Ferrari returned to the top step of the podium in the FIA World Endurance Championship after a dramatic 6 Hours of COTA, where Toyota’s hopes of victory disappeared in the closing stages.
The Ferrari 499P No. 50 from AF Corse, driven by Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco, took victory after Toyota’s No. 7 GR010 Hybrid suffered a hydraulic system failure with just 12 minutes remaining.
Toyota had appeared on course for a well-deserved victory. Nyck de Vries, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi had produced a strong performance throughout the race, with De Vries building a comfortable advantage over the Ferrari in the final stages.
However, the Toyota’s late technical problem dramatically changed the outcome.
Ferrari Takes Advantage
The Ferrari No. 50 crossed the finish line 4.471 seconds ahead of the No. 38 Cadillac V-Series.R from Hertz Team JOTA.
The result gave Nielsen, Molina and Fuoco an important first victory of the season and represented a major boost for Ferrari’s championship ambitions.
The race had initially been led by Ferrari’s No. 51, driven by Antonio Giovinazzi. Rain before the start had resulted in two additional formation laps, but Giovinazzi was still able to maintain the lead at the beginning of the race.
The battle quickly became a strategic contest, however, with pit-stop timing and fuel consumption playing a major role.
Ferrari’s No. 50 and Toyota’s No. 8 were among the cars to benefit from shorter refuelling stops, allowing them to move up the order.
The No. 51 Ferrari subsequently lost ground after James Calado encountered difficulties restarting the car following his driver change, costing the team around 30 seconds.
De Vries Controls the Race
Nyck de Vries was one of the stars of the race.
After a Virtual Safety Car period reshuffled the field, the Toyota driver began an impressive charge through the order. He overtook Tom Gamble and António Félix da Costa before moving ahead of Earl Bamber’s Cadillac to take the lead.
From that point, the Toyota No. 7 looked extremely strong.
De Vries managed to establish a significant gap over the Ferrari and appeared to have the race under control during the final stint.
A further neutralisation once again brought the field closer together, but Toyota still looked like the favourite for victory with approximately 45 minutes remaining.
Toyota’s Late Disaster
The decisive moment came with just 12 minutes left on the clock.
Toyota’s No. 7 suddenly developed a hydraulic problem, forcing De Vries to retire from the race.
The Toyota had been leading the Ferrari by approximately six seconds when the failure occurred.
Nielsen suddenly inherited the lead and was able to bring the Ferrari 499P safely to the chequered flag.
It was a dramatic reversal of fortune for Toyota, which had looked certain to secure its first WEC victory at COTA.
Cadillac Finishes Second
The No. 38 Cadillac V-Series.R of Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Sébastien Bourdais finished second, just 4.471 seconds behind the winning Ferrari.
The result marked another strong performance for Cadillac, although the American manufacturer was once again left wondering what might have been after coming close to victory.
The Alpine No. 35 completed the podium with Charles Milesi, António Félix da Costa and Ferdinand Habsburg.
Alpine had briefly looked capable of challenging for second place, but traffic and a subsequent five-second penalty for an unsafe release prevented the French manufacturer from fighting for the runner-up position.
Nevertheless, third place represented an important milestone for Alpine.
Toyota Left to Count the Cost
Toyota’s No. 8 GR010 Hybrid eventually finished sixth, while the No. 7’s retirement represented one of the biggest disappointments of the race.
For De Vries, Conway and Kobayashi, victory had been within reach until the hydraulic failure brought their race to an abrupt end.
The result also highlights the unforgiving nature of endurance racing. After several hours of competition, a single technical problem in the closing minutes was enough to completely change the outcome.
Ferrari Back on Top
Ferrari’s victory at COTA represents a major boost for the Maranello manufacturer and its Hypercar programme.
The No. 50 crew of Nielsen, Molina and Fuoco finally secured the win they had been chasing, while Ferrari also demonstrated that its 499P remains a serious contender in the WEC.
For Toyota, meanwhile, the focus will now turn to understanding the cause of the late hydraulic failure and recovering from one of the most painful defeats of the season.
At COTA, Ferrari took the victory that Toyota appeared destined to claim — proving once again that in endurance racing, the chequered flag is never guaranteed until the final lap.