‘We are closing the gap to F1’

Ferrari’s Alessandro Pier Guidi believes the World Endurance Championship has become a genuine pathway for young drivers and now stands as the second-biggest series after Formula 1.

Endurance racing has grown in popularity in recent years, fuelled by the introduction of new LMDh and LMH regulations that have attracted some of the world’s biggest brands to the WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship.

While F1 remains the ultimate goal for most aspiring drivers, limited seats and soaring costs have forced many to look elsewhere, with endurance racing increasingly viewed as one of the most credible alternatives.

In light of Italian Leonardo Fornaroli being left without a racing programme after winning the 2025 Formula 2 title, Pier Guidi encouraged young drivers to seriously consider endurance racing, citing the championship’s growth and competitiveness.

“When I was younger, I decided to start [in] endurance racing,” said the 42-year-old. “Endurance racing saved my career. Because I had no chance in the single-seater for many reasons. Actually, the money was the biggest one. 

“But I think now the championship is growing up so much. Thanks to Ferrari for coming back in the overall class, and the championship grew [with it]. 

“At the moment, after Formula 1, it [WEC] is the biggest championship in terms of car racing. I have the feeling that we are closing the gap with F1, while many years ago, we were a bit more far. 

“I think it [endurance racing] is really attractive for many young guys. For sure, I would suggest to come here if they have no chance to go there [F1].

“Of course, when you are young, you try to go in F1. But I think this championship, [with] the level of the competition, the level of the car, the technology involved, the manufacturing involved, it is not far now.”

Pier Guidi started his career in single-seaters in the early 2000s before switching to sportscars, going on to race in the FIA GT Championship and the Blancpain Endurance Series (now GT World Challenge Europe). 

After signing a factory deal with Ferrari in 2017, he became one of the most successful GT drivers and has since established himself as a leading prototype racer, claiming an overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours and a Hypercar world title.

Pier Guidi rejected the notion that endurance racing is all about management, saying this discipline of motorsport can be equally rewarding for drivers as single-seater racing — if not more.

“Sometimes it’s even better [than single-seater racing] because we can push more,» he said. «Sometimes you think that endurance is just managing, but it’s not true. Okay, the Bahrain [track] is a peculiar thing where the degradation is very high, so you need to manage like they do most of the time.

“But if you think even about Le Mans, where the degradation is very low, and the tyres are really consistent in that track, we push flat out from the first lap to the end.

“As a driver, you enjoy when you push more than when you manage.”

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— The Motorsport.com Team