AF Corse Ferrari team to return to WEC LMP2 in 2019/20 season
The AF Corse factory Ferrari team will return to the LMP2 class in next season's World Endurance Championship
The Italian squad's customer division will field an LMP2 Dallara-Gibson P217 for the 2019/20 WEC season, starting from September's championship opener at Silverstone under banner of Cetilar Racing - which announced its plans to move up from the European Le Mans Series to the WEC earlier this year.
It will be the first time that AF Corse has run a prototype in the WEC since 2014, when it entered a pair of ORECA-Nissan 03s under the SMP Racing banner and won the title with Sergey Zolbin.
The team will take its name from the Cetilar brand of Italian pharmaceuticals company Pharmanutra, which has backed the Villorba Corsa squad in the European Le Mans Series from 2015-18.
The car will be driven by sportscar stalwart Andrea Belicchi, Giorgio Sernagiotto and Pharmanutra managing director Roberto Lacorte, who are also racing with Villorba Corse in the ELMS this season.
AF Corse sporting director Batti Pregliasco told Autosport: "It is always a good experience for the team to be involved in the prototype side of the WEC and we are always ready to do any kind of motorsport.
"We have put in the entry for Cetilar Racing and we will run a Dallara chassis because our customer wants to run with an Italian manufacturer."
The Racing Team Nederland squad also appears to be set to change the organisation behind its WEC programme for next season.
Its Dallara has been run by the Dutch Dayvtec squad since an it joined the ELMS in 2017, but the team looks sure to switch to the French TDS Racing operation and an ORECA-Gibson 07 for a continued WEC campaign in 2019/20.
RTN team manager Mark Koense said: "We have every intent to continue in the WEC and will announce our plans on May 14."
French amateur drivers Francois Perrodo, who backs the TDS ORECA in this season's WEC, said that he is leaning towards ending his stay in LMP2 after two seasons.
He said that he had not made a final decision and didn't rule out a return to the GTE Am ranks in which he competed full-time in 2014-16.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
New Time Attack competition for 1990s F1 cars launched by AGS successor
WEC Imola: Ye fastest to lead Ferrari 1-2 in practice
Why Peugeot had no choice but to revamp its radical Le Mans Hypercar
BMW, Ferrari fined and docked GTD Pro, GTD Manufacturers’ points
Friday favourite: The Ferrari partners that conquered GT racing
How Ferrari scored a historic victory at Le Mans
Latvala: Neuville, Evans tied for WRC Croatia lead "something special"
WEC Imola: Ferrari remains on top in FP2 as Fuoco beats Porsche
WRC Croatia: Neuville, Evans tied for the lead after eight stages
WIN! A VIP Race Weekend Experience in Monaco
Ranking Derek Warwick’s top 10 greatest races
Why Peugeot had no choice but to revamp its radical Le Mans Hypercar
How motorsport is embracing the opportunities of AI
The experiment WEC could revisit to magnify its boom period
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments