Whilst a Formula One season of undeniable disappointment for Ferrari draws to a chastening close, fans of the Italian marque’s motorsport conquests should perhaps cast their eye beyond the Brazilian Grand Prix paddock for their winning fix this weekend.
Because some 7,000 miles east of Sao Paulo in Bahrain, Ferrari’s hypercar outfit is on the verge of claiming a maiden triumph in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). With just one round remaining and a 13-point lead, the three-pronged team can claim a first hypercar drivers’ title victory. Better still, as Lewis Hamilton toils in search of a first podium in scarlet red, it is in fact a British driver heading up their quest for endurance glory.
A winner of the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans event with Ferrari two years ago, James Calado has taken to life adorning the famous prancing horse logo with aplomb. Alongside former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi and Italian racer Alessandro Pier Guidi, the team have led the standings since their win on home soil at Imola in April. This Saturday’s eighth and final round – the 8 Hours of Bahrain – is the final step on their road to glory.
“We’ve got an outstanding chance to become world champions,” 36-year-old Calado tells The Independent. “We’ve got a great driver line-up, a great crew of engineers and the car is much stronger than when we won Le Mans two years ago.
“It’s all about becoming a world champion. Le Mans is just one race, and obviously it’s huge, but to do it throughout all eight races feels more important.”
Alongside that 2023 Le Mans victory amid joyous scenes in north-western France, an experience he describes as “insane”, a championship victory this Saturday would represent the pinnacle for Calado in a decade of endurance racing. Born and raised in the Worcestershire village of Cropthorne, immense potential in his younger years saw him partner Valtteri Bottas at GP3 (now F3) level in 2011.
Two years later, he seemed on the cusp of a drive in Formula 1 when he became Force India’s third driver. The Briton impressed in five practice sessions to conclude the year, alongside finishing third in the GP2 championship. But, like so many before him, finances (or rather, a lack of) proved his undoing.
“It’s difficult to make that step to Formula One, it’s quite political as we all know,” he reflects. In the end, Force India picked Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez – who both had substantial financial backing – for their 2014 race seats.
“The seat was mine at one point. But I needed to bring a certain amount of funding. I was with a charity called Racing Steps Foundation, which supported young British drivers through the ranks, and they were amazing for me to get to GP2.
“But unfortunately, they weren’t prepared to do that final step and I can see why – it was many millions of pounds. But I’ve got no regrets.”
Like the majority who miss out on F1 – and before Formula E’s inception late in 2014 – Calado switched his attention to sportscars. He won WEC twice with AF Corse at the lower-rung GT3 level, before making the move up to the top-tier hypercar category in 2023. Ferrari combined with AF Corse as partners, returning to the premier class of endurance racing for the first time in 50 years. Three races down, it was time for Le Mans.
“It was a crazy weekend,” Calado recalls. “All I could see in the daytime was a sea of red and the immediate aftermath was incredible. It was absolutely amazing and a dream come true to win Le Mans outright.
“We went back to Maranello [Ferrari HQ] and paraded the car through the streets. It was super special and from that point on, Ferrari got a lot of recognition in motorsport beyond what it used to be, which was just Formula One.”
It was Ferrari’s first Le Mans victory – at the centenary event, for extra gloss – since 1965. In the last two years, Calado and his team have finished third. But all aspirations have now been set on the final points tally.
“I feel like I’m at my peak now,” he says. At this weekend’s race at the Bahrain International Circuit, which will also be Jenson Button’s last professional race, his team are looking to hold off the privateer AF Corse entry, which won Le Mans this year and includes ex-F1 racer Robert Kubica. Combined, Ferrari’s two entries have a 49-point lead in the manufacturers’ championship over Porsche.
“I’m improving every time I get in the car, the speed is still there. I just love the sports car atmosphere. It’s a golden era for sports cars, with all the big manufacturers. There’s just nothing else on my mind right now.”
