In their quest to defend the Prancing Horse’s World Championship crowns in 2026, Ferrari drivers James Calado and Antonio Fuoco have pinpointed two core areas for improvement over the course of the forthcoming campaign.
Ferrari came out-of-the-blocks on fine form in the FIA World Endurance Championship last year, dominating the field with a commanding podium lockout in the Qatar curtain-raiser and winning all four events during the first half of the season in a stellar display.
There were, however, some errors along the way, with Fuoco falling foul of a qualifying track limits penalty on home soil at Imola – restricting the #50 crew to the rear of the Hypercar grid around a track where overtaking is famously difficult – and the same car being disqualified from the race results at Le Mans due to a technical infringement.
Similarly at La Sarthe, Alessandro Pier Guidi’s spin entering the pit-lane arguably cost the title-winning #51 trio a second career victory in the twice-round-the-clock contest.
Fully aware that their adversaries have been deploying ‘Evo’ joker upgrades and working flat-out over the winter in an effort to turn the tables – and with the 499P having not crossed the finish line first since that mid-June day in northern France, courtesy of the independent #83 AF Corse entry – Ferrari’s drivers know they will need to be inch-perfect this season if they are to successfully do the double.
“We have a competitive car and a strong, united team,” asserted Calado, who lifted the Drivers’ laurels last year alongside team-mates Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi. “For 2026, our ambition is to win the championship again, but we know how demanding that challenge will be.
“Consistency across an eight-round calendar is crucial, especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where double points are awarded and the result can prove decisive in the final standings. In 2025, despite winning the championship, we made a few mistakes during the season and incurred several penalties. Those are aspects we must take into account going forward, as we look to improve and minimise the number of errors.”
“Our ambitions ahead of the new season are similar to those of 2025 – to always give our best, race after race,” echoed Fuoco. “It will be important to score as many points as possible at every event while minimising mistakes, especially given the very high level of our rivals and an increasingly competitive field. We finished last season on a positive note, so our aim is to carry that momentum into the opening round.”
Following the postponement of the Qatar 1812km until later in the year due to the ongoing geopolitical situation in the Middle East, the action will get underway at Imola – barely an hour down the road from Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters – with a six-hour blast around the legendary Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on 17-19 April.
