Ferrari concluded the 2024 FIA WEC campaign with mixed emotions, toasting a second consecutive success at Le Mans but ruing other potential victories that narrowly escaped its grasp. The Italian marque has vowed to come back ‘even stronger’ this year.
Having returned to international endurance racing’s top-tier in fine style in 2023 – prevailing in the centenary edition of Le Mans, half-a-century on from its last bid for outright honors in the race – Ferrari entered 2024 looking to consolidate that promising start.
A repeat performance at La Sarthe was indubitably the highlight – with the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P piloted by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen spearheading a memorable one-three finish, joined on the rostrum by 2023 winners and stablemates Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi – and there were celebrations, too, for the independently-run #83 AF Corse entry, which triumphed in Texas in the hands of Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Robert Shwartzman.
A brace of further rostrum appearances for the #50 enabled Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen to secure second spot in the final Drivers’ classification – an improvement upon the previous campaign – with Ferrari placing third in the Manufacturers’ table. Coletta admits, however, that there were a number of other occasions where for a variety of reasons, silverware slipped through the team’s fingers…
Ferrari AF Corse will field an unchanged driver line-up in its two factory 499Ps this year, and Coletta hopes that continuity will prove to be a key attribute as the team endeavours to take the next step and challenge for the world championship crown.
