Hanson signs with AF Corse for the 2025 WEC season

Phil Hanson, former champion in the LMP2 category, will switch teams for the 2025 season of the World Endurance Championship and compete with a Ferrari 499P in the Hypercar class under the direction of AF Corse.

Hanson, who has so far been part of the Jota team, will drive a Ferrari 499P managed by AF Corse, in a parallel program to the two official entries of the Italian brand in the same category. The 25-year-old British driver will be the first name confirmed for this project, which gained attention following the victory in Austin during the current season.

Hanson's decision to leave Jota comes after the announcement that his current team will be Cadillac's official representative for the 2025 season, leaving him without a seat on the team. This situation led him to seek new opportunities, aiming to solidify himself in a competitive project with AF Corse.

Hanson will have his first contact with the Ferrari 499P at the WEC rookie test in Bahrain, one day after the final race of the season. This test will be crucial for his adaptation to the team and the car, as the driver has spent the last seven years in the LMP2 category, six of them with United Autosports. With this team, Hanson achieved a championship in the category and a class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Hanson's move comes at a time when the WEC is experiencing significant changes in teams and driver lineups, potentially triggering a series of restructurings among the main players in the discipline.

Although Hanson is the first driver confirmed for AF Corse's Ferrari 499P, the team has yet to announce the rest of the drivers who will complete the lineup. So far, the team has featured Yifei Ye, Robert Kubica, and Robert Shwartzman, though the future of some of these drivers with the team is uncertain. In particular, Shwartzman seems to be heading towards an IndyCar project alongside Callum Ilott, who has been Hanson's teammate at Jota.

Meanwhile, Ferrari has confirmed that their official factory driver lineup will not change for the next season, leaving the question of how AF Corse's Ferrari 499P team will be completed. It has also been ruled out that Arthur Leclerc, who is in the process of gaining endurance racing experience, will participate. He will have the chance to test one of the factory cars during the rookie test in Bahrain.