Comments after victory at COTA

Ferrari leaves the Circuit of the Americas with a win and a third place, achieved by the 499P number 83, crewed by Yifei Ye, Robert Shwartzman, and Robert Kubica, and the 499P number 51, piloted by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen. Here are the comments at the end of round six of the FIA WEC 2024.

Nicklas Nielsen, 499P #50: “We secured third place, which, while leaving us with some regret as we were aiming for the top spot, still allowed us to gain valuable points for the standings. Now, we turn our focus to the next race at Fuji in a fortnight. Although the Japanese track may not be the one that best suits our 499P, we'll give it our all to keep our championship challenge alive.”

Antonio Giovinazzi, 499P #51: “The 499P number 83’s victory and the 51’s third place are outstanding results for which I congratulate the entire team. Unfortunately, we encountered a problem with our car, which forced us to retire. It’s a real shame, as we had an excellent weekend up to that point, even securing pole position. Now, we turn our focus to Fuji, where in a fortnight, we’ll have the chance to make up for and get back on track to prove our competitiveness once again.”

Yifei Ye, 499P #83: : I can’t describe what I am feeling. We began the weekend in the best possible way with a strong qualifying performance, and the race itself was flawless, with no mistakes from the team or us drivers. They are proud to be part of this extraordinary day for Ferrari, which has won in the FIA WEC and Formula 1 here in America and Italy. We have finally gained payback after the unfortunate race at Le Mans. This win repays us for so much effort and gives us confidence heading into the season’s final two races.”

Robert Shwartzman, 499P #83: “I am delighted; today, we have written a page of history for Ferrari and our team. It was a very difficult race. Toyota was a tough opponent and put us under a lot of pressure. However, in the end, we maintained our lead and achieved an outstanding result. I want to thank the entire team for their outstanding work and my teammates, who were really strong. After our retirement at Le Mans, where we were big contenders for so long, I’ve been waiting for a moment like this. Stepping onto the podium filled me with a unique emotion.”

Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti: It was a remarkable day for Ferrari, which, following its earlier victory at Monza in Formula 1, also triumphed in the FIA WEC. We are delighted to have secured a third victory for the Prancing Horse, after the two fantastic ones at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year and in 2023, and the first one in the overall standings for the AF Corse client team with the 499P number 83. Congratulations to the entire team and the three drivers who successfully held off Toyota—a feat that was far from easy. Kubica’s strong start, Ye’s solid middle stint, and Shwartzman’s brilliant finish were truly memorable. We also leave Austin pleased about the excellent third place of the 499P number 50, driven by Fuoco, Molina, and Nielsen.

Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Endurance Race Cars:This is an exceptional day for Ferrari, with two victories in two world championships. We are all delighted to have placed two Prancing Horse cars on the podium, with one taking the top step here at COTA. As expected, it was a challenging race, but we executed it perfectly, extracting maximum performance from the car in every situation. However, there is still a lot of work to do to close the gap with our rivals completely, and that will be our focus starting tomorrow. Our one major regret is the withdrawal of the 499P No. 51 because of a mechanical failure following contact with a GT car.