Antonio Fuoco scored an emotional pole for Ferrari in the Monza 6 Hours, which will not only bring the 2026 World Endurance Championship to a close on Sunday but also mark the final outing for the 499P in its current specification.
The V6-powered LMH will undergo a major upgrade package next year, giving Fuoco the distinction of having secured pole position for the car’s debut at Sebring in 2023 and now its final qualifying session before it enters a new chapter, at least from a technical standpoint.
«I didn’t think about this but it’s true,» he said. «I think everyone wants to do a proper goodbye to this car because it has been a really nice journey together, on those years.
«We won eight races together, we won Le Mans three times. So I think she deserves pole position today.
«But we just need to be focused tomorrow to try to have a clean race and try to maximise everything to say a proper goodbye to this one.»
He also explained how challenging it had been to drive on a dry track for the first time this weekend.
#50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco
Photo by: Jakob Ebrey
«We expected it to be dry only in qualifying and it was quite tricky because we didn’t have time to do some tests with the set-up and having the feeling of the dry tyres here,» he explained.
«Last time we came here was 2023, the conditions were a bit different. But I really like these condition when you just need to go and send it, try to maximise everything, try to put everything together.
«I think today we did everything really well. I want to thank the team because especially in these condition we need to trust them on the set-up, on what they give to you.
«Today was really special being on pole here in Monza as an Italian driver with Ferrari. I think it’s a really emotional day but yeah we need to keep cool, keep calm and think about tomorrow.»
The objective now, as Ferrari has made clear in recent days, is to take the 499P to the top step of the podium. Fuoco, alongside #50 team-mates Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina, will be in a position to dictate the pace from the start before focusing on delivering the result the Italian manufacturer wants at its home race.
Giovinazzi explains late qualifying troubles
#50 Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen
While the #50 Ferrari provided plenty of joy for the Tifosi, the sister #51 car encountered more difficulties during Hyperpole and will start Sunday’s race from fourth.
Antonio Giovinazzi ended up 0.209s behind Fuoco, having struggled to find the right balance in the second sector. It was there that he lost most of the time relative to his countryman.
Ferrari had also planned for the former Formula 1 driver to complete one final flying lap, but he crossed the finish line just a few seconds after the chequered flag had fallen. That denied him an opportunity to improve as the track continued to get faster, despite still being damp in places.
“First of all, I think it’s fantastic to have a Ferrari in Hyperpole at Monza after we already achieved that at Imola with the #51. Now the #50 has done it. We’re happy to make the fans happy,” Giovinazzi said after the session.
“As far as I’m concerned, we were missing two tenths and I wasn’t very happy with the balance in the second sector, where I lost a bit of time. In any case, we’re fourth, Fuoco is starting from pole and I think we have an opportunity to score important points tomorrow.
“That will be the objective, because we want to finish second in the manufacturers’ championship. We are starting from a very good position, while the BMWs will be further back.
“We had three wet sessions, so we didn’t know what to expect in the dry. It wasn’t completely dry, especially over the Ascari kerbs, while other parts of the track were just damp. But I think tomorrow will be the important day.”
#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Giovinazzi
Photo by: FIA WEC / DPPI
Giovinazzi believes Sunday’s race will be an unknown quantity for the entire field, with no team having had the opportunity to assess its dry-weather race pace during the weekend. That will leave teams without reliable data on tyre degradation and complicate their strategic preparations for the six-hour contest.
“Nobody will have any data on tyre degradation,” he said. “We will all be in the same situation, lacking the information needed to approach the race knowing what to expect. We will have to be sharp to understand which strategy is best.”
Kubica rues lack of dry-weather running in #83 Ferrari
The driver left most disappointed by the outcome was Robert Kubica, who had fought for pole position for much of the session in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P but eventually had to settle for eighth.
The changing weather conditions worked against the Polish driver. The #83 Ferrari had been the benchmark in wet conditions throughout practice on Friday and Saturday, but the track dried progressively during Hyperpole, putting Kubica at a disadvantage.
The wet conditions had helped the yellow-liveried AF Corse entry close the small gap to Ferrari’s two factory cars. The official team had conducted testing at Monza, whereas Kubica and his team-mates Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson had not had that opportunity. As the track continued to dry, that difference became more significant.
“It could have gone better,” Kubica said. “The track dried out considerably during qualifying and that didn’t favour us for various reasons. Obviously, we tried, but it wasn’t an easy session.
“I had never driven the 499P at Monza before, and I struggled in the dry. It was different in the wet. But in the dry, everyone knows how to accelerate… I’m joking.
#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Philip Hanson
Photo by: FIA WEC / DPPI
“So that’s how it is. Obviously, we lacked information and familiarity with the car because we, the crew of the #83 499P, had never tested here. It’s a shame, but that’s the situation.
“We could have done better, but we also had some issues with the systems, which didn’t help us. It was impossible for us to fight for pole with the knowledge we had. But we could have achieved something better.
“Tomorrow will be a leap into the unknown, just as qualifying was today. Some drivers have run here and have a little more information, but the race won’t be easy.
“It will also be a leap into the unknown in terms of set-up, balance, tyre degradation and so many other things. We will approach the race with plenty of ifs, question marks and doubts.”
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