Ferrari took its first FIA WEC win of 2026 at the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas, with the no. 50 AF Corse 499P of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen converting a race disrupted by multiple neutralisations into the marque's eighth Hypercar victory since its 2023 return to the top class.

The result reverses a run of winless starts to the campaign and comes at a track Ferrari has previously favoured, having already taken victory at COTA in 2024 through the no. 83 crew of Yifei Ye, Robert Shwartzman and Robert Kubica.

A fast start for the no. 51, then a pit-stop setback

Antonio Giovinazzi, sharing the pole-sitting no. 51 car with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, led the opening two hours. Molina, in the sister no. 50, ran a double stint during this phase that pulled the car through the field and briefly into the race lead.

At Pier Guidi's second pit stop the no. 51 lost time and track position on its return to the circuit because of an issue at the stop. Ferrari's Head of Endurance Race Cars, Ferdinando Cannizzo, said the car shut down because of an accidental error by Giovinazzi during the stop, which made a reset necessary. Calado, taking over the car at that point, then worked to recover positions lost in the incident.

Neutralisations reshuffle the order

The middle part of the race featured several neutralisations that reordered the field. These periods initially cost the no. 50 crew of Nielsen and Fuoco track position, before the car recovered to run just outside the podium places. In the final two hours the same neutralisations worked against the no. 51 of Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi, which fell outside the top ten.

After the race's final Virtual Safety Car period, racing resumed with 45 minutes remaining and the gaps between cars eliminated. At that restart Nielsen held third place in the no. 50 while Pier Guidi was 13th in the no. 51.

The decisive moments

From third, Nielsen first passed Milesi's second-placed Alpine. He then inherited the lead after the retirement of a Toyota driven by De Vries, which had been leading at that point, due to a technical problem. That sequence secured the no. 50 crew's victory.

The no. 83 499P of Yifei Ye, Phil Hanson and Robert Kubica had a separate difficult race, needing to replace its front end following a contact before the three-hour mark, and only intermittently reached the top ten during pit-stop cycles.

Final classification and context

The no. 50 of Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen won the race. The no. 51 of Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi finished 11th, while the no. 83 of Ye, Hanson and Kubica finished 13th, having also been affected by contact early in the race.

The win is the 499P's eighth since its 2023 competitive debut, its first of the 2026 season, and its second at COTA. It is also the third victory for the specific no. 50 crew pairing, following wins at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2025 Qatar 1812 km.

What the drivers and team said

Antonio Fuoco said the strategy had been difficult to manage throughout the race but that the team had done a great job, adding that the race had at one point seemed to be becoming complicated before the crew secured what he called a fantastic victory and a return to the top step after a wait.

Nicklas Nielsen described the race as unpredictable and said the win came from making the most of the car's potential along with strategy and tyre management.

Miguel Molina said the result was Ferrari's first win of the season and the product of a team effort, adding that the points would be important for the World Manufacturers' Championship.

Alessandro Pier Guidi said a lot had happened during the race beyond the team's control and that luck had not been on their side during the neutralisations, calling it a shame to leave America with only the point for pole position.

James Calado said the race became complicated after a perfect start, noting the team had started with the ambition of a better result after taking pole.

Antonio Giovinazzi congratulated the winning crew and said the no. 51 race had been an uphill battle after an excellent start, adding that an attempt at a more aggressive strategy late in the race was undone by the final Safety Car.

Antonello Coletta, Ferrari's Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti, said victory had seemed within reach for the no. 51 car in the first three hours before the pit-stop issue complicated the race, and credited a measure of luck given how close Toyota had been to winning. He pointed to COTA's history for Ferrari, including three consecutive pole positions and the 2024 victory.

Cannizzo said Ferrari's bad luck with the no. 51 was offset by good fortune at the end of the race, citing neutralisations that came at unhelpful moments and the pit-stop problem caused by Giovinazzi's accidental error, while saying the team would take lessons forward in the championship fight.

What it means for the championship

The win gives Ferrari points in the World Manufacturers' Championship standings as the series heads to the 6 Hours of Fuji on 27 September, followed by rounds in Barcelona on 18 October and Monza on 8 November.