Ferrari has confirmed a new multi-year contract extension for Yifei Ye, securing the Chinese driver’s future with the Maranello manufacturer across its endurance racing programmes.
Ye joined the Ferrari family in 2024 and has since become a key member of AF Corse’s #83 Ferrari 499P line-up in the FIA World Endurance Championship. During his first three seasons with the manufacturer, he has claimed victories at the Circuit of The Americas and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while also competing with Ferrari’s GT3 machinery in several international events.
The 26-year-old has made 33 race appearances for Ferrari across prototype and GT competition, claiming three overall victories and four overall podiums alongside three class wins and four further class podiums. His new agreement extends a partnership that has already produced one of the biggest achievements of his career through his historic 2025 Le Mans triumph.
Ye secures first Ferrari contract extension
The new agreement represents Ye’s first contract renewal since becoming an official Ferrari endurance driver ahead of the 2024 season.
He immediately joined AF Corse’s independently entered #83 499P and quickly established himself within Ferrari’s Hypercar structure. Across 21 WEC races with the 499P, Ye and his teammates have taken two victories, one pole position and three overall podium finishes.
Ferrari Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti Antonello Coletta described the extension as an important moment for both parties after Ye’s rapid progression within the programme.
“We are delighted to announce Yifei Ye’s first contract extension. This is a very important moment for us. Yifei joined our family in 2024 and, that same season, took his first win with the number 83 499P at COTA. That success was followed in 2025 by the unforgettable victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Prancing Horse’s third in a row. Yifei, the first Chinese driver to join the ranks of Ferrari official drivers in endurance racing, was also the first Chinese winner at Le Mans, demonstrating his full worth on that occasion too. We are confident that, in future, he will reach further prestigious milestones to match those already to his name.”
The extension gives Ferrari further continuity within a Hypercar operation that has established itself among the leading programmes in WEC.
COTA delivered Ye’s first Ferrari Hypercar victory
Ye secured his first victory for Ferrari during his debut season with the manufacturer in 2024.
Driving the #83 alongside Robert Kubica and Robert Shwartzman, he helped AF Corse win the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of The Americas. The result delivered the independently entered Ferrari its first WEC victory and represented a significant milestone in Ye’s first campaign with the Prancing Horse.
That success laid the foundations for an even stronger second season. Ferrari revised the #83 crew for 2025, with Phil Hanson joining Ye and Kubica, and the trio quickly emerged as genuine championship contenders.
Their campaign ultimately produced the result Ye had targeted since joining Ferrari: an overall victory at Le Mans.
Historic Le Mans victory fulfils Ye’s Ferrari ambition
Ye, Hanson and Kubica won the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans with the #83 Ferrari 499P, extending Ferrari’s winning streak at the French endurance classic to three consecutive editions.
For Ye, the result also carried major historical significance. He became the first Chinese driver to win Le Mans outright, adding another milestone to Ferrari’s return to top-level prototype competition.
The achievement held particular meaning because Ye had already identified winning Le Mans with Ferrari as one of his primary goals when he first signed with the manufacturer.
“I am proud to extend my partnership with Ferrari. I remember signing my first contract with the Prancing Horse and dreaming of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 499P. That dream very quickly became a reality with the 2025 victory, proof that, with dedication and professionalism, great goals can be reached together. Since joining the Ferrari family, I have felt welcome and have sensed the trust that unites the team, and I thank everyone for that. I am hugely motivated to keep giving my best, together with my teammates, to achieve further success.”
The victory remains the defining result of Ye’s Ferrari career to date, although his 2025 season extended well beyond the Le Mans success.
Ye and #83 crew challenged for 2025 world title
Ye, Hanson and Kubica remained firmly involved in the Drivers’ Championship battle throughout the 2025 WEC season.
The trio eventually finished second in the World Drivers’ Championship after a campaign in which they consistently challenged Ferrari’s factory entries and the wider Hypercar field.
Their performances also secured the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams, the title reserved for independent Hypercar entries. That success reinforced the #83 crew’s position as one of WEC’s strongest combinations despite competing outside Ferrari’s two primary factory-numbered cars.
For Ye, the season therefore delivered both his first Le Mans victory and his strongest championship result since moving into the Hypercar category.
Ferrari role extends beyond Hypercar competition
Although Ye has become best known for his role in the #83 Ferrari 499P, his work with the manufacturer has also included GT racing.
During his first three years with Ferrari, he competed with both the 296 GT3 and its later 296 GT3 Evo evolution in international championships and standalone events.
That programme included two appearances at the FIA GT World Cup in Macau, further expanding Ye’s experience beyond prototype competition.
Across all Ferrari machinery, he has now accumulated 33 starts, three overall victories and four overall podiums. He has also claimed three class wins and another four class podium finishes.
Those statistics underline the wider role Ye has developed within Ferrari rather than limiting his relationship with the manufacturer exclusively to WEC.
Ye brought championship pedigree into Ferrari programme
Ye had already built an extensive record of success before joining Ferrari.
His first major single-seater title came in the 2016 French F4 Championship before he later won Euroformula Open in 2020.
He subsequently shifted his focus towards endurance racing and quickly achieved success in LMP2. Ye claimed both the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series titles in 2021, establishing himself as one of the leading young endurance drivers before progressing into WEC’s top category.
His move to Ferrari in 2024 therefore followed several seasons of success across both single-seaters and sports cars. Since then, he has added the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams and an outright Le Mans victory to an already substantial list of achievements.
Ferrari builds continuity around successful Hypercar roster
Ye’s new deal also continues Ferrari’s recent efforts to secure the longer-term future of several key endurance drivers.
His extension follows other multi-year agreements within the manufacturer’s Hypercar programme, giving Ferrari greater stability as it continues developing the 499P project.
For Ye, the new contract ensures that a partnership which has already delivered victories at COTA and Le Mans will continue beyond its initial three seasons.
Ferrari has not disclosed the precise length of the agreement, describing it only as a multi-year extension. However, Coletta’s comments make clear that the manufacturer sees Ye as an important part of its future endurance plans.
Having already achieved the Le Mans victory he dreamed about when first joining Ferrari, Ye will now target further major wins and championship success during the next phase of his career with the Prancing Horse.
