Ferrari’s Alessandro Pier Guidi believes the World Endurance Championship has change into a real pathway for younger drivers and now stands because the second-biggest sequence after System 1.
Endurance racing has grown in reputation in recent times, fuelled by the introduction of latest LMDh and LMH laws which have attracted among the world’s largest manufacturers to the WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Whereas F1 stays the last word purpose for many aspiring drivers, restricted seats and hovering prices have compelled many to look elsewhere, with endurance racing more and more considered as one of the credible alternate options.
In mild of Italian Leonardo Fornaroli being left and not using a racing programme after successful the 2025 System 2 title, Pier Guidi inspired younger drivers to significantly think about endurance racing, citing the championship’s progress and competitiveness.
“Once I was youthful, I made a decision to start out [in] endurance racing,” mentioned the 42-year-old. “Endurance racing saved my profession. As a result of I had no probability within the single-seater for a lot of causes. Really, the cash was the largest one.
“However I feel now the championship is rising up a lot. Due to Ferrari for coming again within the general class, and the championship grew [with it].
“In the mean time, after System 1, it [WEC] is the largest championship by way of automotive racing. I’ve the sensation that we’re closing the hole with F1, whereas a few years in the past, we have been a bit extra far.
“I feel it [endurance racing] is absolutely engaging for a lot of younger guys. For positive, I might counsel to come back right here in the event that they don’t have any probability to go there [F1].
“In fact, when you’re younger, you attempt to go in F1. However I feel this championship, [with] the extent of the competitors, the extent of the automotive, the know-how concerned, the manufacturing concerned, it’s not far now.”
#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi
Picture by: AG Picture – Daniele Paglino
Pier Guidi began his profession in single-seaters within the early 2000s earlier than switching to sportscars, occurring to race within the FIA GT Championship and the Blancpain Endurance Collection (now GT World Problem Europe).
After signing a manufacturing unit take care of Ferrari in 2017, he turned one of the profitable GT drivers and has since established himself as a number one prototype racer, claiming an general victory on the Le Mans 24 Hours and a Hypercar world title.
Pier Guidi rejected the notion that endurance racing is all about administration, saying this self-discipline of motorsport might be equally rewarding for drivers as single-seater racing – if no more.
“Generally it is even higher [than single-seater racing] as a result of we will push extra,” he mentioned. “Generally you assume that endurance is simply managing, but it surely’s not true. Okay, the Bahrain [track] is a peculiar factor the place the degradation may be very excessive, so you could handle like they do more often than not.
“However in the event you assume even about Le Mans, the place the degradation may be very low, and the tyres are actually constant in that monitor, we push flat out from the primary lap to the tip.
“As a driver, you take pleasure in while you push greater than while you handle.”
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