Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo: a (not easy) Daytona debut!

Five cars finished, but no victory or podium. The first ever competitive outing for the new Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo took place this weekend at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the opening round of the IMSA North American Endurance Championship. "As predicted before the race, the first round of the IMSA SportsCar 2026 Championship proved to be a difficult one for the cars from Maranello," explains the press release issued by Ferrari after the Florida classic.

In the end, Maranello was able to claim a number of places of honour. In the GTD category, the Ferrari no. 21 entered by the AF Corse stable was 5th after two clock laps. In GTD Pro, the 296 GT3 Evo run by the Triarsi Competizione team finished in 8th place.

Disappointing in GTD Pro

In this tightly contested class, the Ferraris didn't seem to be able to get involved in the battle for top spot against the Chevrolet Corvettes, Ford Mustangs, Mercedes-AMG GT3s and BMW M4s. It's worth recalling that the Balance of Performance (BOP), responsible for balancing the cars, made the 296 GT3 Evo the lightest car on the grid this weekend (1,323 kg). But power was capped, with 88.9 % of cavalry available below 190 km/h and 85 % above 200 km/h.

The task was therefore not easy in the fast sections of the famous "banking" or when looking for an opening in the traffic. But this aspect is always crucial in a race that is often decided in the last two hours. "As we saw in qualifying, we're there on one lap. In the race,
it's harder," Lilou Wadoux, the brand's official driver here in the #21 GTD, told Auto Hebdo.

Bad luck intervened when two cars on the Prancing Horse collided. Two hours into the race, Daniel Serra (#62 Risi Ferrari) crossed the grass alongside the circuit, colliding with another 296 GT3 entered by the Triarsi team. "We had to leave the race due to a touch which caused an accident", explained the Brazilian on his social networks.

Also in the GTD Pro category, Ferrari no. 033 (Triarsi Competizione) made a number of strategic moves to join the battle for the lead. This was the case during the last neutralization, with 2h30 to go. James Calado stayed on track when the main pack refuelled. The reigning world champion was 2nd at the green flag. When the cars were released, the 296 GT3
was nevertheless involved in a contentious action with Nico Varrone's #4 Corvette. Judged to be at fault, Calado was given a drive-through penalty, which ended the Ferrari's chances of a podium finish.

Promising in GTD

For Ferrari, however, there were a few bright spots in a race marked by a neutralization behind the safety cars of over 6 hours, caused by thick night fog. This was particularly the case in the GTD category. Team Inception's n°70, driven by Frederik Schandorff, took the lead at
several times in the first two hours. Then the n°21, entered by AF Corse, remained in the top 5 on Sunday morning.

Lilou Wadoux also performed well. The Frenchwoman - who renewed her lease as an official Ferrari driver this winter - is among the top drivers ranked "silver" by the International Federation in the closely watched B-Pillar index. We'll have to wait for more favourable circumstances
to judge the potential of the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. Perhaps as early as the Sebring 12 Hours in mid-March.

First returns from Michelin

Here's another subject of interest to Ferrari. Official manufacturer of IMSA, Michelin debuted two new tire ranges at Daytona. In GTD and GTD Pro, the weekend provided an opportunity to draw the first lessons from the extensively revised Pilot Sport Pro GT H1+. Their proper use will be decisive in IMSA.

At the same time, the Michelin Man made his debut in the premier class (known as GTP) with his new Pilot Sport Endurance. This will also be used in the World Championship (WEC), starting in March. It will soon be fitted to the Ferrari 499P, entered in the Hypercar category.

The main change concerns the first cold laps, as noted by the Clermont-Ferrand-based manufacturer's technicians: "The new range brings an extraordinary improvement in terms of revving up," explains Matthieu Bonardel, Michelin Motorsport Director. The average pit exit lap is 5 to 8 seconds faster with the 2026 medium tire than with the previous generation.
all cars combined". At the headquarters of the Prancing Horse's endurance program, we are
no doubt already feeding this type of information into the database...