Ferrari poised to play spoiler as WEC title race heats up

Much of the attention ahead of Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas has centered on BMW and Toyota's prospects for Sunday's race, as the two automotive titans resume their battle at the top of the drivers' and manufacturers' world championship standings. But Ferrari, despite not winning a race yet this year, is still in the frame and out to play the role of spoiler in the second half of the season.

In the manufacturers' table, it sits third, 44 points adrift, while the reigning champions in the No. 51, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi and James Calado, are 18 points back from the No. 20 BMW and No. 7 Toyota drivers who are tied at the top of the drivers' standings. It won’t be easy to turn things around, but with four races remaining, there’s still time to mount a late challenge.

The push starts this weekend. The 499P may be on its longest-ever winless streak, with the last victory coming at Le Mans last year, but the Italian brand has reason to hope for a change in fortunes in Austin. COTA, with its fast-flowing, technical sections and bumpy surface, is a circuit which traditionally suits the 499P. Ferrari scored pole for the past two editions of the race, won in 2024 with its No. 83 satellite car and finished second with the No. 50 last year. So naturally, the team is expecting to be in the mix.

"We have high expectations. It's up to us to do the proper job and fulfill these expectations," said Mauro Barbieri, Ferrari's endurance chief designer. "The game is not over; the gap is big, but in São Paulo we gained a big chunk of points on the leaders by ending up in front of the cars that are in front of us in the standings. We hope that when we are in Monza (for the finale), we can celebrate!

"Here it is hot, and I believe one of the steps we made as a team over these years is learning how to manage tires and learning about degradation. It's one of the strong points of our package, so hot temps can be a help for us, and a challenge for some of our competitors.

"We might be able to run a softer compound than the others (in the race); maybe we could have a little extra pace."

Ferrari is hopeful both the nature of the COTA circuit and the high temperatures will play to its strengths. Julien Delfosse/DPPI

This year, though, there are several key changes to contend with. The 2026-spec Michelin tires are, of course, in use for the first time at the venue; Turns 9, 10 and 12 have been resurfaced, and there are new rules on stint energy that could shake things up.

Perhaps the most intriguing change is the fact that the Hypercar teams have had their maximum stint energy levels reduced, meaning the top-class cars will likely have to make an additional stop during the race.

Stint energy levels are no longer published, as they form part of the BoP system that governs both classes, but Thierry Bouvet, the ACO's director of competition, told RACER that the aim of the change (which has also been made to the LMGT3 class) is to "increase the excitement of the race."

Barbieri believes the change will add intrigue to race strategy. "I think the change will open up more strategy options, because we expect with this energy to complete six and a half stints, so there's this half of a stint that you can play somehow, somewhere, sometime," he said.

"It can be good fun; it can be some show for the fans, as it could change positions in an unexpected way. We'll get info about tires in practice, and we'll play with these stints in the race."

Another thing not to forget is that the number of points on offer before the end of the year has also been reduced since the last race at Interlagos. The newly scheduled races at Barcelona and Monza are six-hour races that offer standard points (25 for a win), rather than points-and-a-half like the canceled visits to Qatar and Bahrain.

That change, though, hasn't affected Ferrari's overall approach to managing its two factory cars this weekend, even though the No. 50 crew are 11th in the drivers' standings.

"I think it's a bit too early to start playing these games," Barbieri said. "We can still reach the manufacturers' championship, so both cars need to score big points. To start considering one car as a helper before the weekend is not the right mindset.

"We'll try our best with both cars, and then if in the last laps they are one behind the other, maybe we could consider swapping positions. But both crews deserve a chance to fight for it until the end; then we'll see in the next events if the situation is getting much clearer or more defined and if we should push in this direction."

While the number of points up for grabs has gone against the cars sporting the Prancing Horse, adding Barcelona and Monza to the championship calendar may play into its hands. Ferrari has data from testing at both tracks and was in the WEC's Hypercar class the last time the championship visited Monza back in 2023.

"In Monza, we hope we will have an extra push from the Tifosi; then, in Barcelona, we've tested a few times. It's a track we know and are optimistic for,” Barbieri notes. "This year the field has been very tight, so within a tenth you can gain or lose three or four positions. We are not disappointed with the remaining tracks, but to say we expect to win there would be too arrogant, let's say! The weather will be totally different (at Monza) than when we raced in 2023 and when we tested, even though it's all useful information to have in your backpack."