WEC Champions confirmed at FIA Prize Gala Ceremony
FIA champions honoured at the Fiera di Bologna in the heart of Italy’s stunning Emilia-Romagna region
2022 FIA World Endurance Championship champions were presented with their trophies this past weekend at the FIA Prize Giving in Bologna in front of an audience of over a thousand, hosted by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The event, which officially confirmed the 2022 FIA titles for competitors, saw Toyota and Ferrari drivers and team management in attendance, as well as the ACO President Pierre Fillon and FIA WEC CEO Frédéric Lequien.
For Toyota Gazoo Racing, winners of the Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, Team Principal and driver Kamui Kobayashi collected the prize for the Japanese manufacturer which won four of the six Hypercar rounds in 2022, including the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen bestowed the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship honours on the Toyota trio of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa.
“We had to fight. It was a pretty short championship, and with the DNF in Spa, it was difficult to recover,” said Buemi about the title-winners’ season.
“From then on, we had to make sure we didn’t make any mistakes, and obviously winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Fuji put us back in the championship. At the end we did well. It was good to win the championship again.”
Ferrari were awarded the GT Manufacturers FIA World Endurance Championship title for the second year in a row, with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado crowned winners of the GT FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship – also for the second consecutive season.
“We’re very happy to finish the 10-year cycle of the LMGTE Pro category with seven Manufacturers’ titles, five Drivers’ titles and four 24 Hours of Le Mans victories,” said Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari GT Sporting Activities.
“We celebrate all of these and now we concentrate on the future.”
FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem addressed the event which took place on Friday and Saturday in Bologna.
“Tonight, we honour the stars of our sport – our World Champions, and I would also like to thank all the manufacturers, teams and promoters who provide such strong support. Most of all, I would like to thank the thousands of volunteers and marshals who freely dedicate their time to ensure the safety and success of events all over the world.
“This year we have taken significant steps forward on regulations and advanced technology, with the debut of the hybrid-powered Rally 1 category in WRC, a second successful year of the Hypercar category in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the dawn of the electric Rallycross era, the launch of the Formula E Gen3 car and approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council of the 2026 F1 Power Unit Regulations.”
The evening concluded with a family photo and a final applause for all of the 2022 champions and category winners as the curtain fell on what has been an eventful motor sport year.
