A historic edition, the first of the endurance world championship on this track, equally memorable for Ferrari too thanks to a one-two in LMGTE Pro and a first and third place in LMGTE Am. At the end of the prize-giving ceremony we listened to the thoughts of the protagonists.
Alessandro Pier Guidi, AF Corse #51: “I am very pleased with the result of this race, everything worked perfectly. The team opted for an excellent strategy and we managed the tyres and fuel well and, in the end, everything paid off. It was all very tight until the last Full Course Yellow because we were really on the limit fuel-wise. We did a lot of work on the car this weekend because in free practice we weren't satisfied with the set-up but, as has happened on other occasions, we found the right set-up in the key moment, on Sunday. There is no better way to prepare for our home race than with a win.”
James Calado, AF Corse #51: “For the last seven years I have always competed on my birthday and it is nice to finally get a win and celebrate this anniversary in the best possible way. The race was incredible and the car was very good. We made all the right choices despite having struggled with the tires, like everyone else. A Ferrari one-two is really fantastic for the championship and I'm very happy.”
Daniel Serra, AF Corse #52 : “It's fantastic to end with a one-two for Ferrari, it's a really good result towards the championship. I was involved in some good battles during the race, especially in the end against Bruni's Porsche, but I think the result is positive even if we still need to find some speed to match that of our team-mates.”
Miguel Molina, AF Corse #52: “The race was difficult and we need to figure out why we lost a lot of time in the early stages. Having finished second is still important. Also, today has been a good day for Ferrari and AF Corse, with a first and second place that is very positive for all of us in the standings. We have to analyze where we need to improve even if our race pace was good, but ultimately we race to win.”
Roberto Lacorte, Cetilar Racing #47: “Describing what you feel is as difficult as it is to achieve it. This is a win that we certainly deserve, that all the people who are part of the Cetilar Racing program deserve too. To achieve it, among other things, we had to fight until the very end, without making any mistakes, and that’s why I would say that it is even more beautiful.”
Giorgio Sernagiotto, Cetilar Racing #47: "The thing that makes me wonder is that we are the same as last year, with the same commitment as we had then. The satisfaction is incredible. And now we are first in the championship.”
Antonio Fuoco, Cetilar Racing #47: "It was a great weekend. We got on very well with the car right from free practice. Roberto then did a great qualifying and also in the first stint he was the first of the Bronze. We always held everything under control. The team implemented a perfect strategy and made perfect pit stops too. At the moment we are all very happy, but we have to keep working and pushing because the season is still long ".
Giancarlo Fisichella, AF Corse #54: “It's a great podium, the result of excellent teamwork, truly perfect. We can be very satisfied with the result achieved today and, when all is said and done, we should be second in the championship. We head to Monza and Le Mans with a lot of confidence, knowing that we can aim for the podium or even the win.”
Thomas Flohr, AF Corse #54: “The level of the participants has been much higher than in 2018-2019 and therefore this podium is a fantastic result. The team's efforts were rewarded thanks also to a fantastic car and I think that together with the engineers, Giancarlo and Francesco, we had a perfect race ”.
Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari Attività Sportive GT:“We are very satisfied with the results obtained here in Portimão. The one-two in Pro class and the first and third place in the Am class is the best we could have hoped for. The result might suggest an easy race, but it certainly wasn't. We were able to gain on our rivals while the track temperatures were high, as our car is kinder on the tyres. When the Safety Car re-bunched the group, we suffered somewhat, but we were able to take advantage of the margin we had built, saving fuel and achieving this result. I would like to congratulate AF Corse for the one-two, Cetilar Racing for their first triumph in the world championship and I am pleased to see Fisichella, Flohr and Castellacci on the podium.”