One weekend, three crowns — and a reminder that endurance racing still rewards patience, precision and collective belief. AF Corse’s No. 21 Ferrari 296 GT3 delivered a masterclass at Petit Le Mans, its trio of drivers — Simon Mann, Lilou Wadoux and Alessandro Pier Guidi — converting pace into points to clinch the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup drivers’ title, while AF Corse secured the teams’ crown and Ferrari took the manufacturers’ prize.
What makes the result more than a stats line is the narrative threaded through the season: fragmented fortunes, mechanical gremlins and small margins that separate contenders from champions. The No. 21 crew turned that volatility to their advantage, dominating large portions of the ten-hour classic and collecting the crucial endurance markers that decide the Cup — not just a single race win but sustained excellence across the long distances.
Lilou Wadoux’s role in the triumph adds an important cultural beat to the story. Beyond the headline of victory, her performance — and the fact she became only the third woman to stand atop the Petit Le Mans class podium — is a timely reminder that top-level endurance racing is opening up one of motorsport’s most traditional stages. She’s careful not to be framed solely by gender, insisting—rightly—that she is “a driver like any other.” That insistence, backed by results, does more to shift perceptions than any press release.
For Ferrari and AF Corse, the haul underlines the 296 GT3’s competitiveness in GTD and the team’s ability to marry engineering depth with racecraft. For the series, it’s a salutary lesson: championships are often decided by the quiet accumulation of moments — error-free stints, smart strategy and resilient teamwork — not just headline speed. As the dust settles at Road Atlanta, this triple triumph reads as both a sporting achievement and a cultural marker: endurance still rewards teams who think long, move smart, and race together.
