Ferrari has finally broken a 53-year dry spell in the most spectacular way. At this weekend’s Bahrain 8 Hours in Sakhir, the Prancing Horse claimed both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, capping a season that cemented Maranello back at the top of global endurance racing.
At the wheel of the No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi secured the drivers’ crown with a fourth-place finish, while their teammates in the No. 50 car, Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, took third place. The private No. 83 Ferrari, driven by Yifei Ye, Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson, finished fifth but still finished second in the championship, giving Ferrari a clear lead over the top three places in the standings.
Ferrari’s return to endurance racing began just three seasons ago in 2023, but the 499P program has already exceeded expectations. The 2025 season included victories in Qatar, Imola and Spa as well as a treble in Lusail to open the season. The factory cars scored 245 points, finishing 75 points ahead of Toyota, who managed to take a Bahrain victory and avoid a winless season for the first time in a decade.
For comparison, this is Ferrari’s first endurance world championship title since 1972, when the 312 P dominated the old World Championship of Manufacturers. It is also the brand’s first overall drivers’ title in endurance racing, as this award did not exist in the 1970s. The win brings Ferrari’s total number of endurance world titles to 24 with nine total wins (1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1972 and now 2025). Pier Guidi and Calado now hold four personal championships, adding to their previous GT titles in 2017, 2021 and 2022.
AF Corse’s success goes beyond the factory team. The independent No. 83 team won the 2025 FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams and a historic victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, putting Ferrari in control of both the factory and customer awards.
Despite Toyota’s late recovery and Manthey’s Porsche winning the LMGT3 title, 2025 belonged to Ferrari. As well as achieving great success, the 499P program has revitalized the brand’s racing identity and linked its endurance success to its Formula 1 heritage. The last time Ferrari held a world title of any kind was the F1 constructors’ title in 2008 and Kimi Raikkonen’s last drivers’ title in 2007. Now, 17 years later, it is back at the top. The time on the global endurance stage.
The WEC landscape is changing rapidly. Porsche factory drivers have won the 2024 FIA WEC, but the Porsche Hypercar factory team will drop out of the championship, signaling a major realignment among the top entries.
However, as the FIA confirms its commitment to the hypercar platform until 2032, it is encouraging even more luxury and exotic car manufacturers to join the Le Mans competition. Aston Martin entered 2025 as the only non-hybrid contender, and several new entrants are on the horizon: Genesis in 2026, followed by McLaren and Ford in 2027.
Images: Ferrari
