Winning the fourth consecutive Le Mans will not be easy for Ferrari. The 499P seems to have lost its supremacy on the straight, between BoP interventions and the progress of the competition. According to Antonio Fuoco, the Ferrari drivers will have to take more risks to gain positions, but in return they can count on a car that inspires great confidence. During the video interview conducted by FormulaPassion, the Italian also comments on the internal challenge between the two crews, behind which lies a great relationship as well as deep respect.
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Towards Le Mans
It is known that to win at Le Mans, speed on the straight is fundamental. Efficiency has long been a strength of the 499P, but at the start of this season Ferrari has found itself struggling with overtaking. “We saw it not only at Spa, but also at Imola in all the restarts,” comments Fuoco. “Unfortunately, we struggle a bit compared to others. It’s not something that depends on us and that we can try to solve, but as always we do our best.”
“As seen at Spa, trying to overtake is difficult, also because you have to take much more risk in the cornering part. In my opinion, at this stage of the championship, it’s okay to take some risks, but not too many. Obviously Le Mans is a race on its own and gives a lot of points, so especially in the last part, a bit more risk will be taken if fighting for the lead position.”
Calculating risks well will also be important during GT3 lapping, which can be a variable to exploit to compensate for the lack of speed during overtakes. Fuoco continues: “As we saw at Spa, many times lapping can help you, but it can also disadvantage you. It depends on where you find them, you can gain or lose a lot of time. It’s a bit random, which many times can go well for you, but can also not favor you.”
The other strength
At least, the Cavallino drivers can count on the excellent drivability of the 499P in France, as Fuoco can personally testify: “In these three years Le Mans has gone well for us. I also think that our car behaves well there and every time driving the 499P at Le Mans gives good feelings. This allows you to have good confidence right away and makes the work a bit easier during the weekend.”
“It’s important. When you are at the limit and want to try to make a small step further, you need to have a lot of confidence in the car, also because the gaps we see in qualifying or during a lap in the race are in the order of a few tenths of a second. Having a bit more confidence in the car allows you to make a small difference that at the end of a race like a 24-hour definitely has its weight on the overall time.”
Ferrari is not in control of the BoP, but being able to count on a car that transmits security helps to better manage the other variables: “You always want to have the feeling of having everything under control and to be calmer when pushing to the limit. In a 24-hour race, where conditions can change, there can be moments where maybe the track has a bit less grip or where you find rain, which at Le Mans can come even in just one sector. You have to be good at managing all this during the race.”
A well-born car
The 499P has proven to be a valid and predictable car from the very first meters. Antonio Fuoco recalls the sensations experienced during the development of Maranello’s Hypercar: “I still remember the first test at Monza when we did the shakedown. The feeling with the car was already very good and I think we have proven it over these years. It’s a car that was born well and I think we have made the best use of it in these three years.”
Another testament to the goodness of the 499P was the pole position at its debut at Sebring in 2023, set by Fuoco himself: “I wouldn’t say I expected it. As soon as we arrived, there were opponents like Toyota who definitely had much more experience than we could have in just five months, so it was a bit unexpected. But even there, honestly, as soon as we put the car on track we all felt quite good, we were confident. At the first race of the year it’s always difficult to understand where you really stand compared to others, because during testing we were always alone. When we got there and took the first pole position it was definitely a great emotion, for me, but especially for all the guys who worked so hard during that period.”
The internal competition
The challenge at Le Mans will not only be with the internal competition, but also with the teammates. In 2025 the #51 crew took home the drivers’ title, but nothing that compromised the team’s serenity. “In the end there is great respect between the two crews,” assures Fuoco. “We always try to push each other for the good of the team. Obviously as a driver you always want to win and fight for victory, but last year after Le Mans we lost many points and were a bit out of the running in the drivers’ championship. However, we knew it was essential to try to bring home as many points as possible to fight for the constructors. Winning both titles, including the drivers’ with the #51, was definitely something extraordinary.”
“Obviously we all want to win, otherwise we wouldn’t be here racing. However, there is a lot of respect, both on and off the track. When we are there we always fight trying to respect each other as much as possible. Sometimes there can be some small contact, but I think it’s normal when you are fighting at 300 km/h. I believe the whole group is doing a great job. This respect that exists and pushing each other helps us improve, also allowing the team to work a bit more easily”, concludes Fuoco.
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