From Le Mans victories to the future of the World Endurance Championship, Ferrari team principal Antonello Coletta shared stories and insights during the “Rosso Irpinia” event. The evening, organized in Avellino by Francesco de Beaumont and Salvatore Tarantino, celebrated Ferrari’s Constructors’ World Championship title in endurance racing, which returned to Maranello after fifty-three years. The head of the Prancing Horse’s WEC programme delivered a lengthy and engaging speech, drawing the audience deep into the world of endurance racing.
In years that have been challenging for Ferrari in Formula 1, there is another Ferrari project that has not only won, but has done so consistently. The 499P programme, launched in mid-2020 and brought to life with its debut at Sebring in 2023, has been collecting prestigious victories for three consecutive seasons. Ferrari has claimed three straight wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, capped by the conquest of the World Championship title at the end of 2025.
This journey was retraced by Antonello Coletta, Ferrari’s WEC team principal, during the event “Rosso Irpinia – Passione Endurance”, which was also attended by F1inGenerale.com. The Rome-born manager, who boasts a very long career in motorsport, was also awarded the Premio Circuito di Avellino Principe di Piemonte, in the presence of numerous distinguished guests, including Emanuele Pirro and Antonio Giovinazzi.
The duty of Ferrari: the Prancing Horse’s future in WEC
“The duty of Ferrari is to always try to win,” Antonello Coletta said, summarizing Maranello’s mission across past, present, and future. “We started with a five-year project, and the goal was to win at least once at Le Mans and at least once the World Championship. Our results make us very proud, but now expectations are extremely high.”
“It’s up to us to explain the difficulties we have faced and will continue to face. Now we are in phase two, which is one of the most complicated,” Coletta added, as the figurehead of one of the most successful projects in Ferrari’s history. After achieving success, however, comes a crucial moment: consolidating those results and continuing to fight at the front in a World Endurance Championship that is living through a new golden era.
Coletta: “Leave something to the others? We’re selfish, we want to win the big races”
“Endurance racing is experiencing an incredible moment in terms of the number of manufacturers, and the balance is very delicate,” said Emanuele Pirro, former driver and five-time Le Mans winner, as he questioned what the right compromise might be to allow rivals to claim “a few victories.” Antonello Coletta replied with a smile: “We’re selfish, we’d like to leave as little as possible to the others. We’d be happy to win the most important races and let the others win the rest.”
The arrival of new teams and cars should not be underestimated, however: “I speak with many of my colleagues from other manufacturers, and there is an awareness that there will always be someone less happy than the others. I believe there will be a natural selection over the years. I don’t imagine that we will always have eleven, twelve, or thirteen manufacturers.”
“Even the team starting last is still a factory entry that can potentially win, because the differences are minimal. To win, many factors have to come together. There won’t be room for everyone at a certain level. We must guarantee Ferrari consistent presence on the podium. Then you can win or not, but the important thing is to stay at the top.”
The Peugeot anecdote and confidence in Italian drivers
Among Ferrari’s two official WEC line-ups, there are three Italian drivers: Antonio Giovinazzi, Antonio Fuoco, and Alessandro Pier Guidi. “I firmly believe in Italian drivers; our project shows that there are clearly talented ones out there,” Antonello Coletta explained. “If you put them in the right conditions to win, the results will come. We need to promote Italian talent and give them the tools to shine.”
Anecdotes were not lacking. Interrupting engineer Giancarlo Bruno, who was explaining the evolution of prototypes over the years, Coletta recalled Peugeot’s wingless 9X8: “For 20 days we stopped everything when we saw that car. We thought we had missed something, that we hadn’t understood something. Then we realized it wouldn’t work.”
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