The opening two hours of the 2025 edition of the 24 Hours at Daytona ran caution free, with only a few retirements winnowing the 60+ car field. Warmer temperatures – at the start 15 e 31°C for the air and the track respectively – than those experienced all weekend and clear blue skies have marked the opening hours as the Ferrari teams have executed their opening race strategies.
GTD Pro. The no. 81 296 GT3 Dragonspeed entry cycled through most of its lineup in the opening hour, stopping twice and changing drivers both times. The team started with Davide Rigon at the wheel, followed by Thomas Neubauer – both factory Ferrari drivers – and now is in the hands of Alberto Costa, running 9th in the category.
GTD. A divergence in strategy and pace has marked the seven Ferrari entries competing in the GTD category. On the one hand, teams such as the no. 34 Conquest car and the no. 70 Inception Racing entry began with pro drivers and then switched to their Am entries. Good pace has allowed both the luxury of keeping their Am drivers in the car for a second stint. In the case of Conquest, that means leaving Manny Franco in for a second stint, currently running 5th while Brendan Iribe stayed in the car for Inception, but suffered a spin and light contact in the infield portion that set them back to 13th. The other teams to follow that strategy was the 021 car of Triarsi Competizione who began with factory driver James Calado behind the wheel but switched to Sheena Monk after the first stop and she also stayed in. She currently runs in 16th.
The remaining Ferraris prioritized their Am drivers, looking to clear their drive time requirements earlier in the contest. That pack is led by the no. 21 AF Corse Ferrari who began their race with Simon Mann behind the wheel. Simon completed two stints and just handed off to factory driver Lilou Wadoux who currently runs in 6th. That also describes the 023 Triarsi car which began with Charlie Scardina behind the wheel. After completing two stints, he handed off to Onofrio Triarsi who currently is in 17th. Cetilar Racing began the race with Roberto Lacorte who similarly completed two stints and handed off to his son Nicholas in the second stops. They currently run 19th. The no. 50 AF Corse car meanwhile has kept Custodio Toledo at the wheel throughout. They are currently a lap down in 22nd in the category.