Briton Phil Hanson will race the ‘customer’ Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar run by AF Corse in next year’s World Endurance Championship.
The 2019/20 WEC LMP2 title winner will move over from the British Jota squad with which he is contesting this year’s WEC in the Hypercar class at the wheel of a privateer Porsche 963 LMDh.
Hanson, 25, is the first driver confirmed for the yellow-livered Ferrari run on a satellite basis by AF alongside the two factory 499Ps.
The line-up for the car, winner of this year’s Austin WEC round in September, wasn’t confirmed when Ferrari announced earlier this month that its two works entries would go into a third consecutive season with an unchanged roster.
Ferrari factory driver Robert Shwartzman isn’t expected to remain in the car: he looks certain to join Callum Ilott, one of Hanson’s team-mates at Jota this year, at the Italian Prema squad’s new IndyCar operation.
Yifei Ye, who has raced the AF car in his first year on Ferrari’s books, is expected to remain part of the line-up, though there is uncertainty around Robert Kubica’s presence with AF next year.
Ferrari sportscar racing boss Antonello Coletta said on the confirmation of the six drivers in the factory cars that the squad for the #83 customer entry would be announced imminently.
He ruled out Ferrari Formula 1 development driver Arthur Leclerc taking a place in the car next year.
The brother of F1 racer Charles will be given mileage in one of the factory entries at the WEC rookie test on Sunday, the day after the season finale, but, according to Coletta, “still needs to learn about endurance racing” after being placed in the Italian GT Championship this year.
Hanson, who also raced a 963 in the five IMSA SportsCar Championship enduros with JDC-Miller MotorSports this season, has switched camps after being left without a drive at Jota following the announcement that it will be Cadillac’s factory representative in WEC next year.
Jota’s line-up for its pair of V-Series.Rs will not be announced until mid-November and is expected to be made up of a mix of the team’s current drivers and Cadillac regulars.
Cadillac stalwarts Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber and Will Stevens and Norman Nato are certainties at Jota for next year.
Bamber will dovetail his WEC programme with an IMSA assault driving for Cadillac’s Action Express Racing squad.
Hanson will get his first taste of the Ferrari 499P on Sunday in the rookie test.
He entered the Hypercar ranks after seven years in P2, six of which were with United Autosports.
Hanson’s credits with the Anglo-American team included a Le Mans 24 Hours class win in his WEC championship year and titles in the European and Asian Le Mans Series.
