At the end of a drama-filled eight-hour marathon that went down to the wire, it was the Ferrari 488 GTE
driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado that crossed the finish line first to claim a third season
win after the triumphs in the 8 Hours of Portimão and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The No. 51 crew ran a
strategically risky race through some sections in order to be able to tackle the final part on fresh tyres. This
decision allowed the Maranello-based machine to keep the gaps from rivals contained and take the lead at
several stages of the race. The key race-deciding episode would occur with just over ten minutes still to run.
Contact between Pier Guidi and Christensen, while the Porsche driver was being overtaken by a prototype,
ended with the Danish driver spinning. Pier Guidi then noticeably eased up the pace to relinquish his
position to the Porsche driver, but the no. 92 car returned to the pits for a splash & go. At this point Pier
Guidi was no longer obliged to give up his position and, a lap later, he too pitted for a quick refuel. Back on
track, the no. 51 488 GTE found itself in the lead with the Porsche on his tail. Pier Guidi defended his
position over the final laps to take the chequered flag in first place and clinch the drivers’ title. However, the
result remains provisional pending the intention to appeal filed by Porsche.
The second Ferrari, driven by Miguel Molina and Daniel Serra, completed the race in third position after
having led the eight-hour race for several laps. The two drivers churned out a convincing performance, even
though they were slowed down at times by backmarkers. With the points secured by the no. 52 car over
the course of the season, Ferrari provisionally wins the Constructors’ title, adding to those obtained in 2012,
2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
LMGTE Am
François Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen and Alessio Rovera, in AF Corse’s 488 GTE, took victory in the Bahrain
8 Hours and with it, the FIA Endurance Trophy for both drivers and teams. The triumph came at the end of a
race run with coolness and determination, perfect calls from the pit wall and what once again proved to be a
winning strategy. For the French driver it is the third accolade in this category, after the ones secured in
2016 and 2020, while for Nicklas Nielsen it is the second consecutive top honour. Alessio Rovera, for his
part, celebrates his world championship debut in the best possible manner in a season in which he has
consistently produced excellent performances. The trio notched up their fourth win of the season in Bahrain,
after Spa-Francorchamps, Monza and Le Mans. The 8 Hours also highlighted the excellent performances of
the other Ferraris competing in the LMGTE Am class. Fourth position went to Lacorte-Sernagiotto-Fuoco in
the Cetilar Racing-run 488 GTE, who led the race for a lengthy period, ahead of Kimura-Jensen-Andrews in
the Kessel Racing Ferrari. Schiavoni-Piccini-Andrews took sixth in the first Iron Lynx car, ahead of
Flohr-Castellacci-Fisichella in the second AF Corse entry, while the ‘Iron Dames’ crew of Frey-Bovy-Legge
finished ninth.
Antonello Coletta: “It has been a very intense and hard-fought season from all points of view, and this
race sums it up. At the end of the day, we feel we deserved this achievement thanks to three wins out of
six races. These results round off an extraordinary season, already one to remember after the triumphs in
the Spa 24 Hours and Le Mans, as well as in the main endurance championships.”
James Calado: “The race was really spectacular, I imagine also for the fans, with very close battles
between us and Porsche, alternating at the front of the race. It’s an incredible result for Ferrari and AF
Corse, who did an extraordinary job, especially from the point of view of strategy, which was different from
that of our rivals.”
Alessandro Pier Guidi: “In the build-up to the race it was difficult to imagine achieving a result like this,
but when the race got underway we managed to stay close to the Porsches, managing the tyres well. This
allowed us to have fresher tyres at the end and to be able to fight for the win. I know this is not the best
way to finish a race, but after the collision, which was unintentional, I waited to let them overtake me but
they decided to pit so it ended the way we’ve seen. We won after going through two very tough weekends,
but we managed to do it and have shown how strong Ferrari is.”
Nicklas Nielsen: “A fantastic race that completes an extraordinary season and a great championship. I
wish to say a big thank you to AF Corse and Ferrari, all the mechanics and engineers as well as my
team-mates who have done an excellent job throughout the season. Winning the Le Mans 24 Hours and the
title in the same year is special, as is winning the WEC title two years in a row.”
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