The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship will begin at the Lusail circuit, which will host both the Prologue and the opening round of the season, scheduled for March 28. Ferrari – AF Corse returns to the top class of endurance racing with the 499P cars numbered 50 and 51, following its 2025 World Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles. The goal is clear: defend the crowns and remain at the front in the Hypercar category.
Antonello Coletta: “Defending the leadership will not be simple”
Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti, explained: “The objective for 2026 is to defend the leadership achieved in 2025: it will not be a simple task because our rivals are increasingly competitive and many of them are arriving with evolved cars, while we have made a different choice, as we believe the competitiveness of the 499P is still sufficient to fight at the highest level.
We will approach the season race by race with the intention of bringing home the maximum possible result. Our philosophy is always to look forward, not to live off memories, even after an unforgettable season like 2025, when we experienced the unique emotion of bringing back to Maranello a world title in the top class of endurance racing that had been missing for more than 50 years.
In 2026, therefore, we will face the challenge with maximum concentration without being influenced if things do not always go in the best possible way. Our drivers have great experience, so I am certain that none of them will suffer from starting the season as reigning World Champions.”
Ferdinando Cannizzo: new aero window and new Michelin tyres
Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Endurance Race Cars, added: “The races where we struggled in 2025 are the ones that gave us the most areas for improvement. In addition, we had to re-homologate the car and we will be using new tyres.
The Federation decided to remeasure all cars in a new wind tunnel in the USA: this led to a repositioning of the 499P within the performance window, which must now be understood and adapted in terms of set-up. As a result, we have new aerodynamics: although the changes are small, they significantly affect the car’s behaviour.
To bring aerodynamic performance back into the new window, we worked on certain areas of the 499P, mainly the floor, in order to achieve the drag and downforce targets required by the regulations. The new window required a recalibration of the aerodynamic map, so we will need to rediscover the balance that has always distinguished the 499P.
As for the new Michelin tyres, we must re-establish not only the correlation between wind tunnel and track data, but also find a new match between the car’s set-up and the tyres themselves. So far, we have not had the opportunity to fully explore all compounds, having mainly tested the medium compound. There is an improvement in tyre warm-up, but we have not yet fully understood the impact on the car’s balance — work we will complete before the championship begins.”
499P #50 crew: title ambitions remain unchanged
Antonio Fuoco, driver of the 499P #50, stated: “Our ambitions ahead of the new season are similar to those of 2025: to always try to do our best, race after race. There will be eight rounds where it will be important to score as many points as possible in each event and reduce mistakes, also because the level of the opposition is very high and the competition continues to grow. We finished last season on a positive note, so we will try to confirm this trend from the opening race in Qatar.”
Miguel Molina added: “After three years in which we achieved strong results, finishing in the top three of the world standings as the #50 crew, the ambition remains to aim for the championship. We will wait to see our situation at the start of the season. The key races will be the first one in Qatar, which will give initial indications after the winter break, and then Le Mans, for its prestige and history, but above all because double points are awarded and they are crucial for approaching the final part of the season. I believe the most difficult races will once again be São Paulo and Fuji.”
Nicklas Nielsen commented: “After three very intense years, we obviously want to aim for the World Championship. The journey we have made in the top class of endurance racing has been incredible: the evolution since 2023 has been remarkable in every aspect, and we know we have a competitive car. We must continue maintaining this positive momentum. The objective is also to improve on tracks like Fuji and São Paulo, where we struggled more compared to other circuits, but experience will help us. We have been racing the 499P since 2023, but there is always something to learn, both as a team and as drivers.”
499P #51 crew: defending champions ready for the challenge
Alessandro Pier Guidi said: “Starting again after winning the championship is certainly positive; it gives us a lot of energy. At the same time, we are aware that everyone starts again from zero points and with the same opportunities to perform well. Defending a title is always more complicated than winning it — it is a situation I have already experienced after world successes with GT cars. The goal for 2026 is to confirm what we achieved last year and possibly improve our Le Mans result, where we finished on the podium, and in the rounds where we can do more. Last year in Qatar we were very fast and we hope to repeat that performance to start the championship on the right foot.”
James Calado added: “We have a competitive car and a strong, united team. For 2026, the desire is to try to win the championship again, but we are aware of how tough the challenge will be. Consistency in every race across an eight-round calendar is fundamental, especially in an event like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where double points are awarded and the result can be decisive for the final standings. In 2025, despite winning the championship, we made some mistakes and received several penalties — these are aspects we must consider for the future, trying to improve by reducing errors.”
Antonio Giovinazzi concluded: “2025 was a fantastic year, as I achieved the goal that had been my dream since childhood: becoming World Champion with Ferrari. We line up in 2026 as winners, but repeating what we did last season will not be easy, and we know that all our rivals will return to the track aiming to beat us. The championship will restart in Qatar, where in 2025 we achieved a fantastic Ferrari one-two-three finish. The opening round will be important to evaluate our level and that of our competitors. Le Mans is the most important race of the year, although I am equally excited about the 6 Hours of Imola in Italy, where in 2025 we won in front of our fans.”
Ferrari enters the 2026 FIA WEC season with a refined 499P and a clear mission to defend its world titles against an increasingly aggressive Hypercar field. By focusing on aerodynamic recalibration and tire management, the Maranello squad aims to maintain its momentum from the successful 2025 campaign and secure its legacy in the modern era of endurance racing.
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