AF Corse facts for kids
 |
|
| Founded | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Team principal(s) | Amato Ferrari |
| Current series | FIA World Endurance Championship GT World Challenge Europe European Le Mans Series WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Asian Le Mans Series International GT Open British GT Championship |
| Former series | Italian Superturismo Championship FIA GT Championship FIA GT1 World Championship World Series Formula V8 3.5 (as Spirit of Race/SMP Racing) DTM |
| Current drivers | FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar 50.  Antonio Fuoco Miguel Molina Nicklas Nielsen51.  James Calado Antonio Giovinazzi Alessandro Pier Guidi83.  Robert Kubica Robert Shwartzman Yifei YeLMGT3 54. Francesco Castellacci Thomas Flohr Davide Rigon55.  François Heriau Simon Mann Alessio Rovera |
| Teams' Championships |
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 FIA GT2, 2011 ILMC LM GTE-Pro, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 FIA WEC GTE-Pro, 2020 GTWC Endurance, 2021 DTM. |
| Drivers' Championships |
2006, 2007, 2008 FIA GT2, 2011 FIA GT3, 2013, 2014, 2017 FIA WEC GTE-Pro, 2020 GTWC Endurance, |
AF Corse is a cool Italian auto racing team. It was started by a former race car driver named Amato Ferrari in 1995. The team is based in Piacenza, Italy. AF Corse works closely with famous car brands like Maserati and Ferrari.
Today, AF Corse races in many big championships. These include the FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge Europe, and European Le Mans Series. They have won the GT2 class championship four times in the old FIA GT Championship. The team has also raced under different names, like Spirit of Race and Formula Racing.
Contents
Team History: How AF Corse Started
In 1995, Amato Ferrari stopped being a race car driver. He decided to focus on managing a racing team instead. At first, his team raced in the Italian Superturismo Championship. When that series ended in 1999, Ferrari started a new team called AF Corse. The name "AF" comes from his initials, and "Corse" means "Racing" in Italian.
Early Days with Maserati
AF Corse then moved into sports car racing. Within a year, Maserati hired them. AF Corse helped Maserati with their special "Trofeo Cup" series. This was a "one-make series," meaning all cars were the same model: the Maserati Coupé. AF Corse helped develop, maintain, and transport these cars until 2005.
In 2004, Maserati asked AF Corse to help with their new Maserati MC12 sports car. The team helped test and improve the car. Then, they raced two of these new cars at their home event in Imola. Drivers like Fabrizio de Simone, Andrea Bertolini, Mika Salo, and Johnny Herbert raced for the team. AF Corse won two races that season. After the MC12 was ready, the team went back to the Trofeo Cup. They also raced a Maserati Light in the 2005 Italian GT Championship.
Racing with Ferrari
In 2006, AF Corse returned to the FIA GT Championship. This time, they raced the newest Ferrari car, the Ferrari F430. They competed in the GT2 class, which is a lower category. Mika Salo stayed on as a driver, joined by Rui Águas, Jaime Melo, and Matteo Bobbi. The team won their first race at Silverstone. They won two more races that season, including the tough Spa 24 Hours. AF Corse won the GT2 class championship, beating another Ferrari team. They also continued their work with Maserati, racing three cars in the new FIA GT3 European Championship.
In 2007, AF Corse was the defending champion in the FIA GT Championship. They still used the Ferrari F430s, but they had new drivers. Dirk Müller, Toni Vilander, Gianmaria Bruni, and Stephane Ortelli took over the driving. Motorola also became a big sponsor for the team. Their two cars were super strong in the 2007 season. They won nine out of ten races and earned another championship!
For 2008, AF Corse grew even bigger. They had three cars in the GT2 class. Vilander and Bruni stayed in the main car. Biagi returned to the team with Christian Montanari in the second car. The third car raced under the Advanced Engineering name, with Argentinian drivers Matías Russo and Luís Pérez Companc.
New Challenges and Big Wins
In 2010, the FIA GT Championship changed. AF Corse joined the Le Mans Series. For the 2010 season, they raced three Ferrari F430 GT2s in the GT2 class. Famous drivers like Jean Alesi and Giancarlo Fisichella raced for them.
In 2011, AF Corse started using the brand new Ferrari 458 Italia GT2s in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. They also used Ferrari 458 Italia GT3s in the FIA GT3 European Championship. AF Corse won the ILMC in the GTE-Pro category. They even won the final race at Petit Le Mans. They also won the FIA GT3 driver's championship with Francisco Catellaci and Federico Leo.
The team also joined the International GT Open in 2010. They raced two Ferrari GT2 cars. AF Corse also helped the AT Racing team with a third Ferrari.
In 2012, AF Corse raced in many sports car championships around the world. This included the FIA World Endurance Championship. At the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, the AF Corse #51 car won the GTE Pro race! The drivers were Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella, and Toni Vilander. They beat strong teams like Corvette, Porsche, and Aston Martin.
Partnering with Ferrari Hypercar
In 2023, AF Corse teamed up with Scuderia Ferrari to race Ferrari's new 499P hypercar. This was for the FIA World Endurance Championship. They had a super successful season! They won the Le Mans race in its 100th year. This was Ferrari's first win in the top class at Le Mans in 50 years!
After this big win, the team decided to enter a yellow private car. Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, and Yifei Ye drove this car. They led much of the 2024 Le Mans race before having an engine problem.
The partnership with the Ferrari Hypercar team has been a huge success, especially at Le Mans. The two factory cars (numbers 51 and 50) won the main event in 2023 and 2024. This means all six of their main drivers have won the race. These drivers are Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi.
AF Corse-Waltrip: A Special Partnership
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2013 |
| Team principal(s) | Michael Waltrip Rob Kauffman |
| Former series | FIA World Endurance Championship (2012) Rolex Sports Car Series (2012–2013) |
| Noted drivers | Michael Waltrip (WEC/RSCC) Rob Kauffman (WEC/RSCC) Rui Águas (WEC/RSCC) Travis Pastrana (RSCC) Brian Vickers (WEC) Clint Bowyer (RSCC) |
AF Corse-Waltrip was a special sports car racing team. It was also known as AF-Waltrip. This team was a 50-50 partnership between Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman. They were co-owners of Michael Waltrip Racing, a NASCAR team.
In 2011, Michael Waltrip Racing teamed up with AF Corse. AF Corse provided them with sports cars to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Rolex Sports Car Series. AF Corse-Waltrip stopped their sports car team in 2013. They wanted to focus only on NASCAR racing.
Images for kids
-
One of AF Corse's Ferrari F430 GT2 race cars.
-
AF Corse's Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 at Zhuhai International Circuit.
See also
In Spanish: AF Corse para niños
