Ferrari has officially launched its 2026 campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), unveiling the factory Ferrari 499P Hypercars with which it will defend its world titles. The Italian manufacturer enters the new season as the reigning champion after a dominant 2025 campaign. However, drivers and team management have emphasised that maintaining that success will require even greater effort.
Ferrari launches WEC title defence with “maximum focus” in 2029
Ferrari enjoyed a landmark year in 2025. The Maranello marque dominated the first half of the championship, winning four races from the opening four rounds.
That run included victory at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans with the privately run AF Corse entry. Later in the season, Ferrari secured both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles during the eight-hour finale in Bahrain. The achievement marked Ferrari’s first global endurance racing championship since the World Sportscar Championship triumph in 1972.
Although the Ferrari 499P enters the new season without major technical changes, the team has spent the winter analysing performance data and improving simulator-to-track correlation. Ferrari already deployed its only ‘Evo Joker’ upgrade in mid-2024, so development has instead focused on refining the car’s behaviour and operational efficiency.
The team specifically targeted weaknesses that appeared during last season’s rounds at Interlagos and Fuji. Across those events, Ferrari recorded only two points-scoring finishes and failed to place higher than eighth. Consequently, engineers have introduced a revised aerodynamic package and additional development work around the car’s underbody to improve overall consistency.
Presentation at the Museo Enzo Ferrari
Ferrari revealed its 2026 Hypercar challengers during a presentation at the Museo Enzo Ferrari. The event gathered media representatives, fans and Ferrari leadership, including CEO Benedetto Vigna and Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti Antonello Coletta. Coletta emphasised the challenge facing the defending champions.
“The objective is to defend the leadership we secured in 2025. That will not be straightforward, as our rivals are increasingly competitive and many of them are fielding updated cars, while we have taken a different approach, believing that the 499P remains competitive enough to fight at the highest level.
“We will tackle the season race-by-race, aiming to achieve the best possible result. Our philosophy is always to look ahead, without dwelling on past achievements, even after an unforgettable season during which we had the unique experience of bringing a world title in the top class of endurance racing back to Maranello for the first time in more than 50 years.
“In 2026, we will approach the challenge with maximum focus, without allowing ourselves to be affected if things do not always go perfectly. Our drivers have a wealth of experience, so I am confident none of them will feel the weight of starting the season as reigning world champions.”
Ferrari has also refined the visual identity of the 499P for the upcoming season. Designed by the Centro Stile Ferrari, the car now features a glossy version of the traditional Rosso Scuderia colour rather than the previous matte finish.
The livery continues to pay tribute to the iconic Ferrari 312 P, which dominated international endurance racing until 1973. In addition, the world championship laurels now appear on the front wings of both cars beneath Ferrari’s famous Prancing Horse emblem, commemorating the marque’s 2025 success.
Ferrari line-ups unchanged for 2026 WEC campaign
Ferrari has retained its driver line-ups for a fourth consecutive season. The #50 Ferrari will once again be driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen. Meanwhile, the #51 entry will feature reigning world champions Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi.
Pier Guidi acknowledged that defending the championship presents a unique challenge.
“Starting a new season after winning the championship is certainly positive and gives us a lot of energy but we are fully aware that everyone begins again on zero points and with the same chances to perform well. Defending a title is always harder than winning it in the first place – something I have already experienced in GT racing.
“The goal for 2026 is to build upon what we achieved last year and, if possible, to improve our result at Le Mans, where we finished on the podium, as well as at other rounds where there is still room to do more. Last year in Qatar, we were very fast, and we hope to repeat that performance so we can start the championship on the right foot.”
Momentum ahead of the new season
Nicklas Nielsen also highlighted the team’s ambition to continue building on Ferrari’s progress since returning to the top class of endurance racing.
“After three very intense seasons, we naturally want to aim for the world championship,” he added. “Our journey in the top class of endurance racing so far has been incredible. Since 2023, our progress has been remarkable across the board, and we know we have a competitive car. The key now is to continue building upon this positive momentum.
“One of our aims is also to improve on circuits such as Fuji and São Paulo, where we have struggled more than at other tracks, with experience playing a key role. We have been racing the 499P since 2023, but both as a team and as drivers, there is always something new to learn.”
With proven driver combinations, a refined car and strong momentum from last season, Ferrari now begins its 2026 title defence determined to remain the benchmark in the Hypercar era of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
