The Italian manufacturer concluded its inaugural season in the hypercar class with a third place finish in the Bahrain 8 Hours, with the #50 499P of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Niklas Nielsen. Toyota GR010 HYBRID LMH is the mainstream.
With two-thirds of the race remaining, Ferrari did not have the speed to catch up with the Toyotas and Jota’s Porsche 963 LMDh, but Jota’s Antonio Felix da Costa’s penalty This put the leading Ferrari crew in a position to seize third place. .
Nielsen came under intense pressure from da Costa’s teammate Will Stevens in the closing stages, but held on to driver Jota to secure Ferrari’s sixth podium in seven races in 2023.
After the race, Ferrari’s sports car technical director Ferdinando Cannizzo praised the team for achieving an unlikely podium in the final race of the season, and explained how they could compensate for the car’s weaknesses on track. Taka explained.
“We never give up,” Cannizzo said. “It was a very difficult race for us. We weren’t the fastest or second fastest car, so it was tough.
“But we are even more proud of the result because we were able to execute our strategy in a way that earned us a podium.
“I’m not nervous, I’m going to stay calm. [We] Take a close look at the final lap of the race [to see] What can you do to get on the podium with a car that isn’t the fastest?
“On the track you could see how easily we were sometimes overtaken.
Photo provided by: JEP/Motorsports Image
Ferrari’s No. 50 crew also joined the Toyota driver on the podium.
“So we’re trying to understand [by] These two days we managed everything: our pace, our set-up, our pit stops, our energy, in a way that gives us a chance to beat the other guys, even if they’re faster than us in one lap. We are working hard to see how we can manage it. 1 stint. ”
Cannizzo felt that Ferrari were stronger than any other team when it came to tire degradation, a result of their extra effort in the lead-up to the final race in Bahrain after a disappointing result at Fuji in September. It is.
“I think we were the best car in terms of tire degradation. You can see in the traces that we had very, very stable lap times from the first lap of the stint to the last lap and even the second stint. “We were able to handle it appropriately,” he said.
“Even if it was a different set-up, we prepared for today. We knew this race would be difficult, so we worked really hard.” [going to be] It’s very, very difficult for us.
“So we worked hard to understand how we can improve and manage tracks where the asphalt is very aggressive to prevent tire deterioration.
“Our car had really good tires, which was definitely due to the way we managed the tires and the way we set up the car, so it was a little different than other races.”
The two Ferraris collided in the penultimate hour, with Alessandro Pier Guidi and Foco battling for position after their respective pit stops, with the latter scrapping to take the lead.
The No. 51 499P of Pierre Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi ended up dropping to 6th place, behind Jota’s Porsche and the No. 6 Porsche Penske 963.
Photo courtesy of Ferrari
#50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Niklas Nielsen
It turns out that the root cause of Pierre Guidi’s mysterious drop in pace towards the end of the race was a suspension problem.
“We had kind of an issue with the rear damper on the No. 51 car,” Cannizzo revealed. “We still need to understand, but at some point the shock absorber was losing its properties.
“We need to analyze it, but I think it was on the rear axle, so we don’t know yet.” [we have] The car could not be opened, but there a problem related to the shock absorbers occurred.
“Maybe he lost gas, I don’t know. But he couldn’t grip properly, especially in the rear. He was struggling.”