Robert Kubica topped the timesheets in Free Practice 1 for the 2026 World Endurance Championship season opening 6 Hours of Imola as Ferrari locked out the top three spots.
Under clear skies and optimal track conditions, the 90-minute session unfolded smoothly, allowing teams to shake off the winter cobwebs and fine-tune their machines ahead of the high-stakes weekend battle on Italian soil.
Kubica, piloting the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, etched his name into the headlines with a blistering lap time of 1:31.739 on a full set of soft Michelin tires, showcasing the Prancing Horse’s strong form just days after dominating the 2026 World Endurance Championship Prologue at the same venue.
From the moment the pit lane opened at 10:15 a.m. local time, drivers hit the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari with purpose, the air buzzing with anticipation for the new campaign following a disrupted preseason due to geopolitical shifts that canceled the Qatar opener.
Kubica wasted little time asserting authority, circulating early on fresh softs while rivals experimented with mixed compounds—softs on the left side for grip in high-speed sections like Tamburello and Piratella, paired with mediums on the right to manage tire wear through the technical chicanes.
His lap threaded the needle through Imola’s demanding layout, dipping just 0.023 seconds ahead of Antonio Fuoco in the works No. 50 Ferrari 499P, who responded valiantly but couldn’t breach the satellite squad’s early marker.
Antonio Giovinazzi meanwhile slotted the No. 51 into third, 0.243s adrift, completing a stunning Ferrari 1-2-3 sweep that boded well for their championship defense.
Will Stevens emerged as the best non-Ferrari runner in the No. 12 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R, posting the fourth fastest time, as Peugeot mounted a strong counter in fifth and sixth with Malthe Jakobsen’s No. 94 9X8 edging Stoffel Vandoorne’s No. 93 by just 0.105s.
Sebastien Buemi landed the newly revamped Toyota TR010 Hybrid in seventh, nearly nine tenths off the benchmark but encouraging given the session’s emphasis on setup validation rather than outright pace.
Charles Milesi slotted the No. 35 Alpine A424 into eighth as BMW M Hybrid V8s rounded out the top ten—the No. 15 BMW pipping the No. 20.
Further back, debutants Genesis Magma Racing impressed in 15th and 17th with the GMR-001 LMDhs, their 1:33.227 best just 1.5 seconds shy, a promising outing for the Korean upstart that completed 45 laps without mechanical issues, signaling readiness for the endurance grind.
The No. 009 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie, rebounding from a Prologue crash with a new tub, managed 16th after 40 laps.
Charlie Eastwood’s TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette paces LMGT3
Shifting focus to the fiercely contested LMGT3 class, Charlie Eastwood dominated the first WEC Imola practice in the No. 34 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, unleashing a 1:42.678 that stood unchallenged.
Eastwood’s flyer came mid-session as he capitalized on the Corvette’s torque advantage out of slow corners like Tosa, pulling 0.170s clear of Finn Gehrsitz in the No. 58 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, who surged late despite his teammate Antares Au’s earlier excursion at Tamburello that drew the first FCY.
Mattia Drudi’s No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo claimed third, edging out the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo of Alessio Rovera, who had briefly topped the times early before Eastwood’s benchmark.
The No. 10 Garage 59 McLaren recovered to fifth post-incident, with Rui Andrade’s No. 61 Mercedes-AMG enduring a brush with Darren Leung’s No. 32 WRT BMW that triggered the second FCY.
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