There were times when Fuoco’s pace aboard Ferrari’s 499P Le Mans Hypercar was nothing short of astounding in the WEC.
The prototype rookie’s lap to grab pole position first time out at Sebring took everyone by surprise, the eight-tenths margin by which he beat team-mate Alessandro Pier Guidi to top spot in Hyperpole qualifying at the Le Mans 24 Hours equally so.
But it was in the races – and Le Mans in particular – where the 27-year-old really stood out in 2023. He was blindingly quick at the 24 Hours, though admittedly his #50 entry was on the comeback trail after its mid-race delay. But it was far from a one-off.
“Antonio’s value has always been there: it was somehow clear in 2022, his first season in a GTE car. In the second half of the season, he was quicker than James [Calado] and Alessandro [Pier Guidi], who for us were the top drivers in GTE and still are our reference. We didn’t have any doubts about him, though that’s not to play down what he did this season.
Source: Autosport