AF Corse

AF Corse
Name	AF Corse
Founded	1995
Principal	Amato Ferrari
Base	Reggio Emilia, Italy
Series	FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IMSA

AF Corse is an Italian motorsport team founded in 1995 by Amato Ferrari. The team is best known for campaigning Ferrari sports cars in international endurance racing, competing in series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. AF Corse has partnered with manufacturers, sponsors, and drivers from across motorsport, achieving multiple championships and high-profile victories at events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Spa, and 12 Hours of Sebring.

History

AF Corse was established in the mid-1990s and rose through national GT championships to become a factory-supported outfit for Ferrari. Early engagements included Italian GT campaigns and entries in the FIA GT Championship, where AF Corse faced competitors such as BMS Scuderia Italia, Scuderia Ecosse, Maserati Team, and Prodrive. The team expanded into international endurance events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Spa, Petit Le Mans, and Bathurst 12 Hour, forging technical and commercial relationships with entities like Michelin, Pirelli, Shell, and Magneti Marelli. AF Corse later became prominent in the inaugural seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship and worked alongside manufacturer programs in the European Le Mans Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship, navigating regulatory changes from AACO, FIA, and ACO homologation processes. Over time AF Corse collaborated with teams such as Risi Competizione, Kessel Racing, Spirit of Race, and AFS Racing to field multiple cars and drivers for marquee endurance rounds.

Racing Programs

AF Corse operates multi-series programs spanning prototype-supporting endurance championships and GT-only series. The team campaigns cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship GTE/LMGTE categories, fields entries in the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series, and has run full-season efforts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Intercontinental GT Challenge. AF Corse entries compete at endurance classics like 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Spa, 6 Hours of Silverstone, and 6 Hours of Monza. The program integrates engineering disciplines from partners such as Dallara, Michelin Motorsport, Bosch Motorsport, and Magneti Marelli S.p.A. to manage aerodynamics, tire strategy, telemetry, and pitstop operations. AF Corse also participates in testing and development initiatives with Ferrari Challenge graduates and collaborates with driver development pipelines tied to organizations like FIA Young Driver Excellence and national federations including ACI Sport.

Notable Drivers and Team Personnel

Drivers who have raced for AF Corse include multiple factory and endurance specialists: Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander, James Calado, Davide Rigon, Miguel Molina, Sam Bird, Daniel Serra, Giancarlo Fisichella, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Nicklas Nielsen, Romain Dumas, Edoardo Mortara, Antonio Giovinazzi, Kimi Räikkönen, Giancarlo Caldarelli(note: lesser-known), and Michele Rugolo. Team leadership and technical staff have included principal Amato Ferrari and engineers moving between organizations such as Ferrari Corse Clienti, Ingenieurwesen GmbH, Prodrive Engineering, and consultancy from aerodynamicists tied to Dallara and Sparco engineers. AF Corse pit crews and strategists have exchanged personnel with Red Bull Racing-trained operations staff, endurance strategists from Porsche GT Team, and performance analysts associated with institutes like Politecnico di Milano.

Cars and Technical Partners

AF Corse is synonymous with Ferrari GT machinery, campaigning models such as the Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, Ferrari 488 GTE, Ferrari 488 GT3, Ferrari 499P, and customer variants used in Ferrari Challenge events. Technical partnerships include tyre and compound development with Michelin, Pirelli, and lubricant and fuel collaboration with Shell V-Power and Eni. Electronics and control systems have been supplied by Magneti Marelli and sensor suites from Bosch. Chassis work and aerodynamic consultancy have involved Dallara, while composite fabrication and wind tunnel testing used facilities affiliated with Politecnico di Torino and independent suppliers such as Multimatic and Sabelt. AF Corse has also worked with transmission and gearbox specialists linked to Xtrac and brake suppliers including Brembo.

Major Results and Championships

AF Corse’s results include class victories and championships across GT and endurance calendars. Notable achievements feature class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, overall and class titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship GTE classes, championship success in the European Le Mans Series, and victories at 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Spa. The team has contested for manufacturer honors against rivals like Aston Martin Racing, Porsche GT Team, Corvette Racing, BMW Team MTEK, and AFS Racing-aligned entries. Drivers and team championships have been earned in partnership with Ferrari Corse Clienti programs, and podiums at events such as Monza 6 Hours and Silverstone 6 Hours have underscored AF Corse’s endurance pedigree.

Sponsorship and Livery

AF Corse liveries have blended Ferrari heritage with corporate identity from partners including Shell, Santander, Martini & Rossi, Ray-Ban, Mission Winnow, Pirelli Motorsport, and Richard Mille. Sponsorship activations have tied the team to commercial entities such as Hublot, UPS, Mahle, and OMR in global series. Special liveries have been showcased at events with cultural partners like Automobile Club d'Italia promotions and charity collaborations with organizations such as UNICEF and Fondazione Telethon.

Team Operations and Facilities

AF Corse operates from a technical base in Reggio Emilia, utilizing workshop, logistics, and simulation facilities that interface with testing venues such as Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and Imola Circuit. The team coordinates transport and freight through partners experienced with FIA homologation and ACO entry requirements, and uses data centers and engineering suites comparable to those at Ferrari f1 support facilities. Operations extend to customer programs for Ferrari Corse Clienti clients, offering maintenance, trackside support, and logistics for privateer entries in series such as International GT Open and Blancpain Endurance Series.

Category:Auto racing teams in Italy