Fisi back with Ferrari for Le Mans, Bruni out
Ex-formula 1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella will return to the Le Mans 24 Hours for an eighth assault on the French enduro, while former team-mate Gianmaria Bruni won’t be able to compete in the WEC at all this year after signing for Porsche.
Fisichella, a two-time class winner at the 24 Hours, has been confirmed alongside IMSA Sportscar Championship team-mate Toni Vilander in Risi Competizione’s Ferrari 488 GTE for the double-points World Endurance Championship Le Mans round on June 17/18.
Risi returned to Le Mans in 2016 after a five-year absence and led the challenge to the dominant Chip Ganassi Fords in GTE Pro.
Meanwhile Bruni – who officially terminated his Ferrari contract in order to move to rival GT firm Porsche – has been placed on gardening leave which stops him competing with the German squad in any capacity in the WEC.
According to a Porsche statement released on Sunday, he “will undertake tests from June and contest races in the USA from July”.
With Bruni on the sidelines, it is expected either Romain Dumas or Sven Muller will join the already-announced trio of Richard Lietz, Michael Christensen and Frederic Makowiecki as Porsche’s fourth works driver in the WEC’S GTE Pro division.
Porsche’s new challenger is mid-engined and new-for-2017.