AF Corse facts for kids
 |
|
| Founded | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Base | Piacenza |
| 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 Phil Hanson 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, 2024 GTWC Endurance, 2021 DTM. |
| Drivers' Championships |
2006, 2007, 2008 FIA GT2, 2011 FIA GT3, 2013, 2014, 2017 FIA WEC GTE-Pro, 2020, 2024 GTWC Endurance |
| Website | https://afcorse.it/ |
AF Corse is a famous Italian auto racing team. It was started by a former racing driver named Amato Ferrari in 1995 in Piacenza, Italy. The team works closely with the well-known car brands Maserati and Ferrari.
AF Corse competes in many big races around the world. These include the FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge Europe, and the European Le Mans Series. They have won the GT2 class championship four times in the past FIA GT Championship. The team has also raced under different names like Spirit of Race and Formula Racing.
Contents
Team History and Success
In 1995, Amato Ferrari decided to stop driving race cars himself. He wanted to focus on managing a racing team instead. He first entered races in the Italian Superturismo Championship. When that series ended in 1999, Ferrari started his new team, AF Corse. The name "AF" comes from his initials, and "Corse" means "Racing" in Italian.
Early Years with Maserati
AF Corse soon started working in sports car racing. Within a year, they teamed up with Maserati. AF Corse helped Maserati develop and maintain their Trofeo Cup cars. These were special cars used in a "one-make series," where all cars were the same model, the Maserati Coupé. AF Corse continued this work until 2005.
In 2004, Maserati asked AF Corse for help with their new Maserati MC12 sports car. The team helped test and improve the car. They then raced two MC12s in a home event at 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 helping with the MC12, the team went back to managing the Trofeo Cup.
Racing with Ferrari
In 2006, AF Corse returned to the FIA GT Championship. This time, they raced the new Ferrari F430 in the GT2 class. They won their first race at Silverstone and two more races that season, including the Spa 24 Hours. AF Corse won the GT2 class championship. They also raced Maserati cars in the new FIA GT3 European Championship.
AF Corse continued to dominate in 2007. They kept their Ferrari F430s but had new drivers like Dirk Müller, Toni Vilander, Gianmaria Bruni, and Stephane Ortelli. With sponsorship from Motorola, their two cars won nine out of ten races and secured another championship.
For 2008, AF Corse grew to a three-car team in the GT2 class. They kept Vilander and Bruni in one car. Another car had Biagi and Christian Montanari. The third car raced under the Advanced Engineering name with Matías Russo and Luís Pérez Companc.
New Championships and More Wins
In 2010, the FIA GT Championship changed. AF Corse then joined the Le Mans Series. They raced three Ferrari F430 GT2s. Famous drivers like Jean Alesi and Giancarlo Fisichella joined the team.
In 2011, AF Corse started using new Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 cars in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. They also raced Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 cars in the FIA GT3 European Championship. AF Corse won the GTE-Pro category in the ILMC and the FIA GT3 driver's championship.
The team also joined the International GT Open in 2010. They raced two Ferrari GT2 cars and a third for the AT Racing team.
In 2012, AF Corse competed in many sports car championships worldwide. They raced Ferrari F458 Italia GT2s and GT3s. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the AF Corse #51 car, driven by Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella, and Toni Vilander, won the GTE Pro race. They beat strong teams like Corvette, Porsche, and Aston Martin.
.jpg)
Hypercar Era and Le Mans Victories
In 2023, AF Corse teamed up with Scuderia Ferrari to race Ferrari's new 499P hypercar in the FIA World Endurance Championship. This partnership was very successful. They won the Le Mans race in 2023, which was a special 100-year anniversary edition. It was Ferrari's first top-class Le Mans win in 50 years!
For the 2024 Le Mans race, the team added a yellow private car, the #83. Drivers Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, and Yifei Ye drove this car. They led much of the race but had to stop early due to an engine problem.
In the 2025 Le Mans 24h, the yellow #83 car won the race! The other Ferrari cars, #51 and #50, finished behind a Porsche car.
.jpg)
The partnership with Ferrari's Hypercar team has been a huge success, especially at Le Mans. Each of their three cars (#51, #50, #83) has won the famous race from 2023 to 2025. This means all nine of their main drivers have won the race: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen in car #50; Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi in car #51; and Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Phil Hanson in car #83.
Race Results
24 Hours of Le Mans
| Year | Entrant | No. | Car | Drivers | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | AF Corse Aucott Racing |
78 | Ferrari F430 GT2 | Ben Aucott Joe Macari Adrian Newey |
LMGT2 | 308 | 22nd | 4th |
| 2008 | AF Corse |
78 | Ferrari F430 GT2 | Thomas Biagi Christian Montanari Toni Vilander |
LMGT2 | 111 | DNF | DNF |
| 2009 | AF Corse |
78 | Ferrari F430 GT2 | Gianmaria Bruni Luis Pérez Companc Matías Russo |
LMGT2 | 317 | 26th | 6th |
| 2010 | AF Corse SRL |
95 | Ferrari F430 GT2 | Jean Alesi Giancarlo Fisichella<br Toni Vilander |
LMGT2 | 323 | 16th | 4th |
| 96 | Luis Pérez Companc Matías Russo Mika Salo |
0 | WD | WD | ||||
| 2011 | PeCom Racing |
49 | Lola B11/40-Judd |  Pierre Kaffer Luis Pérez Companc Matías Russo |
LMP2 | 139 | DNF | DNF |
| AF Corse |
71 | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 |  Rui Águas Robert Kauffman Michael Waltrip |
LMGTE Pro | 178 | DNF | DNF | |
| AF Corse SRL |
51 | Gianmaria Bruni Giancarlo Fisichella Toni Vilander |
314 | 13th | 2nd | |||
| 61 | Ferrari F430 GT2 |  Seán Paul Breslin Marco Cioci Piergiuseppe Perazzini |
LMGTE Am | 188 | DNF | DNF | ||
| 2012 | PeCom Racing |
49 | Oreca 03-Nissan | Soheil Ayari Pierre Kaffer Luis Pérez Companc |
LMP2 | 352 | 9th | 3rd |
| AF Corse |
51 | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Gianmaria Bruni Giancarlo Fisichella Toni Vilander |
LMGTE Pro | 336 | 17th | 1st | |
| 71 |  Olivier Beretta Andrea Bertolini Marco Cioci |
326 | 22nd | 4th | ||||
| 81 | Niki Cadei Matt Griffin Piergiuseppe Perazzini |
LMGTE Am | 70 | DNF | DNF | |||
| AF Corse-Waltrip |
61 | Rui Águas Robert Kauffman Brian Vickers |
294 | 31st | 6th | |||
| 2013 | PeCom Racing |
49 | Oreca 03-Nissan | Pierre Kaffer Nicolas Minassian Luis Pérez Companc |
LMP2 | 325 | 10th | 4th |
| AF Corse |
51 | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Gianmaria Bruni Giancarlo Fisichella Matteo Malucelli |
LMGTE Pro | 311 | 21st | 6th | |
| 71 | Olivier Beretta Kamui Kobayashi Toni Vilander |
312 | 20th | 5th | ||||
| 54 | Jean-Marc Bachelier Howard Blank Yannick Mallégol |
LMGTE Am | 147 | DNF | DNF | |||
| 55 | Lorenzo Casè Darryl O'Young Piergiuseppe Perazzini |
305 | 26th | 2nd | ||||
| 61 | Marco Cioci Jack Gerber Matt Griffin |
305 | 27th | 3rd | ||||
| 8 Star Motorsports |
81 | Rui Águas Jason Bright Enzo Potolicchio |
294 | 37th | 10th | |||
| 2014 |  SMP Racing |
27 | Oreca 03R-Nissan | Anton Ladygin Mika Salo Sergey Zlobin |
LMP2 | 303 | 37th | 12th |
| 37 | Kirill Ladygin Maurizio Mediani Nicolas Minassian |
9 | DNF | DNF | ||||
| 72 | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Aleksey Basov Andrea Bertolini Viktor Shaytar |
LMGTE Am | 196 | DNF | DNF | ||
| AF Corse |
51 | Gianmaria Bruni Giancarlo Fisichella Toni Vilander |
LMGTE Pro | 339 | 15th | 1st | ||
| 71 | Olivier Beretta Pierre Kaffer Davide Rigon |
28 | DNF | DNF | ||||
| 60 | Lorenzo Casè Raffaele Giammaria Peter Mann |
LMGTE Am | 115 | DNF | DNF | |||
| 61 | Marco Cioci Luis Pérez Companc Mirko Venturi |
331 | 22nd | 3rd | ||||
| 62 | Jean-Marc Bachelier Howard Blank Yannick Mallégol |
295 | 38th | 14th | ||||
| 81 | Sam Bird Michele Rugolo Stephen Wyatt |
22 | DNF | DNF | ||||
| 8 Star Motorsports |
90 | Frankie Montecalvo Gianluca Roda Paolo Ruberti |
330 | 23rd | 4th | |||
| 2015 | AF Corse |
51 | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Gianmaria Bruni Giancarlo Fisichella Toni Vilander |
LMGTE Pro | 330 | 25th | 3rd |
| 71 | Olivier Beretta James Calado Davide Rigon |
332 | 21st | 2nd | ||||
| 55 | Duncan Cameron Matt Griffin Alex Mortimer |
LMGTE Am | 241 | DNF | DNF | |||
| 61 | Matteo Cressoni Raffaele Giammaria Peter Mann |
326 | 31st | 5th | ||||
| 83 | Rui Águas Emmanuel Collard François Perrodo |
330 | 26th | 4th | ||||
| SMP Racing |
72 | Aleksey Basov Andrea Bertolini Viktor Shaytar |
332 | 20th | 1st | |||
| 2016 | AF Corse |
51 | Ferrari 488 GTE | Gianmaria Bruni James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi |
LMGTE Pro | 179 | DNF | DNF |
| 71 | Andrea Bertolini Sam Bird Davide Rigon |
143 | DNF | DNF | ||||
| 55 | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Duncan Cameron Matt Griffin Aaron Scott |
LMGTE Am | 289 | 43rd | 11th | ||
| 83 | Rui Águas Emmanuel Collard François Perrodo |
331 | 27th | 2nd | ||||
| Formula Racing |
60 | Johnny Laursen Mikkel Mac Christina Nielsen |
319 | 35th | 6th | |||
 Clearwater Racing |
61 | Rob Bell Weng Sun Mok Keita Sawa |
329 | 30th | 4th | |||
| 2017 | AF Corse |
51 | Ferrari 488 GTE | James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi Michele Rugolo |
LMGTE Pro | 312 | 46th | 11th |
| 71 | Sam Bird Miguel Molina Davide Rigon |
339 | 21st | 5th | ||||
| Spirit of Race |
54 | Olivier Beretta Francesco Castellacci Thomas Flohr |
LMGTE Am | 326 | 41st | 12th | ||
| 55 | Duncan Cameron Marco Cioci Aaron Scott |
331 | 28th | 2nd | ||||
| Clearwater Racing |
60 | Hiroki Katoh Álvaro Parente Richard Wee |
327 | 40th | 11th | |||
| 61 | Matt Griffin Weng Sun Mok Keita Sawa |
330 | 31st | 5th | ||||
| DH Racing |
83 | Andrea Bertolini Niclas Jönsson Tracy Krohn |
320 | 42nd | 13th | |||
| 2018 | AF Corse |
51 | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi Daniel Serra |
LMGTE Pro | 339 | 22nd | 7th |
| 52 | Pipo Derani Antonio Giovinazzi Toni Vilander |
341 | 20th | 5th | ||||
| 71 | Sam Bird Miguel Molina Davide Rigon |
338 | 24th | 9th | ||||
| Spirit of Race |
54 | Ferrari 488 GTE | Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella Thomas Flohr |
LMGTE Am | 335 | 26th | 2nd | |
| Clearwater Racing |
61 | Matt Griffin Weng Sun Mok Keita Sawa |
332 | 35th | 8th | |||
| MR Racing |
70 | Olivier Beretta Eddie Cheever III Motoaki Ishikawa |
324 | 38th | 9th | |||
| 2019 | AF Corse |
51 | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi Daniel Serra |
LMGTE Pro | 342 | 20th | 1st |
| 71 | Sam Bird Miguel Molina Davide Rigon |
140 | DNF | DNF | ||||
| Spirit of Race |
54 | Ferrari 488 GTE | Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella Thomas Flohr |
LMGTE Am | 327 | 43rd | 12th | |
| Car Guy Racing |
57 | Kei Cozzolino Takeshi Kimura Côme Ledogar |
332 | 35th | 5th | |||
| Clearwater Racing |
61 | Matteo Cressoni Matt Griffin Luis Pérez Companc |
331 | 37th | 7th | |||
| MR Racing |
70 | Olivier Beretta Eddie Cheever III Motoaki Ishikawa |
328 | 41st | 10th | |||
| 2020 | Cetilar Racing |
47 | Dallara P217-Gibson | Andrea Belicchi Roberto Lacorte Giorgio Sernagiotto |
LMP2 | 363 | 14th | 10th |
| AF Corse |
51 | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi Daniel Serra |
LMGTE Pro | 346 | 21st | 2nd | |
| 71 | Sam Bird Miguel Molina Davide Rigon |
340 | NC | NC | ||||
| 52 | Steffen Görig Christoph Ulrich Alexander West |
LMGTE Am | 80 | DNF | DNF | |||
| 54 | Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella Thomas Flohr |
330 | 39th | 13th | ||||
| 83 | Emmanuel Collard Nicklas Nielsen François Perrodo |
339 | 26th | 3rd | ||||
| Spirit of Race |
55 | Duncan Cameron Matt Griffin Aaron Scott |
78 | DNF | DNF | |||
| Luzich Racing |
61 | Côme Ledogar Oswaldo Negri Jr. Francesco Piovanetti |
335 | 32nd | 7th | |||
| Red River Sport |
62 | Bonamy Grimes Charlie Hollings Johnny Mowlem |
325 | 41st | 15th | |||
| MR Racing |
70 | Vincent Abril Kei Cozzolino Takeshi Kimura |
172 | DNF | DNF | |||
| 2021 | AF Corse |
51 | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | James Calado Côme Ledogar Alessandro Pier Guidi |
LMGTE Pro | 345 | 20th | 1st |
| 52 | Sam Bird Miguel Molina Daniel Serra |
331 | 37th | 5th | ||||
| 54 | Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella Thomas Flohr |
LMGTE Am | 329 | 39th | 11th | |||
| 83 | Nicklas Nielsen François Perrodo Alessio Rovera |
340 | 25th | 1st | ||||
| Cetilar Racing |
47 | Antonio Fuoco Roberto Lacorte Giorgio Sernagiotto |
90 | DNF | DNF | |||
| Spirit of Race |
55 | Duncan Cameron Matthew Griffin David Perel |
109 | DNF | DNF | |||
| 2022 | AF Corse |
83 | Oreca 07-Gibson | Nicklas Nielsen François Perrodo Alessio Rovera |
LMP2 (Pro-Am) | 361 | 24th | 4th |
| 51 | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi Daniel Serra |
LMGTE Pro | 350 | 29th | 2nd | ||
| 52 | Antonio Fuoco Miguel Molina Davide Rigon |
349 | 30th | 3rd | ||||
| 21 | Simon Mann Christoph Ulrich Toni Vilander |
LMGTE Am | 339 | 41st | 8th | |||
| 54 |  Nick Cassidy Francesco Castellacci Thomas Flohr |
340 | 39th | 6th | ||||
| 61 | Vincent Abril Conrad Grunewald Louis Prette |
339 | 42nd | 9th | ||||
| Spirit of Race |
55 | Duncan Cameron Matt Griffin David Perel |
339 | 43rd | 10th | |||
| 71 | Gabriel Aubry Franck Dezoteux Pierre Ragues |
127 | DNF | DNF | ||||
| Inception Racing |
59 | Marvin Klein Côme Ledogar Alexander West |
190 | DNF | DNF | |||
| 2023 | Ferrari AF Corse |
50 | Ferrari 499P | Antonio Fuoco Miguel Molina Nicklas Nielsen |
Hypercar | 337 | 5th | 5th |
| 51 | James Calado Antonio Giovinazzi Alessandro Pier Guidi |
342 | 1st | 1st | ||||
| AF Corse |
80 | Oreca 07-Gibson | Ben Barnicoat Norman Nato François Perrodo |
LMP2 (Pro-Am) | 183 | DNF | DNF | |
| 21 | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo |  Ulysse de Pauw Simon Mann Julien Piguet |
LMGTE Am | 21 | DNF | DNF | ||
| 54 | Francesco Castellacci Thomas Flohr Davide Rigon |
312 | 31st | 5th | ||||
| Richard Mille AF Corse |
83 | Luis Pérez Companc Alessio Rovera Lilou Wadoux |
33 | DNF | DNF | |||
| Walkenhorst Motorsport |
100 |  Andrew Haryanto Chandler Hull Jeff Segal |
307 | 36th | 8th | |||
| 2024 | Ferrari AF Corse |
50 | Ferrari 499P | Antonio Fuoco Miguel Molina Nicklas Nielsen |
Hypercar | 311 | 1st | 1st |
| 51 | James Calado Antonio Giovinazzi Alessandro Pier Guidi |
311 | 3rd | 3rd | ||||
| AF Corse |
83 | Robert Kubica Robert Shwartzman Yifei Ye |
248 | DNF | DNF | |||
| 183 | Oreca 07-Gibson | Ben Barnicoat François Perrodo Nicolás Varrone |
LMP2 (Pro-Am) | 297 | 18th | 1st | ||
| Vista AF Corse |
54 | Ferrari 296 GT3 | Francesco Castellacci Thomas Flohr Davide Rigon |
LMGT3 | 30 | DNF | DNF | |
| 55 | François Heriau Simon Mann Alessio Rovera |
279 | 33rd | 6th | ||||
| Spirit of Race |
155 | Conrad Laursen Johnny Laursen Jordan Taylor |
279 | 35th | 8th | |||
| 2025 | Ferrari AF Corse |
50 | Ferrari 499P | Antonio Fuoco Miguel Molina Nicklas Nielsen |
Hypercar | 387 | DSQ | DSQ |
| 51 | James Calado Antonio Giovinazzi Alessandro Pier Guidi |
387 | 3rd | 3rd | ||||
| AF Corse |
83 | Phil Hanson Robert Kubica Yifei Ye |
387 | 1st | 1st | |||
| 183 | Oreca 07-Gibson | António Félix da Costa François Perrodo Matthieu Vaxivière |
LMP2 (Pro-Am) | 364 | 26th | 4th | ||
| Vista AF Corse |
21 | Ferrari 296 GT3 | François Heriau Simon Mann Alessio Rovera |
LMGT3 | 341 | 34th | 2nd | |
| 54 | Francesco Castellacci Thomas Flohr Davide Rigon |
192 | DNF | DNF | ||||
| Richard Mille AF Corse |
150 | Riccardo Agostini Custodio Toledo Lilou Wadoux |
338 | 43rd | 11th | |||
| Ziggo Sport – Tempesta |
193 | Eddie Cheever III Chris Froggatt Jonathan Hui |
335 | 46th | 14th |
AF Corse-Waltrip
| 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 professional sports car racing team. It was a partnership between Michael Waltrip Racing and AF Corse. Michael Waltrip Racing was a NASCAR team owned by Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman.
In 2011, Michael Waltrip Racing teamed up with AF Corse. This allowed them to race sports cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Rolex Sports Car Series. AF Corse-Waltrip stopped their sports car team in 2013 to focus only on NASCAR racing.
See also
In Spanish: AF Corse para niños
