The AF Corse Ferrari No. 21 of Lilou Wadoux and her teammates quickly worked its way to the front in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, with the Frenchwoman setting some fast laps among the GTD entries, however bad luck struck in the last quarter of the race.
Lilou Wadoux delivered an impressive performance in the AF Corse Ferrari No. 21 during the Rolex 24 at Daytona, showcasing both speed and racecraft in a highly competitive GTD field.
After taking over the car early in the race, she set some of the fastest lap times among the GTD entries and quickly moved through the field. Despite setbacks from a few penalties for her team, Wadoux remained a key driver in the team’s recovery efforts, as the car continued to be in contention for a strong result until the final hours. While the race ended in disappointment after a late-race accident for one of her teammates, Wadoux’s performance stood out once again.
Qualifying for the most prestigious race in American sports car racing, the Daytona 24 Hours, traditionally takes place on the Thursday before the event, when teams and drivers were reminded that even in the Sunshine State of Florida, January can be cold. At the start of qualifying, the low track temperatures caused grip issues due to the absence of tyre warmers. This led to unusual scenes where multiple cars spun before even reaching the track.
For the AF Corse Ferrari team, running the No. 21 car with drivers Simon Mann, Lilou Wadoux, Kei Cozzolino, and Alessandro Pier Guidi, it would be Simon Mann to take the wheel for qualifying in the GTD class. His early laps were cautious, setting times around 1:57, but he steadily improved by nearly 10 seconds, securing 14th place on the grid with a best lap of 1:47.382.
The start of the famous Daytona 24 Hours, marking the season opener for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, was unusually smooth and quiet. Simon Mann was able to work his way up to 12th position early on and, by the end of his first stint, had moved up to 10th. Shortly afterward, technical issues for the race leader allowed him to gain another spot.
Just under two hours in, Lilou Wadoux took over the #21 Ferrari for the first time in the race. She set the fastest GTD lap times at that point and gained additional positions. However, a Full Course Yellow soon followed.
At this stage, the Ferrari was in 39th place overall and fifth in class. As the entire GTD field pitted, the No. 21 moved up to second. At the restart, Lilou briefly battled for the lead before dropping to 20th due to a drive-through penalty for a pit stop infringement. The fight to recover was more challenging this time, and aside from the usual pit stop-related position changes, there were no major shifts.
During the next Full Course Yellow, Kei Cozzolino took over, quietly advancing to 16th before Alessandro Pier Guidi took the wheel. However, he initially lost ground during the pit stop sequence.
After nearly 7.5 hours, another restart occurred in the dark, but the green flag didn’t stay out for long. The Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac LMDh No. 40 lost control on cold tyres in Turn 1, hitting the right-hand wall before skidding back onto the track, causing a multi-car pileup involving LMP2 and GTD Pro cars. Fortunately, the No. 21 Ferrari avoided the chaos and was promoted into the GTD top ten.
Cold nighttime temperatures caused difficulties for many drivers, with frequent off-track excursions due to lack of grip. The AF Corse Ferrari remained largely trouble-free, moving up to seventh place before Simon Mann took over again. He continued the charge, engaging in a close battle with the Cetilar Ferrari for fourth.
An unusual incident occurred during another Full Course Yellow in the eighth hour: the pace car pulled off the track, the field accelerated—but the green flag never waved. Instead, the pace car re-emerged from the pits and resumed leading the field for another lap. While the situation caused some confusion, it did not impact positions.
At the halfway mark, Wadoux returned to the cockpit. The young Frenchwoman was able to hold sixth place during the night, delivering consistent lap times to secure a strong position. However, by this stage, most positions were relatively consolidated, with strategy and pit stops becoming the main sources of change. She also navigated multiple Full Course Yellows, including one caused by a car fire.
At the restart after another caution, Wadoux found herself in a tight pack, battling her AF Corse teammate in the No. 50 Ferrari, the No. 19 Aston Martin, and the No. 023 Triarsi Ferrari. Attempting a pass on the outside on the oval section, she was blocked, allowing the No. 023 Ferrari to sneak through on the inside. The congestion continued until the Le Mans Chicane, where the group finally spread out. Wadoux fought back, reclaiming positions before handing the car over to Kei Cozzolino in fifth place with ten hours remaining.
After 13.5 hours, Cozzolino engaged in a thrilling three-way battle with the No. 32 Korthoff Mercedes and the No. 023 Triarsi Ferrari. While the Triarsi Ferrari passed the Mercedes, Cozzolino had a harder time in the oval section, allowing the AWA Corvette No. 13 to take advantage of the slipstream and pass both cars.
Despite this setback, Cozzolino fought back, regaining positions before another Full Course Yellow resulted in a costly two-second stop-and-go penalty for pit lane speeding. This dropped the AF Corse Ferrari to 12th place, but the team remained determined, and by lap 430, Cozzolino had moved up to 11th, holding off the Turner Motorsport BMW in a fierce 20-minute duel.
As the next pit cycle played out, a three-way fight emerged for the final spots in the top ten, involving the No. 19 Aston Martin, the No. 96 BMW, and the No. 21 Ferrari. Alessandro Pier Guidi, now back behind the wheel, overtook both, then closed in on teammate Arthur Leclerc in the other AF Corse Ferrari, eventually passing him.
With 7.5 hours left on the clock, the No. 21 sat in eighth place and successfully overtook the Heart of Racing Aston Martin. However, during the next driver change, Simon Mann struggled to match the competition’s pace, dropping positions before handing the car back to Wadoux.
Starting her final stint in 12th, Wadoux battled closely with the Winward Mercedes of Dontje for ninth but couldn’t maintain the pace over a full stint, despite consistently running 1:49 lap times. Though unable to gain more ground, she defended her position well, mitigating the impact of earlier penalties.
In the last quarter of the race, a crash involving the No. 04 Crowdstrike Racing LMP2 triggered another Full Course Yellow. AF Corse used this opportunity to put Pier Guidi back in the car, hoping his experience could secure more positions.
However, at the restart with 5:21 hours of racing remaining, disaster struck. Attempting to attack into Turn 1, Pier Guidi misjudged the grip of his fresh tyres, lost control of the rear, and spun. The Ferrari collided with multiple cars before slamming into the tyre barrier.
The Forte Racing Lamborghini, also involved in the crash, remained stranded on track, while the No. 21 Ferrari and the Lone Star Mercedes limped back to the pits. Although AF Corse attempted repairs, it quickly became clear that the car was beyond saving. The team retired the car, officially classified in 48th place overall, dashing hopes of a top-five finish.
The disappointing end overshadowed what had been an incredible recovery drive. positive conclusions can be drawn from Lilou Wadoux’s pure performance during the race: analysis of her stints showed she was the second-fastest driver in the team, only behind the highly experienced Pier Guidi. The same applies to the successful overtaking maneuvers.
Wadoux also outpaced several gold and platinum-rated drivers, marking an outstanding achievement for the young Frenchwoman that gives hope for the future.
With 167 points collected from qualifying and the earlier stages of the race, the team now sits 16th in the standings and will have to to attack even harder for the rest of the season in order to be able to fight for the top places in the Michelin Endurance Cup.
The next race, the 12 Hours of Sebring, from March 12–16, presents another major challenge: the bumpy, demanding track, set on an old airfield, is known for punishing both drivers and cars. AF Corse will need a strong performance to bounce back.
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