Ferrari Finali Mondiali begins at Mugello

The Mugello Circuit hosts the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, which kicked off today with the first practice and qualifying sessions for the drivers in the Prancing Horse one-make series. Besides the final action in the Europe and North America Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli series, the event includes the most eagerly awaited part of the Finali Mondiali on Sunday, 29 October, with the crowning of the world champions of the four classes in the Maranello manufacturer’s championship.

The programme. Everything is still to play for in the Ferrari Challenge Europe’s last two races on Thursday and Friday when sixty-four Ferrari 488 Challenge Evos will be on the track. The Trofeo Pirelli Am and the Coppa Shell winners were already crowned in the Spa-Francorchamps round, while only the Trofeo Pirelli championship was settled in the North American series, with three out of four titles still in the balance.

The event also features a range of other activities, including the Club Challenge, the F1 Clienti with the single-seaters that competed with Scuderia Ferrari from the 1970s to the hybrid era, the XX Programme and its non-road-legal cars, and the cars of Club Competizioni GT. Everything culminates with the Ferrari Show on Sunday, when the 499P, the Hypercar that starred in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season with its extraordinary victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will also be on show.

Ferrari Challenge Europe. The 2023 European Trofeo Pirelli title is still up for grabs, with the two young contenders Eliseo Donno (Radicci Automobili) and Thomas Fleming (HR Owen - FF Corse) racing in Tuscany, separated by just 19 points with 34 still to play for. On the strength of three wins and a second place in the last four races, the Briton will try to the last to close the gap to the Italian. Experienced drivers such as Max Mugelli (CDP Eureka Competition) and Adrian Sutil (Gohm – Baron Motorsport) and young contenders like Szymon Ladniak (Gohm – Scuderia GT), and Bence Valint (Rossocorsa – Ferrari Budapest), with a win at Misano and four runner-up places to his credit, will attempt to enter the fray.

Franz Engstler (Charles Pozzi GT Racing) is already Trofeo Pirelli Am champion, an encore to go with his 2022 Coppa Shell title, while Hanno Laskowski (Emil Frey Sportivo) is runner-up. At Mugello, the race is on for third place in the overall standings. There are many contenders, led by the returning Nicolò Rosi (Kessel Racing) followed, in order, by James Owen (Meridien Modena – FF Corse), Danilo Del Favero (Penske Sportwagen Hamburg), Lucky Khera (Graypaul Birmingham) and Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha). Yudai Uchida (Rosso Scuderia), winner of the Japanese Trofeo Pirelli, and UK Trofeo Pirelli champion Andrew Morrow (Charles Hurst), will also race.

One title has been decided, with one still to go in the Coppa Shell, which will see thirty-six Ferrari 488 Challenge Evos on the track. In the main class standings, 31 points separate Manuela Gostner (CDP – MP Racing), Alexander Nussbaumer (Gohm – Scuderia GT), Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing) and Ernst Kirchmayr (Gohm – Baron Motorsport), all of whom will try to mount the season podium alongside Axel Sartingen (Lueg Sportivo – Herter Racing), who has already mathematically clinched the title.

However, everything is all still to play for in the Coppa Shell Am. With a win and a second place in the last round at Spa-Francorchamps, Motohiko Isozaki (Cornes Motors Shiba) has moved to the head of the standings in front of Singaporean driver Kirk Baerwaldt (Kessel Racing), who now trails by 12 points. Henrik Kamstrup (Formula Racing) and Giuseppe Ramelli (Rossocorsa - Pellin Racing) are also mathematically still in contention, 31 and 32 points off the lead respectively.

On Thursday, 26 October, the first Coppa Shell race kicks off at 10.25 a.m. and the Trofeo Pirelli at 3.45 p.m. Both are 30-minute races. On Friday 27th, the season will conclude with the second races, starting at 9 a.m. for the Trofeo Pirelli and at 1 p.m. for the Coppa Shell.

Ferrari Challenge North America. The last race in the series, with 30 cars on the grid, will be a victory parade for Mark Kurzejewski (Ferrari of Beverly Hills), who has already clinched the Trofeo Pirelli title on the back of six wins out of 12 races and several podiums. However, the other classes are still open. In the Trofeo Pirelli Am, Justin Rothberg (Ferrari of Palm Beach) starts favourite with a 31-point lead over Tony Davis (Continental AutoSports).

In the Coppa Shell, Cameron Root (Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo) tops the standings after his victory at Road America, 17 points ahead of David Voronin (Foreign Cars Italia) in second place. Sureel Chokski (Ferrari of Denver), who lags 22 points behind the leader, is also back in the running.

Three drivers are also still in with a chance of the Coppa Shell Am title: Lisa Clark (Ferrari Beverly Hills), who has already secured the Coppa Ladies, is now 19 points ahead of Bruce Cleveland (Ferrari Silicon Valley).

Race-1 is scheduled on Thursday at 12.30 p.m. and the second outing on Friday at 5 p.m.

Finali Mondiali. With the conclusion of the two series, all eyes will turn to the Finali Mondiali, where the four 2023 class champions will be crowned on Sunday morning. For the first time, a Superpole at 3.35 p.m. on Saturday will decide the starting grid. It will be open to the six fastest drivers in each category in the morning’s qualifying sessions.

On Sunday, the green flag for the Coppa Shell Am is at 9 a.m., the Coppa Shell at 10.10 a.m., and the Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am at 11.20 a.m.

Live show. The public will have free access to the lawn from Friday, 27 to Sunday, 29 October (entrance from the “Cancello Palagio”); the stands will be open to Ferrari employees on Saturday and Sunday and to Scuderia Ferrari Club members from Friday to Sunday, who will also have access to the paddock.

TV and web programming. The races, including the Finali Mondiali on Sunday and the Superpole on Saturday, will be broadcast on the live.ferrari.com page and the official Ferrari channel on YouTube with commentary in English. In Italy, the Sky platform will show all four races in the final round of the European series live on the Sky Sport F1 channel, plus the Finali Mondiali on Sunday, 29 October, from 9 a.m. for the Coppa Shell Am, from 10.10 a.m. for the Coppa Shell and from 11.20 a.m. for the Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am.

Sky Sports F1 in the UK and Sky Sport F1 in Germany will broadcast all races in the last round of the European series live, plus the Finali Mondiali on Sunday morning and Superpole on Saturday 28 at 3.35 p.m. All times are local.