Fuoco on pole at Monza with the Ferrari 499P in the car’s final outing

In the cold at Monza, with slicks fitted for the first time in the weekend, Antonio Fuoco found the lap that put the Ferrari 499P back ahead of everyone. Pole came at the Autodromo Nazionale, in front of the Ferrari fans, and it carries more weight than a normal fastest time: it is the car’s final qualifying session in its current configuration, on the eve of the 6 Hours that closes the 2026 FIA WEC season.

The session offered no easy answers. The practice sessions had been wet and, when the time came to switch to the dry, there were still many unknowns to solve. Fuoco built the benchmark lap by lap, in difficult conditions and with low temperatures that also required caution on the damp kerbs, especially at the Ascari. The result is worth the driver’s fifth overall pole in the FIA WEC, the first in 18 months, and the 11th pole for the 499P in the series, the fourth in a row in Italy.

Fuoco described the weight of that moment with words that explain well the circle coming to a close: «Honestly I had not thought about the fact that I achieved the first and last pole of this car, which is certainly a great source of pride and a closing of the circle», he explained to Motorsport.com. For him, the reminder of Sebring 2023 remains part of the 499P’s story: the car’s first pole had come there, and Monza adds the final signature to the same machine.

Looking ahead to the race

Tomorrow the #50 of Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina will start from pole and will have the task of turning Saturday’s advantage into a full result. The Ferrari driver asked for calm and clear thinking, recalling that «the race will be long», as he said to Motorsport.com. The aim, at Maranello, is to keep concentration high and read the strategy well over a distance that does not forgive distractions.

For the 499P it is also a farewell to the form that has accompanied Ferrari so far, before the switch to the Evo version already in development at Maranello. Monza, at this moment, is more than a home track: it is the point where a cycle closes with Fuoco topping the timesheets and the Ferrari in front of its people, with one last qualifying lap to keep in memory.