Ferrari 499P -Bahrain 8 Hours Race - (WEC) 4th November 2023
The Ferrari 499Ps lined up at the start in fifth and sixth positions for the Bahrain 8 hour race which was the last WEC race of 2023. However, the Toyota trio of Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi, and Ryo Hirakawa eventually clinched the 2023 World Endurance Championship title with a commanding victory in the season finale. Amidst tire degradation influencing the race dynamics, Ferrari emerged as Toyota’s primary competitor.
The 499P LMH driven by Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco, and Nicklas Nielsen claimed the third spot. However, tension arose during the penultimate hour when Fuoco and Alessandro Pier Guidi, in the #51 car, made contact after a pit stop, altering their positions. Despite the setback, Fuoco managed to regain control, securing a podium finish for Ferrari after a lackluster performance at Fuji. Meanwhile, Pier Guidi slipped to sixth place in the car he shared with James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi.
So, overall Ferrari came a respectable second postion in the WEC 2023 season with 161 points. Toyota topped the table as leaders with 217 points mainly due to their excellent first places at Monza, Fuji and Bahrain. Bring on 2024 for AF Corse !