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 Method 1.
Endurance racing has grown in recognition in recent times, fuelled by the introduction of recent LMDh and LMH laws which have attracted a few of the world’s largest manufacturers to the WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Whereas F1 stays the final word objective for many aspiring drivers, restricted seats and hovering prices have compelled many to look elsewhere, with endurance racing more and more seen as probably the most credible options.
In mild of Italian Leonardo Fornaroli being left with out a racing programme after profitable the 2025 Method 2 title, Pier Guidi inspired younger drivers to noticeably think about endurance racing, citing the championship’s progress and competitiveness.
“After 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 likelihood within the single-seater for a lot of causes. Really, the cash was the most important one.
“However I believe now the championship is rising up a lot. Because of Ferrari for coming again within the general class, and the championship grew [with it].
“In the mean time, after Method 1, it [WEC] is the most important championship when it comes to automobile racing. I’ve the sensation that we’re closing the hole with F1, whereas a few years in the past, we had been a bit extra far.
“I believe it [endurance racing] is actually enticing for a lot of younger guys. For positive, I’d recommend to return right here in the event that they haven’t any likelihood to go there [F1].
“In fact, if you find yourself younger, you attempt to go in F1. However I believe this championship, [with] the extent of the competitors, the extent of the automobile, the know-how concerned, the manufacturing concerned, it’s not far now.”
#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi
Photograph by: AG Photograph – 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 Sequence (now GT World Problem Europe).
After signing a manufacturing unit cope with Ferrari in 2017, he grew to become probably the most 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 may be equally rewarding for drivers as single-seater racing – if no more.
“Typically it is even higher [than single-seater racing] as a result of we are able to push extra,” he mentioned. “Typically you assume that endurance is simply managing, nevertheless it’s not true. Okay, the Bahrain [track] is a peculiar factor the place the degradation could be very excessive, so you could handle like they do more often than not.
“However for those who assume even about Le Mans, the place the degradation could be very low, and the tyres are actually constant in that monitor, we push flat out from the primary lap to the top.
“As a driver, you take pleasure in if you push greater than if you handle.”
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