Ferrari has announced its driver line-ups for its two-car Hypercar entry into the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The #50 Ferrari 499P will be piloted by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen. 26-year-old Fuoco has been involved with Ferrari since 2015 when he tested with the Ferrari Formula 1 team at the Austrian Grand Prix. Fuoco was promoted to the F1 simulator team in 2019 and has been competing in the Prancing Horse’s GT machinery since 2018, finishing third in the FIA WEC LMGTE drivers standings alongside Miguel Molina in 2022. Fuoco and Molina won the final round of the 2022 FIA WEC season at Bahrain.
Spaniard Miguel Molina began his career in 2004 in the Spanish Formula Junior 1600 championship. Molina first raced in Ferrari GT machinery in 2017 and has competed in the European Le Mans Series, the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the FIA WEC and the GT World Challenge Europe, winning the ELMS LMGTE category in 2021 with Iron Lynx.
25-year-old Danish pilot Nicklas Nielsen contested the Ferrari Challenge Europe in 2017 and has been closely aligned with the Maranello manufacturer in the years since. In 2022 Nielsen raced with Iron Lynx in the Intercontinental GT Challenge as well as AF Corse in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Antonio Fuoco is delighted to have the opportunity to compete at the highest level in debut season for the Ferrari 499P Hypercar.
“It’s a big thrill for me to be part of this programme because Ferrari’s return to the top class of the World Endurance Championship after 50 years is historic,” he said. “We are working hard during testing and I look forward to racing at Sebring.”
The sister #51 car will be piloted by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and ex-F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi. Pier Guidi and Calado are amongst the most successful sportscar drivers in Ferrari’s history, winning the World Championship on three occasions, including back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. They will be joined by Giovinazzi, making his full-time debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship after an outing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018.
“The 499P’s debut will be a defining moment in the history of the Prancing Horse and it will be a big honour for me to be part of this extraordinary moment,” said Giovinazzi. “We know we have a great responsibility to meet with much humility but we are aware of our strength and ready for this huge challenge.”
The Ferrari AF Corse 499P is due to make its debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring in March 2023.
