Wins like that don’t come around often for Ferrari. In fact, the last time it won a world sportscar race overall as a factory on home soil was back in 1973 at the Monza 1000kms, when Brian Redman and Jacky Ickx triumphed in a 312PB.
The #51’s victory in front of more than 65,000 adoring local fans yesterday in the WEC race at Imola was an occasion that will live long in the memory for the AF Corse team, made even more special when you factor in its strategic fumble in the rain during the same event 12 months ago. That feels like a distant memory now after a performance like this, which added further proof that the factory team has taken major steps forward into its third season of Hypercar competition.
It was highly emotional and felt like redemption, particularly for the winning drivers James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi. They hadn’t won a race together since the Centenary running of the Le Mans 24 Hours back in June of 2023, and you could tell from the body language in the aftermath that collectively, they felt a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
“We’ve been chasing it for a long time, and without doubt, we deserved it,” exclaimed Giovinazzi after the race. “Already last season, for one reason or another, we came close on several occasions without quite getting there. And there’s nothing better than clinching this victory in front of our tifosi at Imola.
“After the win at Le Mans, I missed standing on the top step of the podium, but I wasn’t worried because I always focus on the end goal rather than partial results. If I’d had to choose one race to return to the top, it would have been Imola.”
I missed standing on the top step of the podium
All weekend, the paddock chatter in Hypercar centred around the pace of the 499Ps. Had the revised BoP methodology for 2025, which factors in both the 10 fastest laps of each car and the best 60 per cent of each car’s laps – swung the pendulum heavily in the direction of Ferrari? Was it going to be a walk in the park? The rival teams and drivers pointed to the long run pace and single lap pace shown through practice and qualifying to back up their hypothesis.
Ferrari, meanwhile, didn’t see it in quite the same way. Following his error in qualifying, Antonio Fuoco told DSC: “The gap is not that big, our car is always good at qualifying because we get into a better window with tyres. [The race pace] will not be like this.” And as the afternoon wore on, his pre-race assessment proved to be accurate.
Running on the soft Michelins while the majority of the other teams opted for mediums or a mixture of both, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Robert Kubica in the #51 and #83 struggled to catch, pass and/or pull away from the other cars.
Bold strategy calls were being made left, right and centre, making for an absorbing contest which BMW’s Motorsport boss, Andreas Roos, admitted to DSC he found “extremely hard to read.” Just one Ferrari made it onto the podium, with the #83 picking up a strong points haul in fourth and the #50 finishing outside the top 10 after a late puncture caused by contact with the #8 Toyota and a trip through the gravel.
There’s no denying that the 499P suits the undulating Imola circuit, and the tools the team had at its disposal gave it an edge. But in the current era of WEC racing, you have to execute perfectly. It was a hard-earned victory in the end, after BMW Team WRT, Alpine Endurance Team, Toyota Gazoo Racing and Porsche Penske Motorsport all took turns throwing spanners into the works.
With two races of the eight in the books, the championship battle is beginning to take shape. Banking points pre-Le Mans, as the recent Hypercar champions have come to learn, is key.
Ferrari’s early 29-point cushion in the Manufacturers’ title race is a handsome reward for its strong start to the season. And for the #51 crew, while the pressure is by no means off, holding an 11-point lead to the #83 drivers in the Drivers’ standings, plus a 23-point advantage over the best crew from outside the AF Corse family, will feel satisfying as the championship heads into its most important stretch.
Pier Guidi, Giovinazzi and especially Calado, you see, are hyper-focused on winning the Drivers’ World Championship above all else this year, and so far, they’re going the right way about it. All three are high on confidence and look to have left their disappointing 2024 campaign for dust.
I’ve always valued the championship over Le Mans
“What a feeling. These races are truly special,” a jubilant Calado added after the podium ceremony in conversation with DSC. “That was one of the best wins of my career, because the race wasn’t straightforward. The team did a cracking job staying on top of the strategy and staying calm in an attempt to control the race.
“We’re super hungry to get this championship. It’s amazing getting two Le Mans wins, really it is, but the focus is the championship. I’ve always valued the championship over Le Mans, and we’ve been working really hard, putting effort into the build-up to the weekends so far because we know the task.”
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is up next on the calendar. It’s another race Ferrari is desperate to win after last year’s controversial red-flag extension essentially cost it a big result. The question is, will the train keep on rolling through May?
With this ruleset, with this depth of competition, there are no guarantees. It’s why these wins have felt so vitally important in an era when the World Championship truly feels like it matters to the teams and OEMs.
You have to make the most of every opportunity you get in this game, and through the opening stanza in 2025, it’s the Centenary Le Mans winners that have seized the moment.
Images courtesy of DPPI & Paul Foster
