Ferrari returns to Hyperpole in Austin, sealing its second pole position start of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season, which could have actually been its third if we count the one missed out due to disqualification at Spa-Francorchamps.
At the Lone Star Le Mans, which will take place on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas, we will see the #51 499P in front of everyone, with an amazing Antonio Giovinazzi taking the lead in 1’50″390, with the front row all Maranello-based thanks to the excellent performance of Robert Kubica with the #83 AF Corse.
For Giovinazzi and his teammates Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado this is the first ever Hyperpole of their careers, while it is the fourth overall for the Prancing Horse.
Giovinazzi’s lap was worthy of applause, with the Apulian who had already shown his muscles in the first qualifying session by finishing in front, confirming himself also in the decisive heat.
#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Giovinazzi
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“We are really happy, since the beginning of the weekend we have had a very strong car in terms of performance, also in terms of race pace, so it was important to start well by putting everything together in Qualifying, then we will have to start well in the race and finish the job”, said the boy from Martina Franca.
“We finally managed to get the first Pole for the #51, given that after the one that slipped away at Spa in 2023, there was still a bit of regret. Having the #83 on the front row with me will be an advantage and the #50 is still right behind”.
“We have shown that we have a fast car, now we have to be smart about the strategy, also looking at what the weather will be like in the race. It’s very hot here and you also have to manage the situations well, the last sector is much slower than the fast corners we had before. Today the track was much improved compared to Free Practice 1, where the new asphalt gave us very little grip”.
“We shouldn’t have overdone it and in Qualifying that’s where we managed to make the difference. In general, it’s much nicer to drive than when we came to test in July, with so many bumps. Thanks to everyone at the team and my teammates. We have a 6-hour race ahead of us that won’t be easy at all, but we’re confident and we want to confirm that we’re fighting for a great result.”
#50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Calado added: “Antonio did a monstrous lap, we noticed it by watching it live with the onboard videos and the telemetry below. He was very good and I’m convinced that his race pace is also very strong, so let’s cross our fingers and try to close well tomorrow too”.
Pier Guidi also smiles: “I’m very happy, ‘Giovi’ put together a fantastic lap and we were very impressed to see it from the outside. It’s nice to be up front here, in the race we have to try to make the best possible start to then get a good result”.
There is some regret on the other side of the box, where Antonio Fuoco – second in Q1 – was unable to go beyond the fifth fastest time with the #50 he shares with Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina.
“The Hyperpole was more difficult than qualifying, which had gone well anyway. We made a small change thinking it could help us, but in reality it wasn’t like that”, admits the Calabrian.
“It wasn’t one of the best laps of my career, but every now and then days like this happen. So far the feeling with the 499P has been very good and I’m confident.”
“Now we focus on the race, which will be very long, trying to give our best. We also know that the conditions can vary a lot during the race so we will have to be good at not making any mistakes and doing our best.”
#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Giovinazzi
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Fingers crossed also inside the Ferrari-AF Corse garage, where there is still the awareness that the rivals will not stand by and watch on a weekend that up until now has seen the cars in the HYPERCAR class very close in terms of times.
“It seems that the gaps are smaller than in Sao Paulo, perhaps we find ourselves in one of the most compact groups so far and there are several cars that have the potential to win. We will see if that is the case”, highlighted the Head of Performance and Regulations, Mauro Barbieri, speaking at the meeting with journalists on Saturday morning.
“The new black asphalt and high temperatures will mean that tyre strategy will play a big role on Sunday. In free practice most tried both compounds, both medium and hard are a good option although in sunny weather the track could reach 50°C.”
“However, this track suits our car better than Sao Paulo and the feeling is better compared to other tracks. Also, it’s no secret that we had a test here at the end of July; when you have the chance to adapt the car to the track, the start of the weekend is inevitably easier.”
“In Sao Paulo, some people were probably able to take advantage of past experience and were able to use the accumulated data. And it is true that almost all the Constructors came here in July.”
#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Since then COTA has been resurfaced in some areas, which has brought some changes to the set-up and driving style, but the drivers have been very happy with it.
“The changes mainly concern the straight, so they have not led to a radical change in the set-up. But in general it is good for the whole grid, because a lot of the roughness in the braking areas has been reduced. This helps everyone, especially if you want to have a more rigid car, which is necessary for tackling the corners at high speed”, underlines Barbieri.
“But already in Free Practice we could see that the track had changed during the day, and we expected that it would be the same today. It won’t change anything, it will just make things easier for everyone.”
The Ferraris had performed well since their first outings in free practice, but everyone does their own job and it is difficult to predict anything without knowing the fuel loads and the condition of the other drivers’ tyres.
“Of course, having finished the first two free practice sessions with all three cars in the top five is encouraging, but you don’t win a World Championship there, so let’s wait.”
“The cars don’t all have the same strengths and if you start the race behind the wrong car, you can quickly lose valuable time. That was the case for us in Sao Paulo. You can lose a lot in the first stint.”
Finally, Barbieri said he was satisfied with the performance of the 499P with the updates introduced in Sao Paulo, designed above all to improve the cooling of the braking system.
“This is not a very demanding track for the brakes, however the ‘Joker’ was mainly spent to avoid having problems with the temperatures of the braking system and I think we achieved the objective we had set ourselves.”
“The updates are working as we expected, I think we will see more of the benefits in Bahrain.”
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