Fisichella joins Iron Lynx Ferrari squad for 2022 WEC season

The three-time grand prix winner joins fellow Italians Claudio Schiavoni and Matteo Cressoni aboard Iron Lynx’s #60 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo for the new campaign, which begins next month at Sebring.

It follows last month’s announcement that SUPER GT and Super Formula champion Nick Cassidy will take over Fisichella’s previous berth at AF Corse alongside Thomas Flohr and Francesco Castellacci, which he had occupied since the 2018/19 superseason. 

Fisichella, 49, replaces Iron Lynx co-founder Andrea Piccini in the #60 line-up. 

He is therefore set to tackle the Le Mans 24 Hours for a 13th time in succession at the wheel of Ferrari machinery, having taken GTE Pro class wins with AF in 2012 and ’14. 

#60 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Claudio Schiavoni, Andrea Piccini, Matteo Cressoni

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Iron Lynx’s #85 car, entered this year under the ‘Iron Dames’ banner, will continue to feature an all-female line-up of Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Sarah Bovy. 

Ex-DTM driver Frey, Ferrari Challenge Europe champion Gatting and W Series alumnus Bovy contested the Monza and Le Mans rounds as a trio last year, with Bovy replacing Manuela Gostner as the team's designated bronze driver from July’s Monza round onwards. 

Katherine Legge was also part of the Iron Dames set-up in 2021, but is focusing on her IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship duties for Team Hardpoint this season. 

Frey, Gatting and Bovy will dovetail their WEC assault with programmes in the European Le Mans Series and GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. 

Michelle Gatting, #85 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE EVO LMGTE Am

Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt

Schiavoni and Cressoni are likewise slated to contest the ELMS, with factory Ferrari driver Davide Rigon joining the pair for the six-round series starting in April at Paul Ricard. 

Iron Lynx’s Pro drivers for the GT World Challenge have yet to be announced. 

Two more GTE Am teams have completed their line-ups for the upcoming season since the publication of the full season WEC entry list earlier this month. 

Porsche outfit GR Racing has signed silver-rated Italian Riccardo Pera to partner Michael Wainwright and Ben Barker, following Tom Gamble’s promotion to gold status for 2022.

D’station Racing meanwhile has recruited British youngster Charlie Fagg to replace Andrew Watson, who has also been upgraded to gold over the winter. Fagg joins Japanese duo Satoshi Hoshino and Tomonobu Fujii aboard D’station’s TF Sport-run Aston Martin.