Third place at Spa for Ferrari 499P

The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, round three of the FIA WEC, ended with the Ferrari 499P crewed by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi securing its first podium in the Hypercar class. In contrast, the car of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen had to retire following an accident, from which the Italian driver emerged unscathed, less than two hours before the chequered flag.

Wintry weather, wet at the start, prompted the team to mount rain tyres, as did other entries in the Hypercar class. A long Safety Car phase that allowed the track to dry out thwarted this strategy, which would have allowed the two 499Ps, breaking away after an excellent start, to gain precious seconds. Nielsen and Giovinazzi thus had to switch to slicks, effectively changing the race philosophy for the two Ferraris. The two 499Ps took longer than necessary to bring their tyres into the right temperature window, slipping down the standings and finishing one lap behind the race leader. However, thanks to two excellent stints by Molina and Pier Guidi, the two 499Ps managed to unlap and get into the top four positions, despite a Drive Through for the Spaniard and a compulsory stop for a damaged rim following a collision with Giovinazzi at the wheel.

The finale at Spa was packed with different emotions. On the lap after the pit stop, Fuoco lost control of his 499P because the tyres were cold and ended the race early. However, Calado drove a flawless double stint, challenging for third place on the podium, which he achieved after overtaking the number 5 Porsche in an intense last lap. The number 7 Toyota won the race.