WEC | Coletta: “Ferrari is definitely aiming for the World Championships and Le Mans”

There is excitement for the start of the 2024 season of the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship and with it the return to action of the Ferrari 499P.

After the excellent debut in 2023, in which 6 podiums, 2 Pole Positions and the grandiose victory at the 24h of Le Mans were achieved, this year the bar inevitably rises for the official Hypercars of Maranello.

Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen and Pier Guidi/Giovinazzi/Calado have not hidden their enthusiasm and ambitions for the new adventure in the Hypercar Class, but in general it is the entire Ferrari-AF Corse team that has a great desire to aim high.

“After the first season, the objectives for 2024 are to reconfirm ourselves on the podium, possibly in all competitions, but we would like to win a few more races. Success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of our aims, but there is a desire to definitely aim for the World Championship”, admits the head of endurance racing and customers of the Emilian company, Antonello Coletta.

“To achieve this we therefore need to win more races: in 2023 we took home Le Mans, the most important of all, and in 2024 we will try to combine the success on the Circuit de la Sarthe with those in other events”.

The category reserved for the LMH and LMDh prototypes is becoming increasingly fierce, with 19 cars ready to cross arms; the arrival of prestigious brands such as Alpine, BMW, Isotta Fraschini and Lamborghini only increase the competition.

“2024 will have a number of manufacturers at the start that have never been seen before in the WEC. Ferrari has certainly been a catalyst because many of the brands that are currently committing to the series have decided to do so after seeing our entry.”

“We are somewhat of a point of reference and I believe that all the manufacturers have as their first objective to beat us and then stay ahead of the others, so we will have to give our best and do even more, but I would say that we are ready and we have worked over the winter to try to achieve the best result straight away.”

#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, Yifei Ye

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Another important novelty is represented by the third 499P, entered privately by AF Corse with the #83 for the Kubica/Shwartzman/Ye trio, which will not only increase the battles on the track, but will also give a big hand to the men in Red to grow faster.

“We expect a lot from the third 499P, clearly both from the point of view of results because it is a car that will be well driven and managed, but above all because it will be a stimulus for the other two”.

“Having added a car doesn't just mean an extra presence on the grid, but above all it means giving yourself greater opportunities to collect further data and with more speed in the tests before each race, gaining more experience with a higher number of drivers involved”, highlights Coletta, who then highlights the importance of customers for the Ferrari world.

“Customers have already been in an important way during 2023, just think of 'Casa Ferrari' which we organized on the occasion of the 24h of Le Mans. All this will be reconfirmed and we are thinking of expanding the structure because there is always an interest higher on their part towards the race.”

“In addition to this, Ferrari's commitment is also very high in the other stages. We are organizing the implementation of hospitality and lounges around the world at all the events of the championship, so we expect an important presence in the other races too.”

View AF Corse, Ferrari 296 GT3

Photo by: AF Corse

Ferrari in the WEC also means GT: after the many years of triumphs and titles achieved in the GTE Class, from 2024 there will be space for the newly created LMGT3 where the 296 of AF Corse will try to have their say against 16 fierce rivals.

“This is an important change, I would say epochal for the WEC, because the GTEs come out and the GT3s come in for the first time. Above all, the difference is that there will only be two cars per brand, whereas in the past we had many more.”

“This will clearly limit the possibility of being able to win and be on the podium constantly. I believe that at the beginning there will be a bit of testing on the whole category, both in management terms and for the values ​​on the pitch.”

“We will need to understand how the BoP will be interpreted, which will have a fundamental role given the enormous number of different cars on the grid.”

“From our point of view we preferred to continue the tradition by reconfirming two historic crews that we had, as well as the team, present practically from the first day of the WEC, and this is what has allowed us to gain so much satisfaction in the past”.

“We are looking forward to the new season with confidence, knowing full well that having only two cars will slightly complicate the possibility of achieving the maximum result. However, we are confident that the 296 is an excellent car, and that, reasonably, we will be able to have our say with a certain frequency in all races”.

Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti

Photo by: Federico Basile | AG Photo

Finally, Coletta did not miss the opportunity to thank the fantastic Ferrari fans, who are slowly (and finally! ed.) also discovering the motorsport universe that exists outside of the usual F1.

“In the Monza race last year, the Italian public responded in an exceptional way because we went from 7,000 spectators in 2022 to over 45,000 in 2023, so we expect that in Imola there will be a further reconfirmation of what has been interest of the past season”.

“We are convinced that we will see full stands, obviously what we ask the public to do is to continue to cheer for us and support us. For our part, we must do what we are supposed to do, that is, put the Ferraris in front and reward the fans who, in any case, from the start they are supporting us in an incredible way in this adventure.”