James Calado extended his contract with Ferrari, signing a multi-year agreement. The British winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023 with the 499P number 51 shared with Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi will cross the line of his tenth year as a Prancing Horse official driver in the 2024 season.
A native of Worcester, England, Calado has won three Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles in the FIA WEC LMGTE Pro class with the Maranello manufacturer since 2014, in 2017, 2021 and 2022 at the wheel of the AF Corse team’s 488 GTE, partnered by Pier Guidi. He has also claimed two Le Mans victories in the same class, in 2019 and 2021.
In the World Endurance Championship, the 34-year-old Ferrari driver has racked up 68 starts, 42 podiums and 13 victories. Calado’s first-ever podium came in the 2014 season at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) when he finished third in the 458 Italia GT2. However, his first world championship win was in 2016 at the 6 Hours of Nürburgring (Germany) at the wheel of the 488 GTE.
In 2023, with the 499P debuting in the top class of the FIA WEC, Calado, with Pier Guidi and Giovinazzi, in addition to victory at Le Mans, finished in third place at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.
James Calado: “I am proud to have renewed the contract. I’ve had some incredible experiences with the Prancing Horse, and continuing on this path is extraordinary. My goal for the future is to become Hypercar world champion.
In ten years at Maranello, I have experienced some thrilling times. I’m thinking, for example, of 2014 when I signed the official driver’s contract. I was at dinner with my family and received the phone call I was waiting for: it was a special evening for me. Then, there was the first victory at the Nürburgring two years later. At that time, I felt a lot of pressure on my shoulders, and I was looking forward to proving my worth by achieving my first race win. Crossing the finish line first was like a liberation. Obviously, another tremendous lasting memory was this year’s victory at Le Mans, my first in the overall standings. The joy I felt mounting the podium with Ale and Giovi (Pier Guidi and Calado, ed.) was something I’ll never forget. Of course, I have special memories linked to the three LMGTE Pro class titles: unforgettable pages of ten truly intense years.”
Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti: “We’re happy to be able to count on a quick and reliable driver like James, who has made a sporting name for himself within the Ferrari family. In the last ten seasons together, we have built a track record of victory in which the overall win at Le Mans, which Calado celebrated together with his teammates in the Ferrari 499P number 51, and the three LMGTE Pro titles won with Pier Guidi stand out. We’ll build on this foundation, looking to the future with great optimism.”