Calado Signs Multi-Year Contract Extension With Ferrari

James Calado has signed a new, multi-year contract extension with Ferrari that will see the British driver embark on his tenth year racing for the Italian manufacturer next year.

Calado, who was part of Ferrari’s triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this year, first joined the Prancing Horse’s driver roster in 2014 after transitioning away from single-seater racing.

He would go on to become one of Ferrari’s most successful drivers in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s GTE-Pro class, taking three drivers’ championship titles and two Le Mans class wins.

For the 2023 season, Calado was selected to step up and join Ferrari’s Hypercar effort, famously delivering the Italian marque’s first overall Le Mans win since 1965 alongside Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi.

“I am proud to have renewed the contract,” Calado said.

“I’ve had some incredible experiences with the Prancing Horse, and continuing on this path is extraordinary. My goal for the future is to become Hypercar world champion.

“In ten years at Maranello, I have experienced some thrilling times. I’m thinking, for example, of 2014 when I signed the official driver’s contract. I was at dinner with my family and received the phone call I was waiting for: it was a special evening for me.

“Then, there was the first victory at the Nürburgring two years later. At that time, I felt a lot of pressure on my shoulders, and I was looking forward to proving my worth by achieving my first race win. Crossing the finish line first was like a liberation.

“Obviously, another tremendous lasting memory was this year’s victory at Le Mans, my first in the overall standings. The joy I felt mounting the podium with Ale and Giovi was something I’ll never forget.

“Of course, I have special memories linked to the three LMGTE Pro class titles: unforgettable pages of ten truly intense years.”

Calado becomes the second Hypercar driver in a short span to sign a multi-year extension after Nicklas Nielsen also did so last month.

Ferrari is set to field an unchanged driver lineup in WEC next year, as previously indicated by the manufacturer’s Global Head of Endurance Antonello Coletta.

“We’re happy to be able to count on a quick and reliable driver like James, who has made a sporting name for himself within the Ferrari family,” Coletta said.

“In the last ten seasons together, we have built a track record of victory in which the overall win at Le Mans, which Calado celebrated together with his teammates in the Ferrari 499P number 51, and the three LMGTE Pro titles won with Pier Guidi stand out.

“We’ll build on this foundation, looking to the future with great optimism.”