All ready for the 6 Hours
Ferrari returns to the spotlight in the top class of endurance, inaugurating the 2026 season in front of the Italian public with the 6 Hours of Imola, taking place over five months after the conclusion of last season, which allowed the Maranello-based manufacturer to become World Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ Champion in the FIA WEC.
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For the first time in the history of the FIA WEC, the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola hosts both the Prologue – the collective tests – and the inaugural act of the calendar, following the postponement of the Qatar round, moved to October. A season start that will see the two 499Ps of the official Ferrari AF Corse team back on track, along with the number 83 entered by the private AF Corse team. The race will start on Sunday, April 19 at 13.00 (local time).
The championship
For the fourth consecutive year, the Ferrari AF Corse team fields the 499P cars entrusted to the same crews who have been protagonists since 2023. On the number 50, Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen will alternate; in 2025, in addition to contributing substantially to the success of the Prancing Horse’s Manufacturers’ world title, they finished third in the Drivers’ standings, collecting one victory – at Lusail – three other podiums (at Spa, at Austin, and in Bahrain) and one pole position in Belgium. The number 51 499P, on the other hand, will be shared by the reigning Drivers’ world champions: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi, who last year secured two victories – at Imola and at Spa -, two other podium finishes (in Qatar and at Le Mans) and two Hyperpoles, at Lusail and in Italy. In the Hypercar top class, completing the Prancing Horse’s lineup for the third year will be the number 83 499P entered by AF Corse, driven by official Ferrari drivers Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson, along with Robert Kubica. The trio, who in 2025 triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – securing Ferrari’s third consecutive victory in the world’s most famous endurance marathon – and finished second in the Drivers’ world standings, arrives at Imola defending their success in the 2025 FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams reserved for independent teams.
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The updates
Despite not having introduced any development jokers after São Paulo (Brazil) in 2024, the 499Ps, like all competing cars, were re-homologated at the end of 2025 in a different wind tunnel based in the United States of America. This fact led to a repositioning of the 499P within the performance window and resulted in some aerodynamic modifications to the car. Furthermore, Michelin, the tire supplier for the Hypercar class, has introduced new tires for the upcoming season. The Imola weekend therefore represents the first competitive event that will allow teams to evaluate the impact of these novelties and to continue the work of adapting the cars, in terms of set-up and adjustments, to them.
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