AF Corse USA enters the DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour with momentum firmly on its side as Matías Pérez Companc and Frederik Schandorff attempt to complete their late-season charge by winning the 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) America Pro championship.
The #12 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO transformed its title prospects across the closing rounds, with strong results at Road Atlanta followed by an outright victory at Barber Motorsports Park. That result brought AF Corse into a three-way fight in which only seven points separate the leading Pro teams, setting up a decisive battle across Saturday’s eight-hour finale.
Their Barber victory proved particularly important. Pérez Companc and Schandorff controlled the Pro category as AF Corse took the overall win, a result that closed the championship gap before Indianapolis and ensured the Ferrari arrived at the Brickyard with a genuine opportunity to steal the title.
Nicklas Nielsen joins them for the finale, giving the team an experienced third driver for its longest race of the season. The trio will start fourth after the final grid reshuffle, having already demonstrated strong pace by completing regular qualifying fifth overall in the closely contested Indianapolis qualifying session.
Pérez Companc confident after strong closing rounds
Pérez Companc believes AF Corse’s recent trajectory leaves the team well positioned for the finale. Rather than needing a dramatic change in performance, the Ferrari crew can approach Indianapolis knowing its package has already proven competitive during the most recent rounds.
“Heading to the Indy 8 Hour, I think we are in good shape,” Pérez Companc said. “The rounds at Road Atlanta and Barber were quite good for us, and now we know what we need to do on Saturday.”
The Mercedes-AMG Team JMF Motorsports entry remains AF Corse’s primary benchmark in the championship fight, although Turner also remains close enough to capitalise. Pérez Companc expects JMF to pose a significant challenge throughout the eight hours but sees no reason for AF Corse to approach the race defensively.
“The Mercedes seems quite fast, but we’ll be doing everything we can to beat them and finish the season with the championship title.”
Schandorff embraces underdog status
Schandorff arrives in Indianapolis encouraged by the timing of AF Corse’s Barber victory. The team found one of its strongest performances of the campaign immediately before the double-points finale, turning what had looked like an outside championship opportunity into a direct fight.
“We feel great. Obviously, it feels awesome to be coming into Indy fresh off a win from Barber,” Schandorff said. “It has put us into a really good position for the fight, but we’re still on the back foot.”
That position gives AF Corse a clear objective. The Ferrari cannot simply mirror JMF’s race and protect a lead; Pérez Companc, Schandorff and Nielsen need to actively beat their main rivals.
“We’re still the underdogs in this championship fight because we need to beat the Mercedes,” Schandorff explained. “For us, the options are to either win outright, or finish at least two spots ahead of them during the race.”
The equation adds another layer to an already complicated endurance contest. AF Corse must track its championship rivals while simultaneously navigating a 27-car field and managing the strategy required across eight hours.
“It won’t be an easy job, but we’re looking forward to giving it a go.”
Late-season form gives AF Corse a chance
The broader standings after Barber reflected just how effectively AF Corse had closed the gap during the penultimate round, but Indianapolis offers significantly more points and therefore more opportunity for the order to change again.
Nielsen’s addition should help across the longer format, while the Ferrari has already looked competitive throughout the Indianapolis weekend. The #12 reached Superpole before Frederik Schandorff qualified it sixth on Friday evening, and subsequent grid changes promoted the crew to fourth.
AF Corse therefore begins the race from a position that allows it to immediately keep the other Pro contenders in sight. The challenge will be sustaining that pace while avoiding the incidents, penalties and reliability issues that can quickly derail an endurance title bid.
Pérez Companc and Schandorff arrive as challengers rather than leaders, but Barber ensured they remain very much part of the fight. One more strong result could turn that late-season surge into the 2026 GTWC America Pro championship.
