Ferrari 499P
Ferrari maintains top position in the rankings
In the fifth round of the WEC, the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, Ferrari and the two AF Corse cars were forced into a tough battle.
The final race of the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, Round 5 of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), began under clear skies at 11:30 a.m. local time on July 13. Ferrari had recorded four consecutive wins this season, but they were forced to fight a tough battle in the only South American round.
In qualifying, the Ferrari 499Ps missed out on hyperpole, with the #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen) finishing 14th and the #51 (Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi) finishing 17th. The only car to qualify for hyperpole, the #83 AF Corse (Robert Kubica, Ye Yifei, Philip Hansson), could only manage 9th place.
Starting from a tough grid position, the Ferrari cars displayed optimal strategies and strong driver performances, but were unable to join the fight for the top spots, with the highest finish being No. 83 in 8th place. Car No. 51, which was penalized, finished in 11th place, and No. 50, which suffered damage in contact with a GT3 machine, finished in 12th place.
Despite the disappointing result, Ferrari maintained its lead in the WEC manufacturers’ championship, and Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi also maintained their lead in the drivers’ championship. After the final, Calado reflected on the race:
“We expected things to be tough, and that’s exactly what happened. We struggled with straight-line speed and faced some unfavourable situations. To be honest, I find it difficult to understand the penalty we received in the final stages. We’re not satisfied with the result, but the fact remains that we remain at the top of the championship standings, and we’ll continue to do our best to maintain this position.”
