In front of the Italian Tifosi, the Maranello manufacturer has secured pole position, as it had already done at the start of the current season in April, at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, where Antonio Giovinazzi took pole with the number 51 car.
At Monza, the other two 499Ps will start from fourth and eighth positions respectively: the number 51 entered by the official Ferrari – AF Corse team and the number 83 entered by the privateer AF Corse team.
The green flag for the Monza 6 Hours will be waved tomorrow, 8 November, at 11 a.m. local time.
The figures. On the fast Lombardy circuit the Prancing Horse thus takes its 11th pole position at the end of the fourth season that sees the 499P starring in the top class of endurance racing. In 2026, the previous two pole positions, both secured by Giovinazzi with the number 51 car, whose crew currently hold the Drivers’ World Championship title, came at the season-opener in Imola, as mentioned above, and at the fifth round of the season, at the Circuit of The Americas. Overall, since 2023, the number 50 499P has secured five pole positions, while the number 51 and number 83 cars have taken five and one respectively.
Qualifying. The first session, held under overcast skies and on a dry circuit, but with very cold air and track temperatures of 10 and 12°C respectively, saw Fuoco set the fastest time with the number 50 499P, which he shares with Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, stopping the clock at 1:33.400. Robert Kubica took third place at the wheel of AF Corse's number 83 car, which he shares with official drivers Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson, with a time of 1:33.880. Finally, Antonio Giovinazzi finished fourth, with a time of 1:34.077, at the wheel of the official number 51 car, sharing the crew with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado.
Hyperpole. In the decisive session, held in similar conditions, Fuoco once again proved to be the fastest, setting a time of 1:33.364 on his final timed lap, which secured him pole position with a 96-thousandths-of-a-second advantage over second place. Giovinazzi took fourth position with a time of 1:33.573, 209 thousandths of a second behind his teammate, while Kubica finished eighth in 1:33.922, 558 thousandths of a second off pole.
Antonio Fuoco, 499P #50: “Today was a truly special day. Securing pole position here at Monza, as an Italian driver at the wheel of a Ferrari, is something incredibly emotional. I am also absolutely delighted with this pole position, following the very first one I secured with the 499P at Sebring in 2023. Looking ahead to the race, we must remain clear-headed, stay calm and focus on the 6 Hours, which will be a long and difficult challenge. We will give it our all to deliver a great result for our Tifosi. The first part of Qualifying was challenging because we had not had the opportunity to carry out some set-up tests and familiarise ourselves with the circuit, which was essentially dry. Furthermore, the last time we raced at Monza was in July 2023, when the weather conditions were very different. I really enjoy these situations, when you have to take to the track, push to the maximum, try to make the most of every opportunity and achieve the best possible result. I believe we managed to do everything really well today. I would like to thank the team because, particularly in conditions like these, it is essential to have confidence in the technicians' decisions, the set-up and the car at your disposal.”
Antonio Giovinazzi, 499P number 51: “Tomorrow we will start from a good position. Qualifying and Hyperpole were difficult sessions in which we took to the track in conditions that were very different from those in the three free practice sessions. In the race, nobody will have any truly reliable data on tyre degradation or several other factors: I expect a very interesting race because we will all find ourselves in the same situation, without any precise reference points. It is now essential to analyse the car's balance during Qualifying carefully and understand what we can improve ahead of the 6 Hours. In the race, we will have to be impeccable in our strategic decisions and tyre management, with the aim of bringing the championship to a close with a great result for Ferrari.”
Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti: “A result that fills us with joy. After Imola at the start of the season, we have returned to pole position here at Monza: clearly, Italy brings us good luck. The last few races have been quite challenging, and this is a great source of satisfaction. Now we are only halfway through the path, however; the race is clearly the most important part of the weekend, and we will do our utmost to bring the season to a successful close. We are also very happy for Antonio Fuoco, who has returned to pole position. The other two cars were also very competitive, and we fought for pole right down to the last few hundredths of a second. We therefore expect a closely contested race, but we will give it everything we've got.”
