Rovera “Not Upset” at Omission from Ferrari Hypercar Squad

Alessio Rovera says that he was “not upset” to learn that he had missed out on a place in Ferrari’s Hypercar driver lineup for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season.

The 27-year-old Italian was not selected for a race seat with the AF Corse factory squad despite being involved in the Ferrari 499P’s testing and development program, even at the end of last year when he took part in an endurance test attempt at Aragon.

Rovera has also been part of Ferrari’s GT racing activities, and drove an AF Corse Oreca 07 Gibson in the LMP2 categories of the WEC and the European Le Mans Series last year.

James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi will share the No. 51 Ferrari while the No. 50 will be driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen.

“Obviously it would be nice to be part of the six drivers,” Rovera told Sportscar365.

“I would lie if I didn’t say this. But, I have to say, it’s not a big deal for me. I’m a Ferrari driver and do what the factory says to do. I’m passionate in what I do, so for me it’s the same.

“We had a positive chat, in my opinion. It was also for this reason that I’m not upset.”

Rovera, who signed a Ferrari factory contract at the end of 2021, feels the driver-manufacturer relationship remains strong despite him missing out on a Hypercar seat.

“They trust me, and I trust them,” he said. “This is the most important thing. When you are in an environment as strong as Ferrari, if there is no trust it’s really difficult to survive.

“I felt the trust and the passion of the guys, which is really important for me.

“They thought about [the Hypercar lineup] a lot. They have two really strong lineups: one more experienced and one more young. It will be interesting to see [which car] will score the best.”

This year Rovera has been assigned to a WEC GTE-Am drive with Richard Mille AF Corse, returning him to the class in which he won the 2021 title with Nielsen and Francois Perrodo.

He will also campaign a factory-supported AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, teaming up with Nielsen and Formula 1 test driver Robert Shwartzman.

“It will be a busy year, in a lot of strong championships at a high level,” Rovera noted. “I will try to give the maximum and to have more experience race-by-race.

“For the Hypercar, I will be involved in the test days as [was the case] last year. My job is to be focused on what I have to do and be as fast as possible.

“I enjoy driving the GTE a lot. It’s a fantastic car with confidential tires. And for me, it’s nice to carry the No. 83 of Francois. He already told me to look after it!”

When asked about his hopes of reaching the Hypercar lineup in the future, Rovera replied: “We’ll see. I hope so.

“For sure it is a long-term project that will be for several years, so I hope to have a chance.”

Rovera, Rigon Set for Reserve Driver Roles

Sportscar365 understands that Rovera and Davide Rigon, who was one of the first to drive the 499P, are set to jointly undertake reserve duties for Ferrari in Hypercar this year.

Neither was involved in two recent tests at Sebring International Raceway, where part of the focus was on getting the two full-time crews working together. However, Ferrari’s sports car racing director has iterated their continued importance to the program.

“Alessio and Davide played a vital role in developing the 499P, and their contribution will also be invaluable over the coming months,” said Antonello Coletta.

“In 2023, Alessio and Davide will also play an essential role in GT racing and compete in major international races with the new 296 GT3.

“This car is extremely important to us on both a sporting and commercial level.”

Outlining the reasons for selecting the full-time Hypercar lineup, Coletta said: “In choosing them, we considered all that the drivers could deliver in terms of speed, development, and consistency.

“Therefore, the decision was not only related to the races we’ll contest in the world championship.

“As for the two crews, we believe the choice is the best possible combination to ensure each car has the right mix between specific endurance experience and performance.

“We settled on the driver lineups at the beginning of January, weighing every key aspect.

“Among these aspects, the data gathered during the tests certainly played an important role.”