8 Hours of Bahrain

The final world championship round saw the Maranello manufacturer's cars as protagonists from the start, thanks to a superlative performance from the drivers and the team as a whole. Excellent driving stints and an impeccable strategy allowed the three Ferraris to consistently remain in the top positions. With the result now secure, and Ferrari ready to be crowned champion, Pier Guidi conceded third place to his teammate Nielsen in the final stages, thus allowing the number 50 crew to climb the podium and end the season in third place in the drivers’ standings.

The 8 Hours of Bahrain also ended with fifth place for the number 83 AF Corse 499P, entrusted to official Ferrari driver Yifei Ye, along with Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson. With this result, the championship, besides crowning the Prancing Horse manufacturer as the winner among the Constructors, delivered first place to Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi, ahead of Ye-Kubica-Hanson; with Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen in third.

For Ferrari this is its 24th world title in endurance, counting both overall and class wins since the FIA championship started in 1953. This is its ninth overall title which comes after the 1972 victory in the FIA World Championship for Makes taken by the Ferrari 312 P, the Sports Prototype model from which the 499P took the hypothetical baton in 2023.

This is the marque’s first overall Drivers’ title in the top class of endurance racing, which Ferrari participated in up until 1973, an era when only the Manufacturers’ title was awarded. For Pier Guidi and Calado, who have already enjoyed many seasons at the wheel of Ferrari’s GT cars, this is their fourth drivers’ crown, the 2025 title adding to their three LMGTE Pro class titles of 2017, 2021 and 2022.

In the FIA WEC, inaugurated in 2012, this year’s success marks Ferrari’s eighth Manufacturers’ title – their first overall – after the GT class successes of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2022. The tally of world Drivers’ titles rises to six, with Ferrari drivers in LMGTE Pro class having triumphed in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2025.

The historic FIA WEC result sees the return of a World Manufacturers’ title to Maranello 17 years after the Ferrari F2008 took the Formula 1 title in 2008, while the last Drivers’ title was won by Kimi Räikkönen in 2007.

The Italian team celebrated a success that has already become part of motorsport history. This year saw the Ferrari – AF Corse 499Ps collect three wins (in Qatar with the number 50 crew, at Imola and in Belgium with the number 51), two second places and three third places, as well as three pole positions (at Lusail and Imola with Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi, and at Spa with Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen).

The honours list was further enriched by the season-opening 1-2-3 finish at Lusail (with the number 83 499P finishing second) and by twin one-twos at Imola and Spa, including podium finishes from the AF Corse privateer car which, however, was not eligible for world championship points. AF Corse instead has taken the 2025 FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams reserved for independent teams, and triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Ye-Kubica-Hanson.

First used by Formula 1 in 2004, the circuit boasts various hi-tech facilities, especially the VIP Tower, an eight-storey building from which guests can view the entire track. The circuit is 5.417 km long and a firm drivers' favourite, offering many places where they can pass their rivals.

With a combination of fast and slow corners and an unusually long straight, the main difficulties are a lack of grip and tyre wear. The wind continually blows the desert sand onto the asphalt. To overcome this problem, the organisers have developed a bitumen with a very special grain that always ensures sufficient grip.