Ferrari heads to Fuji for 2026 WEC round with ninth place its best 499P result there
Ferrari – AF Corse returns to the third-last round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji, where the 499P's best result has been ninth, twice.
- 9th (twice, 2024 and 2025)
- 9th
- 12th and 15th
- 2023
What Happened
The third-last round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship takes place at the circuit in the shadow of Mount Fuji, one of Japan's best-known tracks. Ferrari – AF Corse returns to action there aiming to secure valuable points in the World Championship standings. Since the 499P's competitive debut in 2023, its best results at Fuji have been two ninth-place finishes, by the number 50 crew in 2024 and the number 83 in 2025. Driver Antonio Giovinazzi says the circuit, owing to its technical characteristics, is not particularly well suited to their car.
- 9th
- 12th
- 15th
The Ferrari 499P makes its competitive debut.
The number 50 crew takes ninth place at Fuji, the car's best result there so far.
The number 83 Ferrari 499P finishes ninth at the 6 Hours of Fuji, while the number 50 and number 51 cars come home 12th and 15th.
The third-last round of the FIA World Endurance Championship is held at Fuji, with Ferrari – AF Corse chasing valuable championship points.
“Last year I tried to keep mistakes to a minimum, taking every chance to make up places, especially under the Safety Car. Although the way the race developed meant we couldn't finish among the frontrunners, overall we took another step forward in 2025, so I hope we can have a strong race at Fuji this year.”
“At one stage of the race, we were able to fight for position and make the most of several chances to pass rivals. The battle was intense in those moments, which is obviously the kind of situation we drivers love. Then a Safety Car brought that momentum to a halt, but until then we had done everything we could to get the most out of a difficult weekend.”
“Anything can happen in endurance racing, and you can't predict how the race will unfold. But you work on the strategy so you're ready. After that, sometimes you win and sometimes you don't, but that is the mindset you need.”
Why this matters
Ferrari – AF Corse is chasing valuable points in the World Championship standings at a circuit its 499P has never mastered, with ninth place in 2024 and 2025 its best Fuji outcome. The drivers say the track, in the shadow of Mount Fuji, does not particularly suit the car, making the 2026 round a measure of how far the team has come in endurance racing since the 499P's 2023 debut.
Terms in This Story
- Hypercar
- The top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, contested by the fastest prototype racing cars.
- Safety Car
- A course vehicle sent onto the track to slow the field and neutralise the race while an incident is cleared.
- Stint
- A continuous period of driving by one driver before pitting or handing the car to a team-mate.
- Endurance racing
- Long-distance racing in which several drivers share a single car over a race lasting many hours.
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