AF Corse facts for kids
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| 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 an Italian auto racing team known for its close relationship with Ferrari. It was started in 1995 by a former race car driver named Amato Ferrari. Even though he shares a last name with the famous car company, he is not related to the family of Enzo Ferrari.
The team is based in Piacenza, Italy. They compete in some of the world's biggest endurance races, like the FIA World Endurance Championship. AF Corse has won many championships, especially in the GT2 class of the FIA GT Championship. They often race cars for other teams, helping them compete at a high level.
Contents
History
Early Years and Maserati
Amato Ferrari decided to stop driving in 1995 and focus on managing a racing team. He started AF Corse, which stands for "Amato Ferrari Racing." At first, the team raced in the Italian Superturismo Championship.
In 2000, the team began working with Maserati. AF Corse helped develop and manage a special racing series for the Maserati Coupé. In 2004, Maserati asked AF Corse to help them race the new Maserati MC12 in the FIA GT Championship. The team helped test the car and won two races in their first season.
The Switch to Ferrari
In 2006, AF Corse made a big change and started racing with Ferrari. They entered the GT2 class of the FIA GT Championship with the new Ferrari F430. The team won its very first race at Silverstone and went on to win the famous Spa 24 Hours race. They won the GT2 championship that year.
The team became even more dominant in 2007. With new drivers and sponsorship from Motorola, AF Corse won nine out of the ten races that season. This victory secured another championship for the team. They continued to expand, running three cars in the 2008 season.
Endurance Racing and Le Mans
In 2010, AF Corse joined the Le Mans Series. They raced three Ferrari F430 GT2 cars with famous drivers like former Formula 1 stars Jean Alesi and Giancarlo Fisichella. The next year, they started using the brand-new Ferrari 458 Italia GT2. They won the GTE-Pro championship in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
In 2012, AF Corse competed in the first-ever FIA World Endurance Championship. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of their cars was in a major crash. But their other car, the #51 driven by Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella, and Toni Vilander, won the GTE-Pro class. This was a huge victory against tough competitors like Corvette and Porsche.
The Hypercar Era and Le Mans Glory
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In 2023, AF Corse partnered with Ferrari to run the new Ferrari 499P hypercar. This was a big deal because Ferrari had not competed in the top class at Le Mans for 50 years. In an amazing return, the #51 car won the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was the 100th anniversary of the famous race, making the victory even more special.
The team continued its success. In 2024, the #50 Ferrari 499P won Le Mans. The team also entered a third, privately-owned car, the #83, which was painted yellow. This car, driven by Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, and Yifei Ye, led for much of the 2024 race before having to retire.
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The partnership with Ferrari's Hypercar team has been a massive success. AF Corse achieved a "three-peat" at Le Mans, with a car winning in 2023, 2024, and 2025. This means all of their main factory drivers have won the legendary race.
24 Hours of Le Mans Results
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's most famous endurance race. Here is a table showing how AF Corse has performed over the years.
| 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 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 | 27th | 4th | ||
| Vista AF Corse |
21 | Ferrari 296 GT3 | François Heriau Simon Mann Alessio Rovera |
LMGT3 | 341 | 35th | 2nd | |
| 54 | Francesco Castellacci Thomas Flohr Davide Rigon |
192 | DNF | DNF | ||||
| Richard Mille AF Corse |
150 | Riccardo Agostini Custodio Toledo Lilou Wadoux |
338 | 44th | 11th |
Images for kids
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One of AF Corse's Ferrari F430 GT2 race cars.
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AF Corse's Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 at Zhuhai International Circuit.
See also
In Spanish: AF Corse para niños
