WEC Austin: the move during the restart wasn’t fair

A bittersweet WEC Austin 6 Hours concluded yesterday, with Porsche dominating from the second half of the race onward. Ferrari somewhat shot itself in the foot with a positioning error at the pit stop by car #83 and a spin by Kubica. Unlucky as well was car #51 driven by Pierguidi, who was hit by the race-winning Porsche #6 during the restart after the Safety Car. No penalty was given to Team Penske, and the other Ferrari, #50, took advantage of the situation to move up into second place. Here you can find the resume of yesterdays race WEC Austin – Porsche wins, double heartbreak for Ferrari

WEC Austin, Ferrari’s Key Players

Despite the setbacks, the Maranello Hypercar squad once again holds its head high, maintaining the lead in the constructors’ standings ahead of Porsche, which climbs to second place ahead of Cadillac. These were the immediate post-race comments following the American round:

Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti:
“We leave COTA pleased to have strengthened our lead in the World Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championship standings, but disappointed with the outcome for car #51, which was firmly in the lead before being hit, suffering a puncture that forced the drivers into a major comeback in the final stages. A special mention goes to the AF Corse team, which celebrates the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams title here in America after winning at Le Mans, and once again proved to be competitive overall, starting from pole and delivering a strong race.”

Alessandro Pier Guidi, 499P #51:
“It’s hard to see the positives in a race like this. I believe the move at the restart (by the Porsche, ed.) wasn’t fair—both before the finish line, where you’re not allowed to run side by side, and in Turn 1, where I had left plenty of space and there was contact that compromised our race due to the puncture. In the end, I tried to do my best to recover, and I think finishing in fifth place is almost a miracle.”

Yifei Ye, 499P #83:
“It was a bittersweet race for us. Obviously, starting from pole position we were aiming for a better result, but we faced several challenges during the race. It’s frustrating because we had a very competitive car this weekend and couldn’t get the points we were capable of scoring. Still, we managed to win the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams, so that’s fantastic. We’ll come back strong at Fuji and fight hard in the final two races of the season.”

Nicklas Nielsen, 499P #50:
“We were hoping to achieve something more, but finishing second in a race like this, affected by truly difficult weather conditions, is a great result because we didn’t make any mistakes and managed to make the most of the 499P’s potential. We leave COTA with a lot of valuable points for the world championship standings, looking ahead with optimism to the final two rounds of the season.”

The next round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship is the 6 Hours of Fuji, scheduled for Sunday, September 28 at Japan’s Fuji Speedway. Following the Austin race, this will be the seventh and penultimate event of the season — a crucial race for the championship standings in both the Hypercar and LMGT3 categories.

WEC Austin for more, visit https://www.fiawec.com/