WEC | Ferrari: 564 laps of Prologue preparing for a close fight

At Ferrari AF Corse there is relative optimism, but also feet firmly planted on the ground at the end of the Prologue which opened the 2024 season of the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship.

Between Monday and Tuesday, in Lusail the official 499Ps led by Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen (#50) and Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi (#51) put together 564 laps, gathering a lot of information and trying different solutions in every aspect.

If we add the 278 that Robert Kubica/Robert Shwartzman/Yifei Ye also completed at the wheel of the AF Corse private car #83, there is a lot of material to count on in view of the 1812 Km of Qatar on Saturday 2 March.

Meanwhile, the men from Maranello were able to work on the development of the Prancing Horse's Hypercar both from the point of view of the flying lap, doing a small Qualifying simulation, and also on the race pace, largely what was of most interest.

This is because tire wear on a track like Lusail will once again be one of the key factors ahead of the opening race of the championship, which will also revolve around changes in temperature and grip.

So the best time set by Fuoco in 1'40″673 among the Ferraris is good, but indicative up to a certain point because then the rest of the work concentrated on set-up with different fuel loads and tire compounds different in all three sessions, where each person carried out their own task and therefore did not offer reliable truths.

“Lusail is a new track for everyone: the Prologue was fundamental in starting to collect important information, but there is still a lot of work to be done during Free Practice”, underlined Fuoco.

“The impression after the first test sessions is that the different competitors in the Hypercar Class are very close in performance so the race could be very close.”

Molina agrees: “I couldn't wait to get back on track to start the new season. We conclude the Prologue knowing that we have carried out extensive and diversified work in terms of fine-tuning the 499P.”

“The road, however, is still long and during Free Practice we will have to optimize all the information gathered to be ready for Saturday's race in the best possible conditions.”

Nielsen adds: “The feeling with the 499P was good in the three test sessions also in terms of performance. The Prologue, as always, is useful for the km that can be done and for starting the set-up work, although I believe the lap times are not yet completely indicative for evaluating the competition”.

“The race? I believe that tire management could be a key factor, particularly in the first laps of the race, so we will work to optimize this aspect.”

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: Shameem Fahath

On the other side of the garage, the cautious optimism continues, also turning to the aspect of the importance of Qualifying, which this time will be of greater importance according to Pier Guidi.

“In the two days of testing we collected many laps and focused on some aspects, in particular on how we can manage the tires during the race, a factor that could be decisive on this track”, explains the Piedmontese.

“In the race, considering the characteristics of the track, it will not be easy to overtake and we will have to be very careful in traffic situations: it will be important to obtain a good position on the starting grid during Qualifying.”

Calado echoes him: “Lusail is a new track for the FIA ​​WEC: after the tests we carried out here over the winter, the Prologue was fundamental to continue the set-up work on our 499P”.

“We are confident, although we are aware that the race will not be easy considering the high number of opponents participating in the premier category of the World Championship this year.”

Giovinazzi concludes: “We completed many laps and obtained valuable information to analyze in view of the race. The start of this new season after the Prologue is positive, although as always happens during the tests at the beginning of the year the various teams carry out different jobs so it is complex to be able to make evaluations in comparative terms compared to the competition”.

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

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

As mentioned at the beginning, several kilometers were also put together in AF Corse by the yellow 499P of Kubica/Shwartzman/Ye, who, followed by their new track engineer, Jorge Segers, were able to better understand the behavior of the Emilian prototype.

“During the two days of testing we experienced very different conditions, shooting at very different phases of the day and with very different temperatures,” says Kubica.

“The three sessions held were quite productive, we have accumulated a lot of data which we will carefully analyze on the rest day before the start of the first actual meeting of the season.”

And here's Shwartzman: “We concluded two positive days of testing, steps forward have been made. The more I drive this car, the more comfortable I feel and I gather useful information. There is so much to learn. Overall they were two productive days, even my teammates agree.”

“We just have to continue to give our best and try to improve every time we get on the track. If I look back at the first day of testing I can only be satisfied even if there are still some gaps to fill.”

“But this is the aspect that I like most: working and experimenting until we find the right compromise. Now all our concentration is on the first race weekend, in which we will give our best. I am very curious to see the final position of competition”.

Ye appears ready: “In the two days of the Prologue we made a good improvement, gaining confidence with the car and with the whole team. We still have some aspects to sort out but the starting point is already excellent.”

“Now we will carefully analyze all the data collected: we must arrive as prepared as possible for the first round of the championship.”