manufacturer back into a championship fight that had looked close to slipping away, with Fuji now the next test before the final European rounds in Barcelona and Monza.
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