Ferrari 488 GTEs at Sebring for the first round of the FIA WEC

Florida’s 1000 Miles of Sebring, the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, will feature not only the Ferrari 499Ps in the Hypercar class, but will also see four 488 GTEs line up in the LMGTE Am class, driven by crews made up of gentlemen and professional drivers, including official Ferrari drivers Davide Rigon, Alessio Rovera, Daniel Serra and Lilou Wadoux. After qualifying, scheduled for Thursday, 16 March from 6.30 p.m., the green flag for the endurance race - one of the most renowned on American soil - will get underway on Friday 17 at 12 noon (all times are local).

LMGTE Am. After the conclusion of the LMGTE Pro era which saw Ferrari win the Manufacturers’ (for the second year running) and Drivers’ World Championship titles, with the Pier Guidi - Calado pairing, the 2023 FIA WEC season will feature a novelty - a single category reserved for series-derived cars with the Pro-Am crews to be made up of three drivers. Making its debut in the class is Richard Mille AF Corse’s no. 83 488 GTE, which will see Luís Pérez Companc, Lilou Wadoux and Alessio Rovera take turns at the wheel. The multi-time winning Italian team AF Corse, meanwhile, will be at the starting line with two Ferrari 488 GTEs, the no. 21 driven by Stefano Costantini, Simon Mann and Ulysse de Pauw, and the no. 54, in the Vistajet livery, crewed by Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci and official Prancing Horse driver, Davide Rigon. Rounding out the Ferrari quartet is the Swiss outfit Kessel Racing, who return to the World Championship with the no. 57 Ferrari 488 GTE on the track with Takeshi Kimura, Scott Huffaker and official driver Daniel Serra.

Focus. The opening act of the FIA WEC, to be staged at Sebring International Raceway, is a maiden race for Lilou Wadoux as an official Ferrari driver, set to be one of the protagonists of the season, sharing the experience with Rovera, world championship title winner in the LMP2 Pro/Am class alongside Nicklas Nielsen and François Perrodo in 2022. Also among the most eagerly awaited drivers in Florida will be Rigon and Serra, who were crowned champions in the IMSA Endurance Cup in the GTD Pro class in 2022 with a Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020.

The calendar. After Sebring, the 2023 FIA WEC will continue with the 6 Hours of Portimão and the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (16 and 29 April respectively), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (10-11 June), the 6 Hours of Monza (9 July), the 6 Hours of Fuji (10 September) and the 8 Hours of Bahrain (4 November).