Bitter-sweet Imola for Ferrari 499Ps

The 6 Hours of Imola, the second round of the FIA WEC 2024, concluded with AF Corse’s Ferrari 499P number 83 securing victory in the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams. Official Prancing Horse drivers Robert Shwartzman and Yifei Ye, partnered by Robert Kubica, took eighth place overall.

In front of 73,600 spectators who attended the Italian event over the three days, the two official Ferrari – AF Corse team Hypercars, which put in convincing performances in the first half of the race, finished fourth and seventh. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, driving the 499P number 50, narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing ahead of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi, in the sister car, number 51.

After taking the top positions in the Hyperpole, Ferrari left Imola with the best lap time recorded in the race by Antonio Fuoco, 1:31.794 on lap 203.

The race. Ferrari held the top positions for over half of the Italian event, which started in dry track conditions. The 499P numbers 50 and 51 lay first and second at the stroke of the fourth hour. At that point, rain fell at Imola, especially in the third sector. What initially seemed like a brief, passing rain shower turned out to be persistent, negating the advantage of having a competitive car in mixed conditions. This forced them to pit earlier than planned, giving an edge to the teams that had switched to rain tyres several laps earlier.

At this stage, the 499P’s prospects of contending for victory evaporated, and only an impressive final stint by Fuoco enabled car number 50 to finish within reach of the podium. However, the eighth position secured by AF Corse’s 499P number 83 allowed the Piacenza-based team to take its first win of the season in the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams with a strong performance from Shwartzman, Ye and Kubica, who lie second in the standings.

The calendar. The World Endurance Championship will return to the spotlight on 11 May at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, round three of the 2024 calendar.