Ferrari took an important step in its bid to defend its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) title on Saturday by securing pole position for the Lone Star Le Mans, the fifth round of the 2026 season, with the #51 499P.
Antonio Giovinazzi set the fastest time in Hyperpole at Circuit of The Americas with a 1:52.445, edging Jack Aitken’s Cadillac #38 only because the Italian set his identical lap time first. The result continued Ferrari’s strong weekend in Austin after the manufacturer opened Friday’s running with a 1-2 in FP1.
The sister #50 Ferrari, shared by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, also delivered a strong qualifying performance and will start fifth. That gives the Italian manufacturer two cars near the front for the six-hour race.
Read more about Giovinazzi’s pole and the historic tie with Aitken
Ferrari design chief Mauro Barbieri believes the team can use the momentum from Austin to keep pressure on Toyota and BMW in the closing stages of the championship. He acknowledged, however, that the gap to the leaders remains considerable.
“The gap is still big, but already in São Paulo we managed to score a good amount of points over the leaders. So, it is a matter of continuing to do that, scoring good points and finishing ahead of the cars that are ahead in the standings,” Barbieri said.
Ferrari arrives in Texas after scoring a podium at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, where the #51 finished second. The result helped the manufacturer make up ground in the championship and provided encouragement heading into the second half of the season.
“There are high hopes and expectations because it is a track where the car has always worked well. It is up to us to do the job properly and live up to those expectations,” Barbieri added.
Ferrari currently sits third in the WEC manufacturers’ standings with 88 points. Toyota leads with 132, while BMW is second on 127.
In the drivers’ championship, the #51 trio of Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado is fourth with 57 points. BMW’s René Rast and Robin Frijns lead with 75 points, level with Toyota’s Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries.
The Ferrari #51 started the Lone Star Le Mans weekend strongly with a 1-2 for the manufacturer in FP1, although Aston Martin topped FP2 and FP3 as the field closed in on qualifying pace.
Barbieri nevertheless sees reasons for confidence as Ferrari enters the decisive part of the campaign.
“We started the second half of the season with optimism. We are confident and will try to put pressure on these guys until the end to achieve the best possible result at the end,” the Ferrari executive concluded.
The Lone Star Le Mans, the fifth round of the 2026 WEC season, gets underway at 1:00 p.m. local time in Austin on Sunday, September 6, with six hours of racing scheduled at Circuit of The Americas.
FAQ
What position does Ferrari start the Lone Star Le Mans from?
Ferrari #51 starts from pole position with Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado. The sister #50 Ferrari starts fifth.
Where does Ferrari stand in the 2026 WEC championship?
Ferrari is third in the manufacturers’ standings with 88 points, behind Toyota on 132 and BMW on 127.
When does the 2026 Lone Star Le Mans start?
The six-hour Lone Star Le Mans starts at 1:00 p.m. local time in Austin on Sunday, September 6, 2026.
