James Calado’s partnership with AF Corse in the WEC dates back to 2014 when he joined Davide Rigon at the wheel of a 458 Italia GTE. However, the upcoming season is a new challenge for the British driver, sharing the 488 GTE of AF Corse with Alessandro Pier Guidi, his partner of the last three years.
"I think Alessandro is extremely fast," said Calado. "In my opinion, we work very well together, we have a good relationship off the track but what matters most is our agreement over the choices of setup. What we use is very similar. We have a very similar driving style, so I think the package is strong and we know that it's up to us to seek the best possible result". Such details can make the difference in a season that promises to be tough, also given their opponents. "I think that all our opponents will be competitive and in the PRO class we are very close in performance,” the British driver continued. “I think that our most credible rivals are at the wheel of the Porsches, also given that they will have a new car. Our car has a few years under its belt, but that doesn't mean we can't compete. We’re coming from a convincing prologue at Barcelona. Our pace was good, and I think that with a positive attitude and a clear working method we can compete with them". Champions in 2017, second in the Super Season 2018-19, Pier Guidi and Calado are still hungry for victory, even a few months after their triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "Honestly, finishing second in the championship is a great result, we are the vice-champions. Winning at Le Mans was the icing on the cake. It was a fantastic result, and I'm still very excited when I think about it. However, we are starting a new season, the eighth, and we have to press reset and start again. It won’t be easy. Obviously, our ambition is to become champions for the second time and try to win again at Le Mans".