Ferrari has signed Le Mans winner James Calado to a new multi-year extended contract, the Italian team has announced.
Calado drives the #51 Ferrari 499P in the FIA World Endurance Championship, alongside Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi. The trio won the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall in 2023, and are in contention for the world championship title at the final race of the 2025 WEC season at Bahrain, taking place next weekend.
Overall, with Calado’s efforts in Ferrari’s GT programmes added to his Hypercar campaign, he has contested over 130 races for the Scuderia, with 27 wins and 62 podiums. His first world championship victory for Ferrari was almost 10 years ago, at the 6 Hours of Nurburgring in a Ferrari 488 GTE.
In the 499P, meanwhile, he has taken three victories – Le Mans 2023, plus Imola and Spa this year – with 7 podium finishes in 22 races.
‘All I wanted to do’ was stay with Ferrari, says Calado
‘I’m delighted to remain in the Ferrari family as an official driver,’ said Calado.
‘I’ve achieved many successes with the Prancing Horse in recent years and I’m convinced that together we can pass some big chequered flags in the future as well.
‘There’s recently been a lot of speculation about what I was going to do in the future. In reality, all I wanted was to keep on competing for Ferrari. Now we’re crossing our fingers because in a few days we’ll be in Bahrain for the last round of the FIA WEC, aiming to achieve our dreams of becoming world champions.’
Meanwhile, Antonello Coletta, Ferrari’s endurance racing programme chief, said: ‘The contract extension represents continuity: we take great satisfaction in pursuing a professional journey with James, who over the last 11 years has enabled us to achieve many titles and successes of particular importance, among which I’d like to recall victory at the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 2023.
‘So it’s an honour to be able to keep counting on James’s contribution, a driver who’s a fully fledged member of the Ferrari family.’
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