The AF Corse privateer 499P, entrusted to Prancing Horse official driver Yifei Ye together with Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson, crossed the line in 10th place.

The Japanese leg, the penultimate round of the 2025 FIA WEC, proved extremely challenging for the Maranello manufacturer’s Hypercars, as expected on the eve of the race. Nevertheless, Ferrari remain leader in the World Manufacturers’ Championship, while Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi still top the drivers’ standings.
The world titles will therefore be assigned in the season-closing round in Bahrain, with the 8 Hours scheduled for Saturday, 8 November.

The race. Starting from sixth and 15th on the grid with Giovinazzi and Nielsen at the wheel, the two red-liveried 499Ps enjoyed a fine start thanks to a strategy devised by the team, enabling crews number 51 and 50 to climb as high as third and eighth respectively.

Several neutralisations caused by incidents – the first an off-track excursion of a rival Hypercar shortly after the opening hour, which resulted in damage to the right side of the number 83 499P, forcing the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours winners into an uphill battle – repeatedly broke up the race, allowing the field to regroup.

In an attempt to maximise the potential of the 499Ps available at Fuji, in a race that forced the Ferraris to constantly search for their limit, a drive-through and a stop-and-go – for exceeding the number of track limits – ultimately compromised the comeback of crew number 51, while their teammates in number 50 – who made only 4 pit stops, in an attempt to make the most of the tyres by reducing stops – battled on, finishing just outside the points.

The standings. Ferrari remain at the top of the World Manufacturers’ Championship with 204 points, 39 points clear of their closest pursuer. In the drivers’ standings, Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi lead on 115 points; Ye-Kubica-Hanson lie second on 101, while Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen are fifth on 75 points.

Nicklas Nielsen, 499P #50: “We tried to make the most of the potential at our disposal. The race was really tough and we couldn’t aim for a top position. So many interruptions also affected the race, and trying to recover places became impossible. In Bahrain we will definitely have to do better, giving our contribution to Ferrari in the fight for the World Manufacturers’ Championship.”

James Calado, 499P #51: “This was a difficult weekend and we can’t be satisfied with it. We need to turn the page, trying to look ahead positively to the next round, the race in Bahrain, where we will arrive still leading both the World Manufacturers’ Championship and the Drivers’ World Championship. We have a major goal and we will try to achieve it in the final race.”

Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti: “At the start of the race and in the opening two hours we produced an excellent performance with Giovinazzi and Nielsen, an opening that raised our hopes, climbing as high as third place with the number 51 499P. Then came a series of episodes that brought interruptions, making the race more complicated and changing its course. Episodes that we were not able to exploit as well as some of our rivals. Looking ahead to the final round in Bahrain, we will need to return to the track with determination to contest a race worthy of our expectations, in order to round off in the best possible way a world championship in which we have led since the first round.”

Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Ferrari Endurance Race Cars: "We knew from the beginning that it would be a difficult race, but with a careful race and thanks to a set-up that allowed us to make the most of the grip offered by the tyres in the early and middle stages, we had managed to bring the cars to the top positions. Unfortunately, the Full Course Yellow phases and the Safety Cars completely changed the face of the standings and the momentum of the race, which, combined with some mistakes, nullified the excellent work done up to that point. We lost important points to our rivals, so we must quickly analyse what didn't work, turn the page and prepare well for the final race in Bahrain."