Ferrari has announced the driver line-ups for its two-car AF Corse GTE Pro effort in the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The Italian manufacturer will once again enter a pair of Ferrari 488 GTE Evos into the championship. During the 2021 season, Ferrari will only be battlng Porsche as Aston Martin ended its factory GTE programme late last year.
The line-up for the #51 Ferrari 488 GTE Pro remains unchanged, as 2017 world champions and 2019 Le Mans class winners James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi once again team up.
“I can’t wait to get started,” said Calado, “It’s going to be six hard-fought races against the Porsche crews. We saw last year that we are capable of winning both individual races and the championship, and so we’ll try to do everything in our power to claim the drivers’ and constructors’ titles for Ferrari again”.
“Given that we’ll be competing with Porsche for the title”, commented Pier Guidi, “I hope that the Balance of Performance can be revised from last year, to allow us to fight on equal terms, for the benefit of the show on the track.
“From our side, we have the advantage of stability and harmony within the team, and good competitiveness on all tracks. Therefore, we are setting off to try to win the title.
“It’s not the number of cars that determines a championship’s level, quite the contrary. With fewer cars at the start, a zero in the ranking could be decisive for the final outcome”.
Meanwhile, AF Corse’s second car has seen a number of changes. Having entered the car as number 71 for the past years, the team’s second entry will carry number 52 starting from 2021.
The driving crew for the #52 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo has also seen changes compared to the previous season. Davide Rigon has been replaced as the partner to Miguel Molina, with double Le Mans class winner Daniel Serra instead coming in to partner the Spaniard for the full season effort.
“My goal was to race in the WEC,” said Serra, “and I am delighted to be heading into the 2021 season. I know the team and my teammate very well, and I think we can do well together. I’m preparing myself as best as I can to be ready when the season kicks off”
Molina finished last in the GTE Pro standings as Ferrari struggled throughout the 2019/20 campaign, but is looking forward to the upcoming season.
“I’m delighted to be back in the WEC after my first full season, which was very useful for gaining experience”, Molina said. “The championship is very competitive, and I’m satisfied with what I achieved.
“I’m happy to share the 488 GTE with Daniel because he is so fast and we have a great relationship.”
“I also want to thank Davide because in these years he has been an exemplary teammate. I have had the chance to learn a lot from him, and he has pushed me to improve”
