Paddock gossip had the Ferrari works driver leaving for other horizons next season but the Italian constructor put these rumours to bed in early July with a laconic tweet: “Ferrari and Gianmaria Bruni stay together”. This was also the title of the press release in which it was revealed that Bruni had signed a “multi-year agreement” without specifying exactly how many.

One figure that is known, however, is his number of class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In eight races, “Gimmi” Bruni has won on three occasions and finished in the top three a total of five times – all in a Ferrari. Bruni has been driving cars sporting the Prancing Horse since 2007, the year he made the switch like many endurance drivers from single-seaters to GT. Unlike many others though, the Roman has experience of Formula One albeit with the modest Minardi outfit.

In his début endurance season, Bruni was FIA GT2 vice-champion with a Ferrari 430 before clinching the title the following year when he also topped the GT2 class podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, much to the delight of Giuseppe Risi, owner of the Risi Competizione team with whom he also went on to take the GT2 class title at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2010.

With the introduction of the Ferrari 458 Italia in 2011, Bruni forged a reputation as one of the world’s greatest GT drivers as he cleaned up the prizes: a class win at Petit Le Mans and the Le Mans Series title with AF Corse, Ferrari’s endurance spearhead, then 2012 GT Open champion and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second time. However the Monaco-based driver had to wait until 2013 to take the FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers simply because there was no drivers’ championship in 2012! Bruni’s career scaled even greater heights in 2014 with four wins in eight races seeing him scoop a second successive World Endurance Cup and another class win at Le Mans with Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella.

While gearbox issues in the final stages of the race put paid to the trio’s chances following an epic tussle with the winning Corvette C7.R at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, Bruni did taste victory at Silverstone in the opening round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season and at the 24 Hours of Spa last weekend.

Another battle that Bruni is determined to win is the fight against Rett Syndrome, a genetic disorder that almost exclusively affects girls and is one of the main causes of mental retardation in women. The Italian driver has asked supporters to design a racing helmet by 15 September. The chosen helmet will be worn just once in a race before being auctioned for the benefit of One Day Sofia, a charity raising funds to fight Rett Syndrome.

Unfortunately the 6 Hours of Nürburgring, scheduled for 30 August, will come too soon for “Gimmi” to wear this specially designed helmet in the fourth round of the 2015 FIA WEC season.

Cécile Bonardel / ACO
Translated from French by David Goward

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2015, THE RACE. Gianmaria Bruni, who wore a special helmet at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, took the Pro-Am class title at the 24 Hours of Spa.