Ferrari’s triumphs at Le Mans and in the WEC are not a matter of chance, but the result of a healthy work culture and a strong team spirit. The credit goes to Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti, who has tried to instill in the people around him those essential values to build victories. The hope is that the Prancing Horse will continue to race in the WEC for a long time, but much will depend on the new regulations, which must align with Maranello’s vision. Ferrari’s presence would also be valuable to give continuity to the extraordinary period of Italian motorsport, a moment that should make us reflect, according to Coletta, who sat down with FormulaPassion for a long 360° conversation on the many fronts of the Prancing Horse in endurance.
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Even before the cars and drivers, what determines success on the track is the group. How do you build a successful team?
“Building a true team, one where before being a team you are a family, is the foundation for success. If a team is not cohesive, does not work in perfect harmony like an orchestra, it is difficult to think you can achieve certain results. You can win some races, but you don’t build that solid foundation that then helps you in difficult moments. There are no accusations and no search for the culprit, but everyone works together to find a solution.”
How do you get there?
“First of all, by looking for competent people, as much as possible better than those looking for them. I always look for collaborators who are possibly better than me and ask others to do the same. Everyone must be encouraged to find someone better, because in my opinion true leadership is exactly this. You should not fear any collaborators, because they are not a threat, but an opportunity and as such must be identified. It takes competence, the ability to work in a group, willingness to commit and live this adventure, knowing that sometimes sacrifices must be made. Clearly competence is the basis of everything, but if you manage to put all this together, I believe it is the best recipe for a team that can do well.”
What do you look for in an interview with someone applying to join the team?
“Assuming competence, in an interview I look a lot at modesty. There are many people who love to repeat the word ‘I’. Here the word ‘we’ is more important, because if you want to build a team with the premises I mentioned before, you must always think that whatever you do, whatever decision you make, it always falls back on the group.”
You had the opportunity to build the endurance team from scratch. Is it easier than joining an already existing reality?
“Without a doubt. It is much easier to start from scratch than to correct bad habits or incorrect modus operandi. If you can choose the people instead of finding them, it is definitely better. In our case, we started from a very solid base, which was that of GT, where we did very well and won a lot. However, being a category that received less attention than Hypercar, it was not always easy to make ourselves heard and tell what we were doing. The base, however, was very solid. Obviously, it was very small compared to what we then had to put together and from there everything I was saying started. Everyone, in their own field, analyzing the various people, tried to choose those excellences and behaviors that make a team, before being a team, a family.”
You arrive at Le Mans after three consecutive wins in France and as reigning world champions. But it’s hard to think you’re not still hungry…
“Fortunately, we are always hungry and very much so. We are all aware that we have done something really important in the past, but this must not make us live on past achievements for the future. We have the past in our pocket, we achieved it, we are very happy and no one can take it away from us, but now we have to look to the future. We want to go there to win. At Imola we came close, it wasn’t that impossible and at least we were very competitive. Unfortunately, at Spa we were not and it weighed on us a lot, because Belgium has always been a very friendly track for our car. We have always fought to win and not having had this opportunity weighed on us, because we hoped to arrive at Le Mans with more points. But now we look ahead. We cannot rewrite the past, we must be focused for Le Mans, which is the most important race of the year.”
What is it like to experience the 24 Hours of Le Mans from the pits? Do you manage to sleep a few hours?
“Normally you don’t sleep. One of the things I learned with experience is to try to take at least 40-50 minutes to rest a bit. It is very important because then the risk is to arrive at the crucial moments of the race without the necessary clarity to make the best decisions. However, I can say that last year, for example, it was such an intense 24 hours that no one ever managed to leave the chair, except for brief moments, and take that moment of rest that we were looking for in the two previous editions or with the GTs to be as clear-headed as possible at the end.”
“It is experienced very deeply. The hours pass like minutes. Sometimes, if you are in a good position, every hour feels like a day. It depends on the situation you are in: if it is positive, you want it to end immediately, while when things are not going well, you hope it never ends. Every 24 hours has a completely unique story. It is stressful for the drivers, but it is not less so for those not in the car.”
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These are also crucial weeks for drafting the next technical regulations. What is Ferrari’s vision?
“One positive thing is that almost all manufacturers agree on the possibility of having the same platform. Probably, this would also eliminate the BoP, because if the platform is the same and the performance windows are quite narrow, there would certainly no longer be a need for a Balance of Performance. I believe this would benefit the credibility of the category, rewarding only merit. That said, we will have to see if it will be two-wheel or four-wheel drive, but the basic condition for Ferrari is to maintain the possibility of building the car 100%. Without this, it would make no sense for us to continue. The spirit for which Ferrari returned to endurance is precisely to gain experience to apply what has been learned and tested on the track also to road cars, as we have already demonstrated several times. This is very important for us. Endurance is a gym to train, to always improve our everyday products.”
One solution could be to leave the freedom to choose whether to buy components or produce them in-house…
“Why not? If a team had the possibility to buy the same gearbox because another manufacturer makes it available, for us it would not be a problem at all. We are the ones who want to make our car. If others want to share parts, for us it would be absolutely feasible. I don’t see where the problem could be, while, on the contrary, there would be if there was an obligation to buy a certain gearbox, a certain electric motor or a certain chassis. It makes no sense, it is a world championship, it is right that everyone can exercise all their technical knowledge and technological know-how.”
Besides the Hypercar, Ferrari is present in endurance with the 296 GT3. What is the assessment of this car?
“Let’s say we have won something we had never won before, like the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Then we won Daytona, where we hadn’t succeeded with the 488. We haven’t won Spa yet nor Le Mans. At Spa we missed it by very little. Honestly, something happened that I had never seen in my life and I assure you I have seen a lot. Losing 40 minutes from the end because we found a car stopped at the entrance of the pit lane is something really incredible, but it’s over now. We are still in time to win that and Le Mans, but in the meantime we have won over 160 races in three years.”
“It has been and is an incredible commercial success. We are selling many cars and we are very proud of this. Obviously, the competition is important. Even in this case, we are not always in a position to give our best and I am very sorry. Speaking of GT3, I think about what happened at Spa [in the WEC]. We won, I believe deservedly, but then a decision was made that leaves me very skeptical. I also do not forget the decision made in Austin last year, when we were really penalized without any reason. That is another victory we lost, so we have a lot to complain about for the 296. I believe it is a great car and that to date it could have achieved much more, but for the reasons mentioned we did not succeed. However, I repeat, we are still in time.”
The winning Ferrari in the WEC fits into a good moment for Italian motorsport, between Formula 1 and motorcycles. What is your opinion on this?
“In my opinion, it is a fantastic moment, but one that must also make us reflect. I believe Italy has always played an excellent role. We should not be surprised by what we are harvesting today. Rather, we should ask ourselves why there have been darker moments. Speaking of motorcycles, I was watching the French Grand Prix and thought about the fact that in front there were all Italian motorcycles ridden by Italian riders. This should make us reflect a lot. We managed to bring back a driver to Formula 1 with a competitive car and this very young driver is doing something crazy, he is really doing well. He seems the most experienced driver in the world, yet he is just of age. He is really good.”
“We had been absent from the WEC for half a century, we came back and won three Le Mans and a world championship with two Italian drivers on the #51, finishing third with another Italian driver on the #50. We won with an Italian driver in Macau, which counts as a world cup for GT3. Italians know how to make cars, they know how to make motorcycles, they know how to drive both. My reflection is a bit broader and not only for motorsport. Sometimes we Italians do not realize the potential and abilities we have. We should be a little less polemical and critical when we talk about ourselves and a little better at using all our professionalism, welcoming all the opportunities that arise and valuing ourselves. I believe we have the abilities and the right to assert ourselves for who we are. When we want, we are truly excellent, not only in motorsport, but in many fields. We just have to believe in it.”
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