Ferrari, who is Antonio Fuoco: the Italian who will replace Hamilton in the Mexican GP?

In the following years, Fuoco became a central figure in the GT and endurance worlds. In 2020, he won the Italian Endurance title with the 488 GT3 AF Corse, while in 2021 he made his debut in the FIA ​​WEC World Championship with Cetilar Racing, winning the LMGTE Am class at the 8 Hours of Portimao. From there, it was a short step to the premier class. With the arrival of the Ferrari 499P Hypercar, in 2023, Fuoco was among the drivers chosen to return the Prancing Horse to the world endurance championship after a half-century absence. Driving the #50 car, crewed by Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen , he took pole at the 1000 Miles of Sebring and achieved a historic feat: victory at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, returning Ferrari to the top step of the podium after 58 years . Fuoco thus became the seventh Italian driver to win Le Mans for Ferrari, an achievement that cemented his place in motorsport history. In the same season he took pole at Imola and finished second in the FIA ​​WEC drivers' standings, while in IMSA he finished second at Sebring with the 296 GT3 of the Cetilar Racing team.

Behind Ferrari's track triumphs, there's often Antonio's invisible work. The Calabrian driver has been a key figure in the Maranello simulator for years, working side by side with engineers and factory drivers. During long race weekends, when the team is on track all over the world, Fuoco is often locked in the simulator , racking up virtual miles to test setups, strategies, and technical solutions that are then applied in real time to Leclerc and Hamilton's cars. Leclerc himself considers him a friend and a technical mentor, and has often praised his precision and driving sensitivity. Every tenth gained, every improvement in the race, also bears his signature, that of a driver who knows Ferrari perhaps better than anyone else.

Ferrari's decision to entrust him with Hamilton 's SF25 for the Mexican GP isn't just a career achievement award, but a concrete recognition of his worth. Fuoco, despite having already driven an F1 car in private testing, is considered a rookie , and by regulation, Ferrari must field a debutant in at least two free practice sessions during the season. Hamilton, who hasn't missed any FP1 sessions so far in 2024, will therefore hand over the wheel to the Calabrian, while Leclerc had already handed over the car to Dino Beganovic in Bahrain and Austria. After Mexico, the final available rookie session will be in Abu Dhabi, as Qatar and Brazil feature the Sprint format and Las Vegas will require maximum track time for the regulars.

It's been 16 years since an Italian last raced for Ferrari. In 2009, after Massa's accident, Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella replaced the Brazilian for a few races. Since then, despite the many talented Italians involved as test drivers, from Rigon to Marciello, from Fuoco himself to Giovinazzi, no one had ever officially stepped into the Ferrari cockpit for a race weekend. With Antonio Fuoco, Italy is finally back in the spotlight. This return is not only symbolic, but also technical: Ferrari will be able to gather real-world data on a driver from its own academy, trained entirely in Maranello, at a key moment of the season when every piece of information counts.

Fuoco's call to Mexico won't be a mere aside. It's also a sign of continuity in Ferrari's strategy, which continues to invest in Italian drivers, both in the Driver Academy and in the GT and Hypercar programs. Fuoco represents the link between the past and the future: a academy graduate, a star in endurance racing, and an F1 test driver. And now, finally, a factory driver on a world championship weekend with Ferrari.

After years of waiting, Italy once again hears the roar of one of its own drivers behind the wheel of a Ferrari, and it happens precisely at a time when the Prancing Horse is seeking new energy and new symbols for its sporting rebirth. It will be a special Friday for Fuoco. After years of quiet work, endless simulations, testing, and prototype victories, his name will finally appear on the timing monitor of an official F1 session. He will be the first Italian to drive a Ferrari on a race weekend since 2009, and he will do so with the same humility and determination with which he has built his entire career. A return that exudes passion, sacrifice, and pride.