On track to defend the titles won in 2025
Ferrari officially inaugurates the 2026 season, which will see the Prancing Horse return to the track in the FIA WEC defending the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ world titles obtained in the unforgettable and already legendary previous year, presenting the updated livery of the official Ferrari – AF Corse team’s 499P, during an event held today, Wednesday, February 25, at the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena. An unveiling open to the public and fans attended by Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Enrico Galliera, Chief Product Development Officer Gianmaria Fulgenzi, together with Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti, Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Endurance Race Cars, and the official drivers who will compete with the number 50 and 51 499Ps.
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The livery. The world championship laurels awarded by the FIA to the reigning World Champions are evocative symbols and, at the same time, a further stimulus for the team to express maximum effort in the search for the best possible performance.
The laurels are clearly visible on the front wheel arches, below the Scudetto with the Prancing Horse, of the two Sport Prototypes entrusted to crews reconfirmed for the fourth consecutive year. The number 50 499P will return to action with Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, and the 51 with Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi. The latter, having become champions in the 2025 Drivers’ standings, will drive a car also embellished by the FIA laurels awarded to the drivers, which stand out on the fins located on the upper part of the doors.
The 2026 look. The livery of the 499P, while continuing to pay tribute to the 312 P that dominated the endurance scene until 1973 – the last year that saw Ferrari engaged in the overall standings before returning in 2023 – evolves while remaining in the sign of continuity.
On the 499P’s look, designed by the Ferrari Styling Centre, the predominant coloring in Rosso Scuderia stands out, this year in an unprecedented glossy and no longer matte finish – the color and treatment are identical to the Scuderia Ferrari HP SF-26 single-seater for the Formula 1 World Championship.
The inevitable red, emblem of the history in competitions of the House founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1947, dialogues again with Giallo Modena, the shade used to outline the lines of the bodywork, which in the 2026 season particularly emphasize the volumes of the cockpit.
Style. The 2026 edition 499P, compared to previous versions, is distinguished by the direction of the yellow diagonal lines forming an arrow (an already iconic stylistic feature since the car debuted in 2023), which this year is no longer drawn in the direction of travel, but in the opposite direction, with the tip of the arrow pointing towards the rear wing. A choice by the Ferrari Styling Centre that aims to further enhance the centrality of the cockpit: not only as a structural and physical element located at the center of the car, but also as a highly symbolic area for a racing car.
Technical. The 2026 car does not present substantial technical innovations, and the only Joker introduced since the competitive debut remains the one adopted from the São Paulo, Brazil, race in July 2024. Nevertheless, during the winter break, Ferrari worked tirelessly on study, data analysis, and the correlation between simulator and track to continue making progress both in the car’s behavior and in the team’s operations.
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The powertrain. The 499P is equipped with a hybrid powertrain that combines the mid-rear V6 twin-turbo internal combustion engine and an electric unit, the ERS – Energy Recovery System – located on the front axle. The Internal Combustion Engine, although with specific characteristics, derives from the Maranello six-cylinder family that is also used on road cars, highlighting the technological transfer between competition and production models.
The goals. After bringing back to Maranello in 2025 an overall Manufacturers’ endurance laurel that had been missing for 53 years, in addition to the first Drivers’ world title in the top class of endurance racing, the Ferrari – AF Corse team will aim to prove competitive at every event and confirm itself as the leader of the FIA WEC, in the awareness that the scenario and the challenge on track will be extremely complex.
The calendar. The FIA WEC confirms eight events on the same circuits as the previous two years, with the start of the season postponed by one month compared to 2025. The Lusail International Circuit will host the collective Prologue tests (March 22-23) and the first round, the Qatar 1812 KM (March 28). Races will follow at Imola (Italy, April 19), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium, May 9), Le Mans (France, June 13-14), São Paulo (Brazil, July 12), COTA (USA, September 6), Fuji (Japan, September 27), Sakhir (Bahrain, November 7).
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