Genesis made a striking entrance into the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Imola, exceeding expectations during its 2026 debut weekend. As a newcomer, the team initially set modest goals, focusing simply on reaching the chequered flag with both cars. However, the team quickly demonstrated that it could do far more, showing competitive pace and strong operational execution.
Rapid development lays strong foundations
Genesis compressed its entire racing preparation into just 499 days, combining design, testing, and development into an intensive programme. During the pre-season Prologue at Imola, the two GMR-001 machines completed 319 laps across eight hours, finishing within two-and-a-half seconds of the leading pace.
That groundwork translated into tangible progress during qualifying for the 6 Hours of Imola. Notably, Mathieu Jaminet significantly reduced the performance gap, underlining the car’s potential.
However, the #19 entry shared with Paul-Loup Chatin and Dani Juncadella lost valuable time early in the race due to an electronic sensor issue, which required around 30 minutes to resolve.
In contrast, the #17 car, driven by André Lotterer, Pipo Derani, and Mathys Jaubert, enjoyed a largely trouble-free outing. Jaubert, the youngest driver in the 2026 Hypercar field, capitalised on a clean race and well-managed strategy. As a result, the car climbed into the top ten at one stage, benefiting from strong pit work and effective navigation of Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods.
Nevertheless, a strategic gamble not to change tyres — anticipating rain that never arrived — ultimately limited the car’s finishing position. The #17 entry crossed the line in 15th, just ahead of its sister car.
Derani reflects on a promising start for Genesis on WEC debut in Imola
Despite the challenges, the mood within the team remained overwhelmingly positive, with drivers highlighting both the achievement and the potential shown. Pipo Derani praised the collective effort and the competitive nature of the car.
“This is only ‘Day Zero’, and we should all be proud of our achievements and the massive job we have done. We have come such a long way to be here, we arrived with the intent of finishing the race and we got both cars to the chequered flag, learning so much along the way.
He emphasised the scale of the project and the significance of completing the race, especially given the tight development timeline.
“I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to the whole team, particularly to Cyril [Abiteboul – Team Principal] for putting so much trust in me so early on and to the whole Genesis group for taking this leap into the unknown – and here we are finishing our first race with a very competitive car and great things to look forward to.”
Lotterer highlights team effort and strategy
André Lotterer echoed those sentiments, reflecting on both the emotional significance of the debut and the performance achieved on track.
“I think it was a very emotional moment for everybody at Genesis Magma Racing to reach the end of the race and achieve the target we wanted,” echoed Lotterer. “It was not an easy task, to build a team and be operational in less than 500 days – and we really were operational.
He also pointed to the car’s competitiveness during the race, particularly in the early stints.
“I had fun in the car in the first two stints and I was able to stay with the pack. Mathys was in the mix for his stints too, and then we made a strategic choice – when he handed over to Pipo, we took the decision not to change the tyres because we expected we would soon have to switch to wets, but the rain didn’t come!
While the strategy did not pay off, it highlighted the team’s willingness to make bold calls.
“Thank you to Genesis for having me, for putting together this group and putting so much heart into it. We didn’t look stupid and we have built a good base to work with. From now on, there is a lot of hard work, there is no rest, there is always the hunt for performance and you demand more and more. This is just the beginning!”
#19 Genesis Magma Racing crew encouraged by 2026 WEC performance in Imola despite setback
Although the #19 car faced setbacks, its drivers remained optimistic about the underlying performance. Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin, and Dani Juncadella all pointed to strong pace and continuous improvement throughout the weekend.
Jaminet expressed both frustration and optimism:
“I feel bad for the guys who prepared the #19 car, because they were faultless and did a mega job,” the Frenchman mused. “The issue we had with the sensor does not represent them or how we ran without any issues all week, so it shouldn’t bring anyone down.
He then highlighted the encouraging signs shown by the sister car and the team overall.
“We saw our sister car prove that it can run in the top ten, I think our pace improved again in the race and all the set-up changes we tried worked. We are definitely in the mix, we have a very strong base and a lot of data to analyse and I’m really looking forward to the next races, because I’m sure you’re going to see Genesis more and more towards the front.”
Strong foundations for the future
Team leadership also took confidence from the debut performance. Cyril Abiteboul praised the team’s foundations, while Anouck Abadie emphasised the importance of achieving the primary objective.
“It’s a first step but a very good one,” the Frenchwoman underlined. “We are extremely happy. It was our objective to finish the race, no matter the position, and we achieved that. I have no other words but ‘thank you’ to the entire Genesis Magma Racing team and to the drivers – they did a perfect job.
She also reflected on how the team exceeded expectations in its very first outing.
“The most important thing that I take away from this experience is how the team came together to perform in a way that you wouldn’t have imagined it was our first race. I think we have surprised a lot of people in the paddock, and now we can look ahead with the confidence of having shown we know what to do.”
Ultimately, Genesis leaves Imola with more than just a completed debut. The team has demonstrated reliability, operational strength, and, crucially, genuine pace. While results did not fully reflect its potential, the performance has firmly placed Genesis “in the mix” heading into the remainder of the season.
