The 2026 6 Hours of Monza signaled the end of an era as Maranello officially retired the legendary Ferrari 499P hypercar. Over 75,000 passionate fans flooded the iconic “Temple of Speed” hoping to watch the Prancing Horse gallop straight to the top of the podium one last time, but the motorsport gods had slightly more restrained plans. Instead of a fairytale farewell victory on home turf, Ferrari had to settle for a third-place finish.
The number 51 car, driven by Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and James Calado, took the bottom step of the podium, while the customer number 83 entry driven by Yifei Ye, Phil Hanson, and Robert Kubica followed in sixth. Meanwhile, the pole-starting number 50 machine of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen suffered a rather frustrating afternoon, crossing the line in ninth.
While Italian fans undoubtedly shed genuine tears over the retirement of their beloved endurance monster, getting a single car on the podium is hardly a tragedy when looking at the overall resume.
The 499P marked Ferrari’s triumphant return to the top class of endurance racing after a 50-year hiatus, debuting at Sebring in 2023 with an immediate pole position and podium. Over its four-year WEC stint, the prototype logged 8 total victories, 11 pole positions, and 27 total podium finishes across the official factory cars and the customer entry.
Most impressively, the Italian Hypercar ruled the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans for three consecutive years, capping off its dominance in 2025 by securing both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ World Championship titles.
With the curtain now closing on one of the most successful race cars in Maranello’s storied history, the pressure shifts directly onto the engineers in Emilia-Romagna. Designing a successor that can match a three-time Le Mans winner and world champion is a terrifying assignment, but if anyone knows how to handle ridiculous expectations wrapped in red paint, it is Ferrari.