WEC News: Yifei Ye becomes an official Ferrari driver

Starting in 2024, 23-year-old Chinese driver Yifei Ye will be an official Ferrari driver, the company has announced. Details will follow.

Born in Xi’an (China), after his experience in single-seaters, Ye has competed in prototypes in various international endurance series over the last three seasons. In 2023, he debuted in the top class of the FIA WEC in an LMDh prototype, competing in five world championship races. The young man’s career includes three appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Four titles in different categories stand out in Ye’s list of victories. The driver became the French Formula 4 champion in 2016, winning 14 of the 23 races on the calendar, and did likewise in the Euroformula Open in 2020 with 11 seasonal triumphs. In 2021, the first Chinese driver to join the Maranello factory team ended the year with two championships’ wins, both at the wheel of LMP2-class prototypes, in the European Le Mans Series and the Asian Le Mans Series: Yifei was the first driver to win both championships in a year.

Yifei Ye: “When I heard I would be an official Ferrari driver, I was thrilled. For me, this is a dream come true. This new sporting chapter opening with the Prancing Horse is definitely a milestone in my career.”

Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti: “It’s a pleasure to welcome Yifei to Ferrari, a driver who despite his young age has been able to emerge as one of the fastest in the World Endurance Championship. Excellent results stand out in Yifei’s endurance racing career: from this starting point, we’re confident that we can build a positive pathway together within the Prancing Horse family.”