Ferrari dominated the 2026 World Endurance Championship Prologue at Imola with Antonio Fuoco leading a 1-2-3 lock out in the Hypercar class, as Aston Martin topped in LMGT3.
The one-day test event, split into a morning session of three-and-a-half hours and an extended four-and-a-half-hour afternoon session, marked the first time the full 35-car field hit the track together this season, following the postponement of the original Qatar opener due to regional conflicts in the Middle East.
The morning session kicked off under damp conditions after overnight rain, with the circuit gradually drying and allowing drivers to push progressively harder, tumbling lap times by up to a second per lap in the middle phase.
Ferrari wasted no time asserting dominance as Antonio Giovinazzi in the factory No. 51 Ferrari 499P LMH set the early benchmark with a sharp 1:31.586 in the closing minutes, edging out Robert Kubica’s No. 83 AF Corse entry.
However, the headline narrative was Marco Sørensen’s No. 009 Aston Martin Valkyrie crashing heavily at the Tamburello complex just over an hour and a half into the opening session.
The impact left the Valkyrie with substantial structural damage, forcing the British squad to shift quickly into repair mode while the car was effectively sidelined for much of the remainder of the day.
Sørensen walked away unscathed and was taken to the medical center only for precautionary checks, but the incident put a significant dent in Aston Martin’s planned running program.
Transitioning to the afternoon, Antonio Fuoco elevated the Scuderia’s stronghold in the No. 50 Ferrari 499P, beating Antonio Giovinazzi’s morning mark by four tenths to a session-best 1:31.177.
Robert Kubica responded valiantly in the No. 83 but fell just 0.126 seconds off the benchmark, while Giovinazzi’s No. 51 sealed a flawless Ferrari 1-2-3 lockout.
BMW Team WRT closed the gap impressively with Robin Frijns in the No. 20 securing fourth overall as Jules Gounon’s No. 36 Alpine A424 pipped Charles Milesi’s No. 35 by 0.004 seconds for fifth.
Ferrari 499P Hypercar revealed with revised livery and aero for 2026 WEC
Genesis GMR‑001 Hypercar liveries revealed ahead of 2026 WEC debut
Loic Duval’s No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 slotted seventh followed by the recovering No. 15 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Kevin Magnussen in eighth after morning woes, while Sebastien Buemi’s No. 8 Toyota improved to ninth, though still off the pace.
Harry Tincknell brought the surviving No. 007 Aston Martin Valkyrie home in 12th with Earl Bamber’s No. 38 emerging as the best of Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.Rs in 13th.
Genesis Magma Racing brought up the rear of the Hypercar field as it prepares for its WEC race debut but each of the GMR-001s notched up over 90 laps in the afternoon with a best time of 1:33.618 from Mathieu Jaminet.
Heart of Racing Aston Martin sets LMGT3 benchmark
LMGT3 class remained fiercely competitive, with Mattia Drudi’s No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo topping the 2026 WEC Imola prologue with a 1:42.698 lap.
Alessio Rovera who had topped the morning session in the No. 21 Ferrari fought back to claim second, just 0.051s off Drudi, while Tom Fleming’s No. 10 Garage 59 McLaren slotted into third.
Charlie Eastwood’s No. 34 TF Sport Corvette managed fourth, followed by Jonny Edgar in the sister No. 33 Corvette, with just two tenths covering the top five.
Two brief red flags punctuated the afternoon session: the first due to an “issue with the electrical network” while the second was triggered after Jose Maria Lopez’s No. 87 Lexus RC F GT3 spun at Acqua Minerali.
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