Not for the first time, a promising race unravelled for Ferrari AF Corse’s #51 crew in FIA WEC in Qatar last month, but a stellar fightback ultimately secured a podium finish that Alessandro Pier Guidi admitted had at one stage been ‘hard to imagine’.
After Antonio Giovinazzi claimed a brilliant pole position in Hyperpole – and with the Ferrari 499P clearly the class of the Hypercar field around Lusail International Circuit – the scene looked set for the #51 trio to finally add to its lone FIA WEC triumph to-date, achieved at the 24 Hours of Le Mans almost two years earlier.
James Calado duly controlled the opening phase of the Qatar 1812km, pulling away from team-mate Nicklas Nielsen despite running on the theoretically slower hard-compound tyres. The first hint that this was not going to be the #51 Ferrari’s day, however, came when Giovinazzi picked up a drive-through penalty for speeding during a Virtual Safety Car intervention at one-third distance, dropping the Italian to tenth, more than half-a-minute adrift of the lead.
Further errors and contact with the #20 BMW resulted in five seconds being added to the car’s pit-stop time, while a second drive-through for speeding in the pit-lane and a ten-second penalty for overtaking beyond track limits left the crew firmly on the back foot.
It said much for their raw speed – Pier Guidi posted the fastest lap of the ten-hour contest – that the #51 drivers were still in the hunt for victory heading into the closing stages. Calado in particular produced a stellar stint to keep the pressure on, with Pier Guidi thereafter harrying last year’s COTA winner Robert Kubica all the way to the line in a late bid to snatch the runner-up spoils.
“It wasn’t the cleanest race for us, and halfway through, it was hard to imagine finishing on the podium,” the Italian acknowledged. “We did it, though, and we should be happy with third place and the fact that we started the season much better than in 2024.
“The most important thing is that Ferrari won and that we maximised the points we could earn as a team towards the Manufacturers’ world championship. Seeing three Ferraris in the top positions was truly exciting.”
Compatriot Giovinazzi similarly hailed a ‘huge team effort to regain positions’ following the car’s multiple setbacks – sentiments echoed by British stablemate Calado.
“It wasn’t an easy race for us, but in the end, we managed a great comeback, bringing our 499P onto the podium on a hugely important day for Ferrari with an historic one-two-three,” he reflected. “We look ahead to the next round at Imola with confidence.”
Indeed, the #51 crew will have another chance to chase glory on the Prancing Horse’s home soil in just under three weeks’ time. Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi led more laps than anybody else at Imola last year, only to find themselves – like the sister car – caught out by the conditions, restricting them to a frustrated seventh at the chequered flag. The target 12 months on is redemption.
“The Qatar result repaid all the hard work carried out from the second half of last season, particularly over the winter, when we focused on preparing for races at circuits where we did not perform well in 2024,” reflected Ferrari Head of Endurance Race Cars, Ferdinando Cannizzo.
“The team did an outstanding job; we encountered no issues on any of the three cars and executed an excellent strategy to recover ground with the #51 499P. This is just the beginning of what will be a long and complex season, and we must approach every single round with the same attitude.”
