Ferrari and Lexus Take Pole for 2026 WEC Monza Finale
Antonio Fuoco put Ferrari AF Corse’s No. 50 Ferrari 499P on pole for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship finale at Monza on November 7. His 1:33.364 Hyperpole lap beat Mathieu Jaminet’s No. 19 Genesis GMR-001 by 0.096 second.
In LMGT3, Hadrien David gave the No. 78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3 class pole with a 1:47.523 lap. The No. 33 TF Sport Corvette qualified alongside it, only 0.014 second slower, according to FIA WEC’s official qualifying summary.
Fuoco delivers Ferrari’s fifth WEC pole
Fuoco led both stages of Hypercar qualifying in the No. 50 car he shares with Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen. He set a 1:33.440 in the first session to advance to the top-10 shootout, then improved by 0.076 second when pole position was decided.
The result is Fuoco’s fifth overall WEC pole, his first in 18 months and the Ferrari 499P’s 11th pole in the championship. It also extends Ferrari’s sequence to four consecutive WEC poles in Italy, following three straight at Imola. Those milestones come from the organizer’s full qualifying report.
| Hypercar grid position | Car | Qualifying driver | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P | Antonio Fuoco | 1:33.364 |
| 2 | No. 19 Genesis GMR-001 | Mathieu Jaminet | +0.096 sec. |
| 3 | No. 38 Cadillac V-Series.R | Earl Bamber | Official row two |
| 4 | No. 51 Ferrari 499P | Antonio Giovinazzi | Official row two |
The No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 qualified fifth with Théo Pourchaire, while the sister No. 93 Peugeot placed ninth. The two Toyotas fighting for the drivers’ championship did not advance to Hyperpole.
Toyota’s title contenders start 15th and 16th
Ryō Hirakawa qualified the championship-leading No. 8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid in 15th. Kamui Kobayashi put the No. 7 Toyota 16th, one position behind its title rival.
The No. 8 crew of Hirakawa, Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley enters the finale 17 points ahead of the No. 7 crew of Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries. FIA WEC’s official race guide says a top-five finish would secure the drivers’ crown for the No. 8 regardless of the No. 7 result.
Starting deep in the field makes that target harder, but qualifying did not award the championship. The six-hour race and its pit strategy, traffic and reliability demands will decide the title.
Lexus takes pole for its WEC swansong
David’s LMGT3 pole has extra significance because the Lexus RC F GT3 will make its final WEC start at Monza. The French driver also took class pole at Spa earlier in 2026, making this his second of the season.
The No. 33 Corvette’s second-place start strengthens its position in the LMGT3 title fight. Jonny Edgar shares that car with Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg, and the crew arrived at Monza leading the class standings with 92 points.
Sunday’s 6 Hours of Monza starts at 11:00 a.m. Central European Time on November 8, which is 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Ferrari’s pole gives the No. 50 crew clean air at the start, but the result reported here is qualifying—not a forecast of the six-hour finish.
For another completed international racing result this weekend, see Chiefs Review’s report on Team Impul’s Nissan Z victory at Motegi.
Featured image: the same No. 50 Ferrari 499P and 2026 driver crew during Hyperpole at Spa-Francorchamps in May; archive photo, not Monza. Photo by MarcelX42, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. No changes were made.
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