Comments after 6 Hours of Imola Hyperpole

Today, a historic chapter for the Maranello manufacturer was written at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship is underway. After qualifying for the Hyperpole, the three Ferrari 499Ps set the three best times, respectively, with Antonio Fuoco in number 50, Robert Shwartzman in number 83 and Alessandro Pier Guidi in number 51. This is the best possible result, ahead of a race that promises to be intense and hard-fought on a track where overtaking is difficult.

John Elkann, Ferrari President: “We are happy to be here for this wonderful result for Ferrari, with the three cars leading at the end of the Hyperpole. It’s wonderful to be at Imola and it’s great to be with all our fans, with over 40,000 expected for tomorrow’s race. I congratulate everyone involved — our mechanics, engineers, drivers, and everyone at Ferrari and supporting Ferrari — for this fantastic result.”

Antonio Fuoco, 499P #50: “The connection with the car was good from the morning’s free practice, which gave us confidence. I tried to keep focused, knowing that we had an excellent chance to do well in qualifying and in the Hyperpole, where I completed a special lap. Not only because of the weather but also because the surrounding atmosphere was inspiring, with so many fans in the stands cheering on Ferrari. I truly felt this warmth and pushed hard to do my best. I want to thank the entire team for their efforts today and over the past few weeks in providing us with a 499P that performed exceptionally well today. Tomorrow, we will start from the best position, but the race will be long and difficult. This is because some competitors are very strong and the track will be crowded, requiring us to manage traffic perfectly.”

Alessandro Pier Guidi, 499P #51: “Tomorrow, we will see three Ferraris leading at the 6 Hours of Imola, and that is fantastic news. I am delighted for our team, first and foremost, and for the enthusiastic crowd, which was already sizeable today on the eve of the race. After the morning’s free practice this afternoon, we knew we had a competitive 499P, so we hoped to secure a good starting position. We achieved this goal, which is absolutely crucial here at Imola because starting from the top positions reduces the risk at the start and during the first lap. We are pleased but aware that the race will be long and difficult. Several cars have shown similar performance levels and are highly competitive. We will do our best to bring joy to our fans.”

Robert Shwartzman, 499P #83: “We secured second place on the grid, undoubtedly an excellent result. Today, for the first time in the World Endurance Championship, I competed in qualifying and the Hypercar and achieved this result for the team: I can only be delighted. There were ups and downs during the two sessions: a red flag interrupted qualifying when I could have improved my time, and a yellow flag in the Hyperpole. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the performance and look forward to tomorrow’s race.”