Phil Hanson has received a welcome boost ahead of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign, being promoted to official factory driver status at Ferrari after signing a long-term contract with the illustrious Italian marque.
Since clinching the Britcar Endurance Championship crown as a talented teenager in 2016, Hanson’s rise through the ranks has been swift. Still just 26, his burgeoning career CV includes titles in both the Asian Le Mans Series and European Le Mans Series, and in his maiden campaign of FIA WEC competition – during the 2019/20 ‘Super Season’ – he triumphed again, winning half of the races he disputed with United Autosports to dominate the LMP2 class battle.
One of those four victories came at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans – an event in which Hanson notably prevailed again last year, only this time in the headlining Hypercar category. The Briton piloted the privately-entered, Giallo Modena-liveried #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P to the top step of the podium alongside team-mates Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye at La Sarthe, thereby extending the all-conquering Italian prototype’s winning run in the twice-round-the-clock contest.
That success – in just his second season in the sport’s top-tier – helped to catapult AF Corse to the 499P’s first title, the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams for independent outfits, which it secured with two rounds to spare. The #83 trio went on to fight for the overall Drivers’ World Championship trophy, too, ultimately missing out by a mere 16 points to the sister #51 Ferrari crew.
As he accelerates his upward trajectory in the sport, Hanson now follows in the footsteps of Kubica and Ye by infiltrating the Cavallino Rampante’s factory ranks at the pinnacle of international endurance racing.
“I’m immensely proud to join Ferrari as an official factory driver and to continue my journey in FIA WEC,” he enthused. “I have admired Ferrari since I was a kid, but it wasn’t until working alongside them in 2025 that I came to appreciate the team’s relentless pursuit of winning. I’m honoured to be able to continue building upon the success achieved last season, but above all to become part of the Prancing Horse family.”
“After a successful season with the AF Corse team, during which he not only won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the #83 499P but also showed consistency and excellent performance throughout the championship, Phil has earned Ferrari’s full confidence,” added Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti.
“We are therefore delighted to welcome him into our family as part of the group of official drivers, convinced that the journey we are about to undertake will continue to be successful, just like in 2025.”
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