Home victory for Ferrari sets up a long-awaited WEC title charge

It was a win decades in the making. Prior to yesterday’s 6 Hours of Imola, the last time Ferrari won a world sports car race overall as a factory on home soil was back in 1973, at the Monza 1000 kms, when Brian Redman and Jacky Ickx triumphed in a 312PB.

The No. 51 499P’s victory in front of more than 65,000 adoring fans yesterday 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.

It was a highly emotional day for all involved and felt like redemption, particularly for the winning drivers James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi. It was their first victory since the Centenary running of the Le Mans 24 Hours back in June of 2023, and the body language on display in the aftermath was telling.

“We’ve been chasing it for a long time, and without doubt, we deserved it,” said Giovinazzi, who set up the win on Saturday with a dominant pole run. “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.”

All weekend, the paddock chatter amongst that the Hypercar teams centered 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 top 60 per cent of each car’s laps from previous races – swung the pendulum too far in the direction of Ferrari? Was it going to be a walk in the park? Rival teams and drivers certainly thought so, writing off their chances publicly after analyzing the 499P’s capabilities over single laps and longer runs through practice and qualifying.

Unsurprisingly, Ferrari, didn’t see it in quite the same way, though it was clear the entire outfit was aware that a second win in two races was on the cards. Following the error in qualifying that cost the Qatar-winning No. 50 499P a space in Hyperpole, Antonio Fuoco claimed: “The gap is not that big, our car is always good in qualifying because we get into a better window with tires. will not be like this.”

Nicklas Nielsen’s run from 18th to sixth in the first two hours suggested he was underestimating the 499P’s chances of romping to victory. But as the afternoon wore on, the other front-running teams grew into the race and Fuoco’s pre-race assessment began to hold more weight.

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 No. 51 and No. 83 struggled to catch, pass and/or pull away from the other cars.

Bold strategy calls were being made left, right and center, making for an absorbing contest which BMW’s Motorsport boss, Andreas Roos, admitted post-race he found “hard to read.”

Just one Ferrari made it onto the podium in the end. The No. 83 collected a strong points haul in fourth and the No. 50 finished outside the top 10 after a late puncture caused by contact with the No. 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 – it’s how much of an edge that’s up for debate. But in the current era of WEC racing, you have to execute perfectly to win races. This was an hard-earned win for Ferrari, after BMW Team WRT, Alpine Endurance Team, Toyota Gazoo Racing and Porsche Penske Motorsport all took turns piling on the pressure.

With two races of the eight in the books, the championship battle is beginning to take shape. Stashing 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 No. 51 crew, while the pressure is by no means off, holding an 11-point lead to the No. 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.

Calado is happy with a Le Mans victory, but now he wants the season-long prize. James Moy Photography/Getty Images

Pier Guidi, Giovinazzi and Calado are hyper-focused on winning the Drivers’ World Championship above all else this year, and so far, they’re well on their way to a shot at glory later in the season. All three are high on confidence, having left their disappointing 2024 campaign in the dust with a top-tier performance in Ferrari’s back yard.

“What a feeling. These races are truly special,” a jubilant Calado said in conversation with RACER after the podium ceremony. “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, it 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 in just a few weeks. It’s another race Ferrari is desperate to win after last year’s controversial red-flag extension cost it a big result. The question is, will the current momentum carry on through May?

With this ruleset, with this depth of competition, there are no guarantees. It’s why Ferrari’s pair of standout performances to kick off the season have felt so important. The World Championship truly feels like it matters to the teams and OEMs in this current era, and the FIA WEC is all the better for this change in attitude.

You have to make the most of every opportunity you get in Hypercar, and through the opening stanza in 2025, it’s the Centenary Le Mans winners that have seized the moment.