Ferrari makes flying start to Hypercar era
Pole position capped a great debut for the 499P at Sebring, but the new Hypercar couldn’t live with the Toyotas in the eight-hour race
Conway, Kobayashi and López got 2023 off to a great start for Toyota at Sebring
Ferrari’s stunning pole position ensured the much-anticipated new era for the World Endurance Championship kicked off with a bang – even if a dominant Toyota 1-2 in the Sebring 1000 Miles carried a familiar ring.
Antonio Fuoco’s banzai qualifying lap around the hallowed Florida airfield circuit was the best possible start for the new 499P Hypercar, as a factory Ferrari team returned to the premier division of sports car racing for the first time since 1973. But Toyota’s pair of GR010 Hybrids predictably held the upper hand in the race as strategy, procedural and driver errors cost the AF Corse-run Ferraris. Still, the pole-winning No50 entry fended off the lone Chip Ganassi-run Cadillac V-Series.R to claim a debut podium, even if it did finish two laps down on Toyota Gazoo Racing’s accomplished duo.