AF Corse and Cetilar Racing to field the Ferrari 499P in the Asian Le Mans Series

Major update for the Asian Le Mans Series. In the 2026/27 season, the Asian offshoot of the FIA WEC will feature Hypercars for the very first time. This is because AF Corse and Cetilar Racing will each field a Ferrari 499P – although Cetilar Racing is not actually an independent team, as technical support is also provided by AF Corse.

The drivers have also been confirmed: Cetilar Racing’s 499P will be driven by Roberto Lacorte, Nicola Lacorte and Ferrari works driver Antonio Fuoco. “The new challenge we are undertaking together with Ferrari in a top-tier category such as the Hypercar class and in a rapidly growing championship such as the Asian Le Mans Series marks a milestone in the history of Cetilar Racing,” said Roberto Lacorte. “Thanks to the ever-indispensable support of AF Corse, we will be lining up at the start with a magnificent, winning prototype such as the Ferrari 499P. We are thrilled to be the first private team to experience this moment – driven by the passion that has always set us apart.”

Luís Pérez Companc will be at the wheel of the AF Corse 499P alongside works drivers Nicklas Nielsen and Yifei Ye. “I’m really looking forward to competing in the Asian Le Mans Series alongside Luís and Yifei. Luís and I have already gained a lot of experience in the LMP2 class, so I’m looking forward to racing with him again in such a fiercely contested championship,” explains Nielsen. “It’s always a pleasure to drive the 499P, and I’m keen to prove myself in this new environment.”

The Asian Le Mans Series has been well established for many years and, just like the European Le Mans Series, for example, forms part of the world of the Le Mans organiser, the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest). In recent years, the Asian Le Mans Series has mainly been held in Abu Dhabi and Dubai – but for reasons that are well known, it is currently quite difficult to organise races in that region. Consequently, the 2026/27 season will be held in southern Europe.

Three race weekends in southern Europe

The season opener is scheduled to take place from 14 to 15 November 2026 at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet (southern France). This will be followed by a round in Spain at the Circuito de Jerez Ángel Nieto from 16 to 17 January 2027. The finale is scheduled for 20–21 February 2027 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão (Portugal). Naturally, none of these three circuits are located in Asia, which could potentially cause confusion given the racing series’ name, the ‘Asian Le Mans Series’. Consequently, the ‘Winter Le Mans Series’ banner has also been introduced for the 2026/27 season.

However, the move to southern Europe also has a major drawback. The Hypercar class may not turn out to be particularly large. Some interested customer drivers had been toying with the idea of competing in the Hypercars on attractive Asian circuits. However, they did not find the prospect of racing in potentially adverse conditions (with cold tyres at the start of a stint) in southern Europe particularly appealing. Consequently, some previously planned Hypercar programmes have been postponed – and so it may well be that the field of competitors for the two Ferraris now announced will be very limited in number.