As the dust settled after the Qatar 1812km Ferrari has emerged as the front runner manufacturer after securing a 1-2-3 finish in the Hypercar class. After securing pole position the No. 51 held at the front until hour 4 of the race where it fell back due to 2 separate drive through penalties. The team then started what would be a monumental climb back to claim the final podium spot along side its fellow Ferrari drivers. However, it was the No. 50 car that led for the majority of the race and ultimately led the way for Ferrari to secure its first win of the season.
Superior tire management, pit stop strategy and on track team plan carried Ferrari to the top after 10 hours of racing. After dominating the field in the first race of the year Ferrari leaves the weekend with 66 World Endurance Championship points.
Words From Ferrari Drivers
Antonio Fuoco, 499P #50: “First of all, I want to thank the entire team for the work done over the winter, which allowed us to arrive here in Qatar with great potential to exploit. We performed very well in the race, both in tyre management and strategy. What we achieved today, with three Ferraris in the top positions at the end of a World Endurance Championship race, will go down in history.”
Alessandro Pier Guidi, 499P #51: “We maximised the points we could earn as a team for the world manufacturers’ championship. It wasn’t the cleanest race for us, and halfway through, it was hard to imagine finishing on the podium. But we did it, and we should be happy with this third-place finish and the fact that we have started the season much better than in 2024. The most important thing is that Ferrari won, and seeing three cars in the top positions was truly exciting.”
Yifei Ye, 499P #83: “We had a fantastic day in Qatar, delivering a great result for the team. Starting from eighth on the grid, we were able to recover ground and play a leading role in the race, even taking the lead before finishing in second place. We should be very satisfied with this, as we have made the best possible start to the season and can look ahead to the next round at Imola with great confidence.”
Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti: “In Qatar, we achieved a fantastic one-two-three for Ferrari—this is the best reward for all the work the entire team put in over the winter months to arrive in the best possible condition for the start of the season. Over the past months, we focused on every detail related to our car and team organization, aiming to optimize every single aspect. In this regard, the comeback of the number 51 crew, who managed to climb the podium despite some penalties, is a perfect example of how well we defined the team’s strategy and how skilled we were in tire management.”
Corvette Finds the Magic
TF Sport Corvette came into the Qatar 1812km with a disappointing start after failing to secure Hyperpole during qualifying. However, that did not stop the team from getting the job done. After starting 13th on the grid Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating, made an extraordinary comeback. The effort was almost thwarted by the No. 59 United Autosports McLaren but Juncadella defended.
Team owner Tom Ferrier said, “There’s no denying that it was a big move for us to join GM and Corvette. We knew it was going to be a challenge the first year, and it was to start with. We gathered momentum as the year went on. Bahrain ended fantastically with a second and third, which was really exciting. We went to Daytona this year and everyone saw the reliability and how much it had improved on the Corvette and gave us a bit of confidence. We had a great Prologue, struggled a bit earlier this week but knew we had a good car for the race…for GM, Corvette Racing and us. It’s a huge result”.
DOHA, QATAR – FEBRUARY 01: The #33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R of Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar and Daniel Juncadella – Winners in GT3 celebrate on the podium after the Qatar 1812km race at Losail Circuit on February 01, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jakob Ebrey/LAT Images/Getty Images)