During the Lone Star Le Mans round of the World Endurance Championship at Austin, Ferrari driver Antonio Giovinazzi claimed pole position for both the overall and Hypercar classes, piloting the #51 499P to a time of 1m52.445s. He shared the top spot with Jack Aitken in the #38 Cadillac-Jota.
Because Giovinazzi recorded his lap before Aitken, he will start from pole for the second time at the Circuit of the Americas, following his previous top‑lap in 2024.
“It was a good qualifying session, but not an easy one, and I had to fight to get the car working properly as the wind was blowing constantly and in different directions,” said Giovinazzi, who posted the fastest time in the first qualifying segment, 1m52.105s.
I wasn’t fully satisfied with the car during qualifying, but I managed a perfect lap afterward that secured the Hyperpole. We were fortunate to set our time before Aitken, though we know how tight qualifying can be this season.
Leaving the pits before the Cadillac was crucial; I knew I had pole, but I didn’t know by how much. They informed me as I was already in the pit lane.
This Hyperpole earned us one championship point and a strong starting spot. Our focus now is to finish the job; the real points are gathered on the track, so we must stay concentrated.
“Now, we have to finish the job,” says Antonio Giovinazzi
Photo by: Ferrari
Speaking after the session, Cadillac driver Jack Aitken laughed ruefully about missing the Hyperpole on his home race weekend. “I didn’t realise I was so close to pole! We really did miss it by a whisker, but second place is a good starting position for the race.
“In these sweltering conditions, it’s extremely difficult to manage more than one good lap on the same tyres – so much so that I didn’t think I’d come so close to pole. I’d expected to be somewhere between third and fifth, but the team did a great job after Free Practice 3 to fine‑tune the car and we’re on the front row, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Ferrari’s #50 car lagged behind in fifth place, 0.428 seconds off the pace of winner Nicklas Nielsen. The Dane had posted the fastest time in overall qualifying—1m52.020s—but struggled to replicate that speed in the Hyperpole.
“I was very pleased with the car; it felt well balanced, especially in the first qualifying session where I set the fastest time, but I didn’t get the same feel in Hyperpole,” Nielsen commented.
The race will be long and hot, but the 499P shows strong potential on this circuit, so we aim for a good result.
Team mates Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado are also targeting a solid race result. Along with Giovinazzi, they sit fourth in the championship, 17 points behind the leader, after securing a single Hyperpole point as they defend their world title.
Jack Aitken set an equal top time in his Cadillac
Photo by: FIA WEC / DPPI
“We’re third in the championship and we’re trying to close the gap in the title fight; we know we must score as many points as possible each weekend,” Pier Guidi said.
Calado stressed the need for calm and composure, noting, “We begin the second half of the season with optimism and intend to drive everyone forward to the finish line. We’re tackling the drivers’ title one race at a time, but we must think of the team as a whole.”
“In this championship, anything can happen, so we focus on performing our best behind the wheel. We earned a single Hyperpole point; now we aim to perform well in the race.”
Ferrari has now secured its 10th Hypercar pole, the second of the 2026 season (after Imola) and its third consecutive at Austin. Last year, Robert Kubica placed AF Corse’s #83 499P on pole at the same circuit.
Polish driver Robert Kubica managed only 14th in qualifying this time, grappling with a lack of grip that left him far behind the other LMH cars from Maranello.
Overall, there is an air of confidence at the Prancing Horse ahead of what is a crucial round in the championship, where it is vital to finish ahead of rivals BMW and Toyota to retain the title.
“It was quite a challenging qualifying session because so many manufacturers had the potential to fight for the Hyperpole. Tyre choice was tricky for everyone, with such extreme temperatures and the track at 55°C,” explained engineer Ferdinando Cannizzo, head of endurance cars.
“Given the tight margins, we opted for the medium tyres, which offered us better performance. Finishing both sessions – qualifying and Hyperpole – with the fastest time showed that our work on the car’s set‑up and optimisation lived up to expectations, so we’re confident ahead of the race.”
-(1).jpeg?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "Riaz Defiant: Pakistan Women’s Asia Cup Hopes Alive Despite Record 55 All Out vs India")
