If you are coming out of binging Drive to Survive and wondering what motorsport is, here’s a good resource for you to break down the road to F1 and the other forms of motorsport that Ferrari is involved in. Or maybe you know your way around motorsport but are curious about some other series that aren’t your “go-to” watch. Either way, hopefully this brief guide can be of some use for you.

F1 and the Single Seater “Pipeline”

F1 – Obviously, the highest profile series in the world. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are very, very busy with F1 so unlike some sports car drivers, you won’t see them making “guest” appearances elsewhere.

F2 – Traditionally, the last stepping stone before a driver makes the leap to F1. A good chance to see some of the F1 drivers of the next 5 years or so.

F3 – This is often the first chance for a driver to go “worldwide” with their career. A “normal” career path might be Italian F4 -> Formula Regional Europe -> F3.

F4 and regional championships – Drivers identified at this level are selected for a lot more than just talent behind the wheel. How one carries themself in front of the media, treats the team around them, and is able to communicate with an engineer all matter a huge deal here.

F1 Academy – Intended to be a stepping stone for women drivers in single seaters, there is much debate about its success which this post will not be getting involved with.

Karting – The earliest days of a motorsport career are usually in a go-kart. Identifying a potential “F1” level candidate this early is difficult to say the least, and even if you do, funding can run out long before talent.

Endurance Racing

WEC – The World Endurance Championship. This is the series where the Ferrari 499Ps compete and the series that has the 24 Hours of Le Mans, although most races are 6 hours. There are also a pair of 296s that compete in the GT ranks in the WEC.

IMSA – IMSA is the American domestic top level sports car racing series. The convergence between the ACO (organizers of the WEC) and IMSA to allow prototypes to compete in both series was a huge win. There is plenty of information on that convergence that would make this post far too long, but the short version is that while this means a Ferrari 499P could be eligible to compete in IMSA, there is no team currently running one. Here’s hoping that Risi Competizione decides to run a 499P in IMSA soon. There are several 296 GT3s competing though.

Asian Le Mans Series – The ACO organizes two other series in the world, the Asian Le Mans Series and European Le Mans Series. The ALMS is especially of note at the moment because there are plans to introduce a pro/am hypercar entry into the series which could mean seeing a privately entered 499P, although no one has confirmed they are running a Ferrari when that ruleset comes into effect in 2026/2027.
European Le Mans Series – Some of the drivers in the WEC, when not competing there, end up in other championships. The ELMS is often the best place to find these drivers outside the WEC. These races are very important to Ferrari because the GT champion from this series gets an auto invite to Le Mans the next year, just like the Asian Le Mans Series. Stack the deck with enough GT Ferraris, and you improve your chances of winning in class.
NLS – The domestic German endurance series, the NLS, races exclusively at the Nurburgring. They are the organizers of the famous 24H of Nurburgring and several other shorter endurance events there through the year.

Other GT Series

GTWC – GT World Challenge is a huge product. This includes GTWC Asia, GTWC America, GTWC Europe, and the Intercontinental GT Challenge among several other championships. Ferrari factory drivers often pop up at these events, especially the endurance rounds of the European championship.

DTM – The domestic German sports car series, which relatively recently switched to GT3 machinery allowing Ferraris to compete.

Super GT – Japan’s premier sports car series, Super GT, is multiclass racing involving GT3 cars including the possibility of Ferraris, and the GT500 cars which are exclusively Japanese made purpose built race cars.