2026 6 Hours of Imola

Italy 2026 6 Hours of Imola
Event information
Round 1 of 8 in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship
Date19 April 2026
LocationImola
VenueAutodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari
Duration6 hours
Results
Laps completed213
Distance (km)1045.61
Distance (miles)649.71
Hypercar
Pole position
Time1:30.127
TeamItaly Ferrari AF Corse
DriversItaly Antonio Giovinazzi
Winners
TeamJapan Toyota Racing
DriversSwitzerland Sébastien Buemi
New Zealand Brendon Hartley
Japan Ryo Hirakawa
LMGT3
Winners
TeamBelgium Team WRT
DriversUnited Kingdom Dan Harper
United States Anthony McIntosh
Canada Parker Thompson

The 2026 6 Hours of Imola was an endurance sportscar racing event, held between 17 and 19 April 2026, as the first of eight rounds of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. It was the fourth running of the event, and the third consecutive running of the event as part of the World Endurance Championship.

Background

The event was announced on 13 June 2025, during the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend.[1] After the 2026 Qatar 1812 km was postponed until October due to the 2026 Iran war, the 6 Hours of Imola became the opening round of the season.[2]

Entry list

The entry list was published on 7 April 2026 and consisted of 35 entries across 2 categories – 17 in Hypercar and 18 in LMGT3.[3] Alex Lynn was scheduled to drive the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota entry but underwent an operation on his neck prior to the race for an "ongoing neck injury".[4] Also absent from the Hypercar's entry list were Cadillac's Jack Aitken (No. 38), as well as BMW's Dries Vanthoor (No. 15) and Sheldon van der Linde (No. 20), due to driving duties at the IMSA's 2026 Grand Prix of Long Beach held at the same weekend.[5] In the LMGT3 category, Aston Martin Academy graduate Kobe Pauwels made his debut in place of The Heart of Racing's Eduardo Barrichello (No. 23) due to similar clashing commitments,[6] while Corvette TF Sport's Ben Keating (No. 33) was injured in a training accident and was replaced by Blake McDonald.[7]

Schedule

Date Time (local: CEST) Event
Friday, 17 April 10:15 Free Practice 1
15:15 Free Practice 2
Saturday, 18 April 10:30 Free Practice 3
14:30 Qualifying - LMGT3
14:50 Hyperpole - LMGT3
15:10 Qualifying - Hypercar
15:30 Hyperpole - Hypercar
Sunday, 19 April 13:00 Race
Source:[8]

Practice

Three practice sessions were held before the event: two on Friday, and one on Saturday. The sessions on Friday morning and Friday afternoon lasted 90 minutes, and the session on Saturday morning lasted 60 minutes.[8]

Practice 1

Class No. Entrant Driver Time
Hypercar 83 Italy AF Corse Poland Robert Kubica 1:31.739
LMGT3 34 Turkey Racing Team Turkey by TF Republic of Ireland Charlie Eastwood 1:42.678
Source:[9][10]
  • Note: Only the fastest car in each class is shown.

Practice 2

Class No. Entrant Driver Time
Hypercar 35 France Alpine Endurance Team France Charles Milesi 1:30.898
LMGT3 23 United States Heart of Racing Team Belgium Kobe Pauwels 1:42.081
Source:[11][12]
  • Note: Only the fastest car in each class is shown.

Practice 3

Class No. Entrant Driver Time
Hypercar 50 Italy Ferrari AF Corse Italy Antonio Fuoco 1:30.370
LMGT3 27 United States Heart of Racing Team Italy Mattia Drudi 1:41.973
Source:[13][14]
  • Note: Only the fastest car in each class is shown.

Qualifying

Qualifying results

Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.

Pos. Class No. Team Qualifying Hyperpole Grid
1 Hypercar 51 Italy Ferrari AF Corse 1:30.341 1:30.127 1
2 Hypercar 8 Japan Toyota Racing 1:30.471 1:30.138 2
3 Hypercar 50 Italy Ferrari AF Corse 1:30.088 1:30.167 3
4 Hypercar 94 France Peugeot TotalEnergies 1:30.309 1:30.200 4
5 Hypercar 12 United States Cadillac Hertz Team Jota 1:30.644 1:30.419 5
6 Hypercar 7 Japan Toyota Racing 1:30.274 1:30.432 6
7 Hypercar 35 France Alpine Endurance Team 1:30.420 1:30.469 7
8 Hypercar 83 Italy AF Corse 1:30.215 1:30.508 8
9 Hypercar 20 Belgium BMW M Team WRT 1:30.576 1:30.618 9
10 Hypercar 15 Belgium BMW M Team WRT 1:30.640 1:30.801 10
11 Hypercar 36 France Alpine Endurance Team 1:30.682 11
12 Hypercar 007 United Kingdom Aston Martin THOR Team 1:30.806 12
13 Hypercar 38 United States Cadillac Hertz Team Jota 1:30.867 13
14 Hypercar 009 United Kingdom Aston Martin THOR Team 1:30.967 14
15 Hypercar 93 France Peugeot TotalEnergies 1:30.995 15
16 Hypercar 19 South Korea Genesis Magma Racing 1:31.258 16
17 Hypercar 17 South Korea Genesis Magma Racing 1:32.216 17
18 LMGT3 10 United Kingdom Garage 59 1:43.038 1:41.181 18
19 LMGT3 78 France Akkodis ASP Team 1:42.815 1:41.407 19
20 LMGT3 87 France Akkodis ASP Team 1:43.009 1:41.545 20
21 LMGT3 69 Belgium Team WRT 1:42.315 1:41.591 21
22 LMGT3 32 Belgium Team WRT 1:42.428 1:41.812 22
23 LMGT3 61 Italy Iron Lynx 1:42.810 1:42.092 23
24 LMGT3 21 Italy Vista AF Corse 1:42.940 1:42.230 24
25 LMGT3 91 Germany Manthey DK Engineering 1:43.081 1:42.265 25
26 LMGT3 88 Germany Proton Competition 1:42.912 1:42.435 26
27 LMGT3 34 Turkey Racing Team Turkey by TF 1:43.081 No time 27
28 LMGT3 92 Germany The Bend Manthey 1:43.093 28
29 LMGT3 27 United States Heart of Racing Team 1:43.106 29
30 LMGT3 77 Germany Proton Competition 1:43.241 30
31 LMGT3 33 United Kingdom TF Sport 1:43.281 31
32 LMGT3 23 United States Heart of Racing Team 1:43.336 32
33 LMGT3 58 United Kingdom Garage 59 1:43.364 33
34 LMGT3 79 Italy Iron Lynx 1:43.522 34
35 LMGT3 54 Italy Vista AF Corse 1:43.999 35
Source:[15][16]

Race

Race results

The minimum number of laps for classification (70% of overall winning car's distance) was 150 laps. Class winners are in bold and ‡.

Pos Class No. Team Drivers Car Tires Laps Time/Retired
Engine
1 Hypercar 8 Japan Toyota Racing Switzerland Sébastien Buemi
New Zealand Brendon Hartley
Japan Ryo Hirakawa		 Toyota TR010 Hybrid M 213 6:00:34.717‡
Toyota H8909 3.5 L Turbo V6
2 Hypercar 51 Italy Ferrari AF Corse United Kingdom James Calado
Italy Antonio Giovinazzi
Italy Alessandro Pier Guidi		 Ferrari 499P M 213 +13.352
Ferrari F163CG 3.0 L Turbo V6
3 Hypercar 7 Japan Toyota Racing United Kingdom Mike Conway
Japan Kamui Kobayashi
Netherlands Nyck de Vries		 Toyota TR010 Hybrid M 213 +41.187
Toyota H8909 3.5 L Turbo V6
4 Hypercar 35 France Alpine Endurance Team Portugal António Félix da Costa
Austria Ferdinand Habsburg
France Charles Milesi		 Alpine A424 M 213 +59.385
Alpine V634 3.4 L Turbo V6
5 Hypercar 20 Belgium BMW M Team WRT Netherlands Robin Frijns
Germany René Rast		 BMW M Hybrid V8 M 213 +1:00.543
BMW P66/3 4.0 L Turbo V8
6 Hypercar 50 Italy Ferrari AF Corse Italy Antonio Fuoco
Spain Miguel Molina
Denmark Nicklas Nielsen		 Ferrari 499P M 213 +1:00.901
Ferrari F163CG 3.0 L Turbo V6
7 Hypercar 15 Belgium BMW M Team WRT Denmark Kevin Magnussen
Switzerland Raffaele Marciello		 BMW M Hybrid V8 M 213 +1:01.506
BMW P66/3 4.0 L Turbo V8
8 Hypercar 38 United States Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA New Zealand Earl Bamber
France Sébastien Bourdais		 Cadillac V-Series.R M 213 +1:01.995
Cadillac LMC55R 5.5 L V8
9 Hypercar 007 United Kingdom Aston Martin THOR Team United Kingdom Tom Gamble
United Kingdom Harry Tincknell		 Aston Martin Valkyrie M 212 +1 lap
Aston Martin RA 6.5 L V12
10 Hypercar 83 Italy AF Corse United Kingdom Philip Hanson
Poland Robert Kubica
China Yifei Ye		 Ferrari 499P M 212 +1 lap
Ferrari F163CG 3.0 L Turbo V6
11 Hypercar 36 France Alpine Endurance Team France Jules Gounon
France Frédéric Makowiecki
France Victor Martins		 Alpine A424 M 212 +1 lap
Alpine V634 3.4 L Turbo V6
12 Hypercar 94 France Peugeot TotalEnergies France Loïc Duval
Denmark Malthe Jakobsen
France Théo Pourchaire		 Peugeot 9X8 M 212 +1 lap
Peugeot X6H 2.6 L Turbo V6
13 Hypercar 12 United States Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA France Norman Nato
United Kingdom Will Stevens		 Cadillac V-Series.R M 212 +1 lap
Cadillac LMC55R 5.5 L V8
14 Hypercar 009 United Kingdom Aston Martin THOR Team Spain Alex Riberas
Denmark Marco Sørensen		 Aston Martin Valkyrie M 212 +1 lap
Aston Martin RA 6.5 L V12
15 Hypercar 17 South Korea Genesis Magma Racing Brazil Pipo Derani
France Mathys Jaubert
Germany André Lotterer		 Genesis GMR-001 M 211 +2 laps
Genesis G8MR 3.2 L Turbo V8
16 Hypercar 93 France Peugeot TotalEnergies New Zealand Nick Cassidy
United Kingdom Paul di Resta
Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne		 Peugeot 9X8 M 210 +3 laps
Peugeot X6H 2.6 L Turbo V6
17 LMGT3 69 Belgium Team WRT United Kingdom Dan Harper
United States Anthony McIntosh
Canada Parker Thompson		 BMW M4 GT3 Evo G 194 +19 laps‡
BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6
18 LMGT3 33 United Kingdom TF Sport Netherlands Nicky Catsburg
United Kingdom Jonny Edgar
United States Blake McDonald		 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R G 194 +19 laps
Chevrolet LT6.R 5.5 L V8
19 LMGT3 92 Germany The Bend Manthey Austria Richard Lietz
Italy Riccardo Pera
Australia Yasser Shahin		 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) G 193 +20 laps
Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6
20 LMGT3 91 Germany Manthey DK Engineering Timur Boguslavskiy
United Kingdom James Cottingham
Turkey Ayhancan Güven		 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) G 193 +20 laps
Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6
21 LMGT3 32 Belgium Team WRT Brazil Augusto Farfus
Indonesia Sean Gelael
United Kingdom Darren Leung		 BMW M4 GT3 Evo G 193 +20 laps
BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6
22 LMGT3 21 Italy Vista AF Corse France François Hériau
United States Simon Mann
Italy Alessio Rovera		 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo G 193 +20 laps
Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6
23 LMGT3 58 United Kingdom Garage 59 Germany Finn Gehrsitz
Germany Benjamin Goethe
Sweden Alexander West		 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo G 193 +20 laps
McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8
24 LMGT3 88 Germany Proton Competition Italy Stefano Gattuso
Italy Giammarco Levorato
United States Logan Sargeant		 Ford Mustang GT3 Evo G 193 +20 laps
Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8
25 LMGT3 23 United States Heart of Racing Team United Kingdom Jonny Adam
United States Gray Newell
Belgium Kobe Pauwels		 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo G 193 +20 laps
Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8
26 LMGT3 77 Germany Proton Competition United States Eric Powell
United Kingdom Sebastian Priaulx
United Kingdom Ben Tuck		 Ford Mustang GT3 Evo G 193 +20 laps
Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8
27 LMGT3 54 Italy Vista AF Corse Italy Francesco Castellacci
Switzerland Thomas Flohr
Italy Davide Rigon		 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo G 192 +21 laps
Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6
28 LMGT3 79 Italy Iron Lynx Italy Matteo Cressoni
Netherlands Lin Hodenius
Italy Johannes Zelger		 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo G 192 +21 laps
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
29 Hypercar 19 South Korea Genesis Magma Racing France Paul-Loup Chatin
France Mathieu Jaminet
Spain Daniel Juncadella		 Genesis GMR-001 M 189 +24 laps
Genesis G8MR 3.2 L Turbo V8
30 LMGT3 10 United Kingdom Garage 59 Hong Kong Antares Au
United Kingdom Tom Fleming
Germany Marvin Kirchhöfer		 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo G 179 +34 laps
McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8
31 LMGT3 78 France Akkodis ASP Team France Hadrien David
France Esteban Masson
Belgium Tom Van Rompuy		 Lexus RC F GT3 G 171 +42 laps
Lexus 2UR-GSE 5.4 L V8
Ret LMGT3 61 Italy Iron Lynx Angola Rui Andrade
Australia Martin Berry
Belgium Maxime Martin		 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo G 166 Power loss
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
Ret LMGT3 34 Turkey Racing Team Turkey by TF Republic of Ireland Peter Dempsey
Republic of Ireland Charlie Eastwood
Turkey Salih Yoluç		 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R G 162 Electrical
Chevrolet LT6.R 5.5 L V8
Ret LMGT3 27 United States Heart of Racing Team Italy Mattia Drudi
United Kingdom Ian James
Canada Zacharie Robichon		 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo G 146 Suspension
Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8
Ret LMGT3 87 France Akkodis ASP Team Argentina José María López
Austria Clemens Schmid
Romania Răzvan Umbrărescu		 Lexus RC F GT3 G 32 Transmission
Lexus 2UR-GSE 5.4 L V8
Source:[17]

Championship standings after the race

Hypercar


LMGT3

See also

References

  1. ↑ Goodwin, Graham; Little, Martin; O'Connell, RJ; Kilbey, Stephen (13 June 2025). "2026 FIA WEC Calendar Revealed". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  2. ↑ Kilbey, Stephen (6 March 2026). "WEC shifts pre-season Prologue test to Imola". RACER.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  3. ↑ "La liste des engagés aux 6H d'Imola révélée - Endurance Info". www.endurance-info.com (in French). 8 April 2026. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  4. ↑ Lickorish, Stephen (9 April 2026). "Lynn to Miss First Two Rounds Amid Neck Treatment". Sportscar365. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  5. ↑ Kilbey, Stephen (17 April 2026). "6H Imola Hypercar Preview". DailySportsCar. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  6. ↑ Lickorish, Stephen (7 April 2026). "Pauwels to Contest Imola Opener in Place of Barrichello". Sportscar365. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  7. ↑ Lickorish, Stephen (3 April 2026). "McDonald Replaces Injured Keating for Opening Rounds". Sportscar365. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  8. 1 2 "6 Hours of Imola 2026". www.fiawec.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2026. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "FIA WEC – 6 Hours of Imola Free Practice 1 – Final Classification" (PDF). FIAWEC Alkamel. Alkamel Systems. 17 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "FIA WEC – 6 Hours of Imola Free Practice 1 – Final Classification by Driver Fastest Lap" (PDF). FIAWEC Alkamel. Alkamel Systems. 17 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "FIA WEC – 6 Hours of Imola Free Practice 2 – Final Classification" (PDF). FIAWEC Alkamel. Alkamel Systems. 17 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "FIA WEC – 6 Hours of Imola Free Practice 2 – Final Classification by Driver Fastest Lap" (PDF). FIAWEC Alkamel. Alkamel Systems. 17 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "FIA WEC – 6 Hours of Imola Free Practice 3 – Final Classification" (PDF). FIAWEC Alkamel. Alkamel Systems. 18 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "FIA WEC – 6 Hours of Imola Free Practice 3 – Final Classification by Driver Fastest Lap" (PDF). FIAWEC Alkamel. Alkamel Systems. 18 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "FIA WEC – 6 Hours of Imola Qualifying – Final Classification" (PDF). FIAWEC Alkamel. Alkamel Systems. 18 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "FIA WEC – 6 Hours of Imola Race – Final Starting Grid" (PDF). FIAWEC Alkamel. Alkamel Systems. 19 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  17. ↑ "FIA WEC – 6 Hours of Imola Race – Final Classification" (PDF). FIAWEC Alkamel. Alkamel Systems. 19 April 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
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