Ferrari laid down an early marker ahead of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season opener at Imola, leading both sessions of the Prologue. However, while the Italian marque dominated the morning, the competition responded strongly in the afternoon, tightening the battle at the front of the Hypercar field.
2026 WEC Prologue: Imola: Morning Session: Ferrari flexes early strength
At the outset, Ferrari asserted control around the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Defending Drivers’ Champion Antonio Giovinazzi set the benchmark, narrowly edging Robert Kubica by just 0.097 seconds. Meanwhile, Nicklas Nielsen ensured all three Ferrari 499Ps occupied the top three positions, albeit nearly a second adrift of the leading duo.
Norman Nato emerged as the closest challenger in fourth for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, while René Rast completed the top five for BMW.
Elsewhere, Genesis Magma Racing made a solid impression on its debut outing. The team completed over 150 laps, gathering valuable data despite finishing just over two seconds off the pace.
In LMGT3, Ferrari also led the way. Alessio Rovera topped the timesheets, but only by a razor-thin margin of 0.038 seconds over Finn Gehrsitz. Notably, the top five featured five different manufacturers, all covered by less than a quarter of a second.
However, the session was not without incident. Marco Sørensen triggered the only red flag after colliding with the barriers in the Aston Martin Valkyrie, while the #15 BMW lost track time due to an engine change.
Hypercar Standings (AM Session)
- Antonio Giovinazzi – Ferrari AF Corse – 1:31.586
- Robert Kubica – AF Corse – +0.097s
- Nicklas Nielsen – Ferrari AF Corse – +0.982s
- Norman Nato – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – +1.302s
- René Rast – BMW M Team WRT – +1.322s
- Earl Bamber – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – +1.329s
- Charles Milesi – Alpine Endurance Team – +1.398s
- Victor Martins – Alpine Endurance Team – +1.425s
- Malthe Jakobsen – Team Peugeot TotalEnergies – +1.486s
- Tom Gamble – Aston Martin THOR Team – +1.489s
LMGT3 Standings (AM Session)
- Alessio Rovera – VISTA AF Corse – 1:42.875
- Finn Gehrsitz – Garage 59 – +0.038s
- Nicky Catsburg – TF Sport – +0.104s
- Dan Harper – Team WRT – +0.206s
- Maxime Martin – Iron Lynx – +0.245s
2026 WEC Prologue: Afternoon Session: Imola: Fuoco raises the bar
Later on, Antonio Fuoco improved upon Ferrari’s earlier benchmark, going four tenths faster than the morning’s best time. As a result, he secured top spot, finishing just 0.126 seconds ahead of Robert Kubica, who once again slotted into second place.
Giovinazzi remained firmly in contention in third, keeping Ferrari’s dominance intact. Nevertheless, the gap to rivals shrank significantly. Robin Frijns led the charge for BMW in fourth, reducing the deficit to just over half a second.
Furthermore, Alpine showed encouraging pace, with both cars running closely together in fifth and sixth.
Genesis Magma Racing continued its productive programme, adding more than 200 laps and improving lap times. Conversely, Aston Martin’s #009 Valkyrie did not return to the track following its earlier crash.
In contrast to Ferrari’s Hypercar control, LMGT3 delivered an exceptionally tight contest. Mattia Drudi put Heart of Racing Team on top in the afternoon, but the top five drivers finished within just 0.178 seconds.
Rovera followed closely in second, while Tom Fleming secured third for Garage 59. TF Sport’s Corvette duo of Charlie Eastwood and Jonny Edgar rounded out the top five, underlining the class’s competitiveness.
Hypercar Standings (PM Session)
- Antonio Fuoco – Ferrari AF Corse – 1:31.177
- Robert Kubica – AF Corse – +0.126s
- Antonio Giovinazzi – Ferrari AF Corse – +0.198s
- Robin Frijns – BMW M Team WRT – +0.532s
- Jules Gounon – Alpine Endurance Team – +0.695s
- Charles Milesi – Alpine Endurance Team – +0.699s
- Malthe Jakobsen – Team Peugeot TotalEnergies – +0.929s
- Kevin Magnussen – BMW M Team WRT – +1.027s
- Sébastien Buemi – Toyota Racing – +1.232s
- Stoffel Vandoorne – Team Peugeot TotalEnergies – +1.291s
LMGT3 Standings (PM Session)
- Mattia Drudi – Heart of Racing Team – 1:42.698
- Alessio Rovera – VISTA AF Corse – +0.051s
- Tom Fleming – Garage 59 – +0.116s
- Charlie Eastwood – Racing Team Turkey by TF – +0.128s
- Jonny Edgar – TF Sport – +0.178s
Looking ahead to the opening race weekend
With Ferrari firmly on top but rivals rapidly closing the gap, the stage is set for an intense opening round. Free Practice continues on Friday, followed by Qualifying and Hyperpole on Saturday. The six-hour race begins on Sunday, promising a highly competitive start to the WEC season.
