499Ps in top-10 at start of 6 Hours of Sao Paulo

The Ferrari – AF Corse team’s Hypercars will set off from the third and fifth rows at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, round five of the FIA WEC, on Sunday 14 July at 11:30 a.m. (local time). This result came at the end of the Hyperpole, where Antonio Fuoco and Alessandro Pier Guidi drove the 499Ps numbered 50 and 51, finishing sixth and ninth, respectively.

Ferrari official driver Robert Shwartzman, in AF Corse’s 499P number 83, qualified in 15th place on the starting grid. He will compete alongside Yifei Ye and Robert Kubica in the Brazilian race.

Qualifying. Both Italian drivers used Medium tyres in the mid-afternoon session, which took place on a dry track, with air and asphalt temperatures of 14.8°C and 19.6°C, respectively. At the end of the session, Pier Guidi—piloting the 499P number 51 with James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi—achieved the team’s fastest time, with a best lap of 1’23’’581, securing fourth place. Fuoco, who shared the winning car at the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans with Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, finished fifth with a best time of 1’23”583 on the 4.309-kilometre Interlagos circuit to finish fifth.

Hyperpole. Both of Maranello’s official Le Mans Hypercars participated in the session to determine the top five rows. It was a very balanced affair, with the ten cars clustered within less than a second of each other. With a best time of 1’23”532, Fuoco secured sixth position, +0”392 behind the number 7 Toyota, which took pole. The other 499P, which posted 1’23”910, will start ninth.

Returning to the World Endurance Championship calendar ten years after its last edition, the 6 Hours of São Paulo will kick off on Sunday, 14 July, at 11:30 a.m. (local time).

Antonio Fuoco, 499P #50: “Qualifying and Hyperpole were rather complicated, and we saw very close times between the various competitors. We did our utmost to achieve the best result. Looking ahead to the race, it will undoubtedly be a challenging 6 Hours with several variables to consider, from track traffic to the weather. As always, we’ll start out aiming to do our best and hope to compete for the top positions.”

Alessandro Pier Guidi, 499P #51: “Today, we can’t be satisfied with the result. During the Hyperpole, I couldn’t complete the first flying lap to the best of my ability because another car slowed me down. I thought the second run would go better, although it didn’t turn out that way. It’s a shame because, in different conditions, I might have matched my qualifying time and gained a couple of positions. However, I wouldn’t have been able to challenge for pole position, regardless.”