Sebring International Raceway is the venue for the first round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. One of America’s most eagerly anticipated endurance races, the 1000 Mile of Sebring, will kick off on Friday, 17 March, at 12pm. In the Ferrari 499P number 50 will be Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen. Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi will crew the number 51 in the Hypercar. After the accident on Turn 1 on Sunday, having completed the analysis, the team decided to replace the chassis of number 51.
Antonio Fuoco, 499P #50: “There is a lot of excitement about the first World Championship race, but we are also highly motivated to do well. We look forward to this first weekend and have worked hard to be ready even though we know it won’t be an easy weekend for us. It’s a long World Championship, and we have many formidable opponents, so we must seize every opportunity and score as many points as possible, focusing primarily on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is usually decisive for the title. We’ll try our best to take Ferrari back to the summit, to honour its return to the top class of the world championship after 50 years”.
Miguel Molina, 499P #50: “I come to Sebring in excellent shape and highly motivated. We know it won’t be an easy race because we still have much to learn: the car, the championship, and our formidable opponents. In recent months, we’ve worked hard to make the 499P reliable. We’ll see whether we’ve achieved our first goals in this regard. Winning last year’s final WEC race (in the LMGTE Pro class, ed.) is great for morale, but we’re starting from scratch against highly determined and more experienced competitors”.
Nicklas Nielsen, 499P #50: “We can hardly wait for the debut at Sebring, 50 years after Ferrari’s last race in the top endurance class. I feel very proud to be part of this project and to share the 499P with Antonio (Fuoco, Ed) and Miguel (Molina, Ed). I’ve always dreamed of racing for Ferrari, and now I can do it in the top category of the FIA WEC with this wonderful car”.
Alessandro Pier Guidi, 499P #51: “I think we have to set realistic goals in this race. The first is for a race with no particular problems, with a “conservative” approach that looks at the entire race so we can best manage the car. The second goal is to win as many points as possible. I would be delighted if we could contend for a podium place”.
James Calado, 499P #51: “The debut is an exciting occasion that our entire team has been looking forward to for many months. As usual, it will be a great start to the FIA WEC season. Certainly, Sebring will be a test bench showing where we are in performance compared to our rivals”.
Antonio Giovinazzi, 499P #51: “I feel excited and pumped up for this new adventure with Ferrari in the Hypercar class. Finally, after many days of testing, we can now gauge ourselves against our rivals. We are aware we are a team starting out in this category and competing with other manufacturers with more specific experience”.
Antonello Coletta, Head of Attività Sportive GT: “We are ready to start this new adventure. It is an important moment for all of us, for Ferrari, our drivers and the fans. There are a lot of expectations, but we are aware that it will not be an easy path, especially during the first races, and that the start of the adventure in the Hypercar class could be uphill. If we can secure a podium at Sebring that would be a great result”.
Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of GT & Sports Race Cars: “Everything is going well, despite the issue we had in the Prologue. This has not changed our programme for the race. The first race of the 499P is an exciting moment. The team had worked hard from the beginning with commitment professionalism and passion. Now we will see the results of our efforts”.