AF Corse Bio
AF Corse is an Italian auto racing team founded in 1995 by former driver Amato Ferrari in Piacenza, Italy. The team has built a long-standing partnership with Ferrari and has campaigned Ferrari and Maserati machinery across major international endurance and GT championships.
Early Life and Background
AF Corse was created after Amato Ferrari retired from driving and shifted his focus to team management, initially entering the Italian Superturismo Championship. The operation moved into sports car racing as opportunities with Maserati and later Ferrari emerged, positioning the team in endurance and GT competition.
Based in Piacenza, AF Corse developed into a specialist in GT and endurance programs, taking on roles from car development to race operations. The team expanded steadily through the 2000s, working closely with manufacturers and registering as a frequent entrant in European and global GT series.
Path to MotorSports
After contracting with Maserati to support the Trofeo Cup and the Maserati MC12 program, AF Corse established credibility in car development and race preparation. The team leveraged that experience to transition into Ferrari GT programs and the FIA GT Championship, where early class success followed.
AF Corse’s early partnerships and technical work attracted factory-linked programs and customer entries, enabling the team to compete across a growing list of series including the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, GT World Challenge Europe and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
AF Corse Career
Early Career (1995–2005)
Founded in 1995, AF Corse began in touring cars before concentrating on sports car racing and one-make Maserati events. During this formative decade the team undertook development and race operations for Maserati and ran customer programs that built AF Corse’s technical and logistical capabilities.
By the mid-2000s AF Corse had moved to Ferrari machinery and prepared to contest GT championships, setting the stage for its breakthrough into the international GT arena in the following years.
FIA GT / GT2 Breakthrough (2006–2009)
AF Corse entered the FIA GT Championship GT2 class with the Ferrari F430 and captured immediate success, taking class victories at Silverstone and Spa and winning the GT2 teams’ championship in 2006. The team sustained momentum in 2007, with new driver lineups and full-season sponsorship delivering dominant results across the calendar.
Expansion to multiple entries in the GT2 class followed in 2008 and AF Corse consolidated its reputation as one of the leading Ferrari GT teams, claiming four consecutive FIA GT2 Teams’ Championships from 2006 to 2009.
Le Mans and World Endurance Campaigns (2010–2017)
With changes in GT series structures around 2010, AF Corse moved into the Le Mans Series and later the FIA World Endurance Championship, campaigning Ferrari 458 Italia GTE cars. The team won the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup GTE-Pro category in 2011 and secured multiple FIA World Endurance Championship GTE-Pro teams’ titles in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017.
AF Corse also recorded class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including a GTE-Pro win at Le Mans in 2012, and built a roster of both professional and amateur drivers across its entries, often combining works drivers with experienced GT competitors.
GT, DTM and Endurance Expansion (2018–2022)
Throughout this period AF Corse continued to compete across global GT and endurance series including GT World Challenge Europe, the European Le Mans Series, the Asian Le Mans Series and the International GT Open. The team added championship successes in GT World Challenge Endurance and expanded its footprint into other high-level programs.
AF Corse’s collaborations reached beyond traditional GT racing, including entries and technical partnerships in series such as the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, where the organization claimed the DTM Teams’ Championship in 2021, demonstrating adaptability to different class regulations and racing formats.
Ferrari Hypercar Era (2023–Present)
In 2023 AF Corse formed a close partnership with Scuderia Ferrari to field the Ferrari 499P hypercar in the FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar category. The collaboration delivered immediate top-class results, including overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans during the partnership period.
AF Corse balanced factory-linked and privateer entries in the Hypercar era, fielding multiple works-associated cars and adding a privateer yellow entry that raced strongly at Le Mans in subsequent seasons, including a winning performance by the privateer entry in 2025.
Driving Style and Strengths
AF Corse is known for endurance race preparation, consistency in long-distance strategy and close coordination with manufacturer programs. The team’s strengths include car development for GT and prototype regulations, meticulous pit execution and the ability to integrate works drivers with long-term customer programs.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include four consecutive FIA GT2 teams’ championships from 2006–2009, the 2011 ILMC GTE-Pro title, multiple FIA WEC GTE-Pro team championships and the team’s role in Ferrari’s Hypercar program with overall Le Mans victories from 2023 onward. AF Corse’s involvement with the Maserati MC12 and the Ferrari F430 and 458 programs mark important development projects in its history.
AF Corse Career Wins
Across GT and endurance competition AF Corse has amassed numerous class and overall victories in major events, highlighted by multiple championship-winning seasons and marquee results at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both GTE and Hypercar classes.
FIA GT / GT2 Highlights
The team’s breakthrough came in the FIA GT Championship GT2 class with wins at Silverstone and Spa and the first of four consecutive teams’ championships between 2006 and 2009. Those seasons established AF Corse as a benchmark Ferrari GT entrant and launched its expansion into world endurance competition.
Other Wins & Perfromances
AF Corse claimed the 2011 ILMC GTE-Pro teams’ title and several FIA World Endurance Championship GTE-Pro team championships in the 2010s. The team has also taken championship honours in the GT World Challenge Endurance and recorded high-profile class and overall results across international endurance events.
AF Corse Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
AF Corse is led by founder and general manager Amato Ferrari, who established the team after retiring from driving. Amato Ferrari is not related to Enzo Ferrari; the team’s name reflects his initials and personal leadership rather than family lineage with the Ferrari car company.
Personal Life
As a professional racing organization AF Corse’s public profile centers on its management, drivers and manufacturer partnerships rather than private personal details. The team’s structure emphasizes technical staff, engineers and race operations under Amato Ferrari’s direction.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season saw AF Corse continue its Hypercar campaign and secure a notable result at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the team’s yellow privateer entry won the race and other AF Corse entries contested the top positions. The Hypercar program has remained the focal point of AF Corse’s international efforts, combining works-associated and privateer strategies.
Looking ahead in 2025 AF Corse’s endurance focus and manufacturer collaboration position the team to remain a front-runner in world endurance racing, with continued emphasis on Le Mans and WEC rounds as the primary measures of success.