Monza Saturday Notebook

Photo: Charly Lopez/DPPI

***Antonio Fuoco bookended the chapter of the Ferrari 499P on Saturday by claiming pole for the FIA World Endurance Championship season-ending 6 Hours of Monza. Fittingly, the Italian driver also took the car’s first pole, in it’s race debut at the 1000 Miles of Sebring in 2023.

***Fuoco said: “I didn’t think about this, but it’s true. I think everyone wants to do a proper goodbye for this car because I think it’s been really nice. I think being on pole here for the last race of the season, on the last race for the 499P, I think is really special and I hope we can have a really clean race tomorrow and try to do our best.”

***While it has yet to be confirmed, Ferrari’s overhaul to the LMH-based car for 2027 is expected to also come with an altered or new model name, particularly as next year marks the Prancing Horse’s 80th anniversary. The 499P was named for the cubic centimeter displacement (499cc) for each individual cylinder.

***It marked the fourth consecutive pole for Ferrari in Italy and the 499P’s 11th overall in WEC competition. Ten of those came with the factory Ferrari AF Corse operation, which is now joins Toyota Racing, Porsche LMP Team and Audi Sport Team Joest in having earned double-figure poles.

***Seven different Hypercar crews scored poles over the course of the eight-round season, matching 2024’s record.

***Fuoco’s declared weight, which is recorded during driver sign-in on Thursday, was amended prior to qualifying per a request from its team manager, with a medical certificate provided in support of the request, according to a steward’s bulletin. Further details on this request remain unclear at this time.

***The Lexus RC F GT3, which is expected to bow out of international competition tomorrow, claimed its fourth WEC LMGT3 pole and second of the season after Hadrien David’s first career top qualifying run at Spa-Francorchamps. The Frenchman joined an ever-growing list of two-time pole winners in the class.

***Theo Pourchaire, in his final expected weekend with Peugeot in the WEC, said he was pleased by not only making Hyperpole but ending up less than three-tenths away from pole-sitter Fuoco. The Frenchman reckoned that a top-three or even pole-fighting lap could have been in the cars, if not for a few small mistakes during his fast lap.

***Pourchaire told Sportscar365: “I was very pleased with my second qualifying session in Hypercar. P5, and both cars in Hyperpole as well. It’s a strong result for the team and I really can’t wait to do the final race tomorrow to see what we can do. We need to keep fighting. I’m sure we can have a great result.”

***Both the No. 7 Toyota TR010 Hybrid of Kamui Kobayashi and Harry Tincknell’s No. 007 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Valkyrie, which both didn’t make Hyperpole, will face grid position penalties due to impeding cars in the session. Ironically, Kobayashi’s three-place grid penalty came for impeding Tincknell’s Aston, although Ticknell’s one-position penalty involved the No. 94 Peugeot of Pourchaire.

***Jonny Edgar said he was “quite surprised” to qualify second in the LMGT3 points-leading No. 33 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, marking the car’s second Hyperpole appearance this season. With the No. 69 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Anthony McIntosh not advancing to Hyperpole, it’s narrowed the championship battle down to three cars, as the No. 69 was in a must-win-all scenario this weekend.

***Edgar told Sportscar365: “Going into the weekend we probably expected to struggle a bit in the dry. I was surprised how well we performed. Always in qualifying we be a but slower than in the race pace. It’s really positive. I think I’m more happy about the pace we seem to have in the car than the grid position. Starting P2 is great but as we’ve shown this year, qualifying isn’t that important.”

***McIntosh, meanwhile, had most of his laps deleted due to track limits violations, which dashed hopes of a class pole or championship title. “Even though just now in my quali, all my laps got taken away, I haven’t had any penalties for track limits all year and I cashed them all in one qualifying!” he told Sportscar365. “But it’s racing and you learn from that and you keep going.”

***Eduardo Barrichello was also dinged for track limits, which would have put the Brazilian’s No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo on class pole had his best time not been deleted. Barrichello’s entry will roll off from fourth on the grid tomorrow.

***he said: “I’m just an idiot. The car was great, the lap was great as well. I misjudged it by a couple of centimeters and the lap got invalidated. But the rules are the rules and it was my mistake. I’m super sorry for the team and I’ll work hard and analyze it so it doesn’t happen again.”

***Peugeot team principal Emmanuel Esnault explained the decision for Alex Quinn, who made his WEC debut last time out at Barcelona, to continue aboard the No. 93 Peugeot rather than letting fellow 2027 recruit Robert Shwartzman have a try out. “We think the step to make for Alex is proportionally maybe a bit higher coming from LMP2 because for him it’s the first experience of working with a wider organization compared to LMP2 teams,” he said.

***Alpine sporting director Nico Lapierre has ruled out having the A424 run in customer’s hands in the future, effectively marking the end of the car, at least under Alpine badging. Signatech team boss Philippe Sinault said he’s still holding out hope for a last-minute deal to come together for next year, confirming he’s currently in discussions with one manufacturer but is unclear if a program can be signed-off by the Nov. 23 entry deadline.

***Toyota Racing technical director David Floury wouldn’t confirm if the Japanese manufacturer will be pursuing additional Evo jokers for its TR010 Hybrid next year, although alluded that it is at least examining the possibility. Sportscar365 believes that Toyota has at least three jokers still to use by the end of 2027.

***Floury told reporters: “The joker homologation process is a full process and it is not because you have a number of jokers over a period of time that you can use all of them. Any joker needs to be accepted by by the FIA and ACO. At this stage, I will not comment on jokers for next year or not because it’s still part of the process.”

***However, Floury did confirm they have signed a replacement for the retiring Mike Conway, which is widely understood to be Kevin Estre, who is expected to undertake a unique dual full-season WEC/IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program between two different manufacturers.

***Heart of Racing Team principal Ian James told Sportscar365 that he doesn’t expect any changes in its driver lineups across the WEC and WeatherTech Championship but admitted the fact there will not be any date clashes with WEC and IMSA GTP rounds could open the door for one of its drivers to tackle both series full-time.

***So far, Cadillac, as well as BMW, are set to continue with utilizing drivers full-time in both championships. “It’s always on the radar,” said James. “Track time in these cars is really important. The more mileage they get. All these options are up in the air right now.”

***James said he “will probably” be back in WEC next year as a driver in one of its LMGT3 class Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evos, and is “not quite” ready to hang up the helmet just yet. The FIA Bronze-rated driver had contemplated at retirement on a few occasions in recent years but was encouraged by the team to keep going due to his level of pace.

***Heart of Racing is one of several teams that will be heading straight to Paul Ricard on Monday in preparation for the start of the Asian Le Mans Series next weekend, kicking off with a pair of four-hour races in Le Castellet. “I think it’s going to be quite a challenge,” said James. “I don’t think anybody’s going to run away with it by any means. It should be fun and I’m sure we’re going to get some inclement weather so maybe this is a good dress rehearsal.”

***Parker Thompson, who will be in a Team WRT BMW with McIntosh and Max Hesse, added: “Am I excited for it? One-hundred percent. Do I wish it started later in the year? One-hundred percent. For the guys that have done 20-plus race weekends this year, mechanics and drivers included, it’d be nicer if it started a little later.”

***Thompson admitted they’re going to miss the typical warm weather climate that the series has previously provided. All three rounds were relocated to Europe this season due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. “Tony and I said this morning that we miss Dubai, and some good weather,” he said.

***Unlike its series of different liveries for each WEC round this year, McIntosh’s entry will maintain a single design for the entire 2026-27 Asian campaign.

***McIntosh is plotting a return to WEC, a program in the European Le Mans Series and more Intercontinental GT Challenge races, including a run at the Nürburgring 24. However, Silver-rated driver Thompson admitted his programs have yet to be finalized, with options to remain with McIntosh as well as opportunities in the U.S., most of which face date clashes to do full season campaigns.

***He said: “I’ve never had so many options and so many possibilities, but at the same time, not have anything done in November. It’s a good problem to have. It’s not like I think I might not be driving next year, it’s just there’s a lot to figure out. Unfortunately decisions take time.”

***James, meanwhile, has ruled out Heart of Racing adding an ELMS program next year, despite rumors that they could be eying up another program for its core WEC LMGT3 operation.

***The opening Legends of Le Mans race on Saturday was abandoned after 26 minutes following a massive accident between the No. 15 Oak-Pescarolo of Christophe D’Anesmbourg and Marcel Aebi’s Lola B06/10. Both drivers appeared to climb from their cars under their own power. Kirton Lendoudis, in his 2008 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, was declared the winner.

***Race 2 honors, meanwhile, went to the No. 008 Lola-Aston Martin of Christian Albrecht. The mixed field of former LMP1, LMP2 cars, including a Porsche RS Spyder for Francois Perrodo and a Ligier JS P2 for Ligier Automotive President Jacques Nicolet, were joined by several GT cars, including  a Proton Competition-run 2017 Porsche 911 RSR with Horst Felbermayr at the wheel.

***Former overall Le Mans podium finisher David Cheng was set to race a Greaves Motorsport Gibson 015 S but suffered gearbox failure and wasn’t able to find a replacement in time.

***Charles Milesi’s father, Patrice, was due to drive a 2011 Schumacher/IMSA-entered Porsche 911 RSR but the engine expired when the Alpine Hypercar driver was at the wheel in Free Practice 1, ending their run. Patrice took part in the 2013 ELMS season, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year in an IMSA Performance Matmut-entered Porsche.

***Charles said: “The engine decided to die after four laps with me in the car, so that’s not an ideal situation. I think he was looking forward to drive for sure. But in a way he’s a bit relaxed because of the conditions – he hasn’t been driving for 13 or 14 years and in these conditions it was not easy for him. He’s a bit relieved he’s not driving but having the engine die is not ideal also.”

***The 6 Hours of Monza gets underway on Sunday at 11 a.m. CET (5 a.m. ET) with live coverage on FIAWEC+ globally, with coverage available in the U.S. on HBO Max, TNT Sports 3 and Eurosport in Europe and Stan Sport in Australia, featuring the global commentary team of Martin Haven, Anthony Davidson and Graham Goodwin in the booth and Bruce Jouanny and Shea Adam in pit lane.

***Radio Le Mans will have free coverage on RS1 featuring Jonny Palmer and Bruce Jones on the mic.

Stephen Lickorish contributed to this report

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John