In a thrilling qualifying session at the Imola race track in Italy today, the FIA World Endurance Championship witnessed the roar of the Prancing Horse as Ferrari clinched the Hypercar pole position. Here’s a breakdown of the key moments and results:

  • Top Three: Antonio Fuoco of Ferrari AF Corse secured pole position with a blistering lap time of 1m29.466s, marking both his and Ferrari’s third FIA WEC pole. Robert Shwartzman in the No.83 AF Corse 499P followed closely, just 0.419s behind Fuoco. Alessandro Pier Guidi in the No.51 AF Corse 499P completed Ferrari’s dominance, securing third place with a time of 1m29.953s.
  • Non-Ferrari Contenders: The No.6 Porsche Penske 963 of Kevin Estre emerged as the best of the non-Ferraris, taking fourth place. Matt Campbell, despite a trip across the Tamburello gravel trap, managed to recover and secure fifth place in the No.5 Porsche Penske.
  • Toyota’s Performance: Kamui Kobayashi in the No.7 Toyota GR010 Hypercar claimed sixth place, while Brendon Hartley, in the sister car, suffered a spin at Tosa, ending the Hyperpole session prematurely.
  • Top Ten: The remaining positions in the top ten were secured by the No.20 BMW M Team (Rene Rast), No.8 Toyota Gazoo Racing (Brendon Hartley), No.12 Hertz Team Jota (Callum Ilott), and No.99 Proton Competition Porsche (Julien Andlauer).

Despite the threat of rain, the qualifying sessions proceeded smoothly, with the only notable incident occurring in the first session when Dries Vanthoor spun in the No.15 BMW at Piratella.

LMGT3 Pole Position

In the LMGT3 category, Aliaksandr Malykhin driving the Manthey PureRxcing Porsche 911 RSR continued their exceptional form, clinching pole position with a lap time of 1m42.365s, 0.692s ahead of the competition.

  • Front Row: Joining Malykhin on the front row is the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage LMG3 driven by Ian James, who lapped in 1m43.058s.
  • Top Five: Ahmad Al Harthy in the No.46 Team WRT BMW M4 secured third place, followed by Sarah Bovy in the Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 and Giorgio Roda in the No.88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang.
  • Top Ten: Yasser Shahin in the Manthey EMA Porsche, Francois Heriau in the No.55 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari, Thomas Flohr in the No.54 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari, and James Cottingham in the No.59 United Autosports McLaren completed the top ten.

Hypercar

Qualifying for the hypercar category was met with concerns over potential rain, but the track basked in sunlight during the initial phase, with temperatures soaring close to 30°C. Ferrari’s hopes rested on Antonio Fuoco in the No.50 and Alessandro Pier Guidi in the No.51, tasked with elevating the team’s performance, while Alex Shwartzman handled the third Ferrari for AF Corse.

Despite the blistering pace of the Ferraris, both Fuoco and Shwartzman had their times invalidated due to track limit violations. Nonetheless, Fuoco managed to secure the lead in the standings.

As qualifying neared its conclusion, a BMW spun exiting Piratella, prompting a red flag. Peugeot and Alpine disappointed with their performances, while the highly anticipated Lamborghini SC63 struggled, only managing sixteenth position.

In the Hyperpole phase, anticipation soared as teams vied for pole position, crucial on a circuit notorious for its challenging overtaking opportunities.

As the sun retreated behind clouds, the two Toyotas initially dominated, with Hartley and Kobayashi leading the pack. However, with just two minutes remaining, the Ferraris stunned spectators by claiming the top three spots. Fuoco delivered an incredible lap, breaking the 1:30 barrier with a remarkable 1:29.466. Shwartzman followed in second, with Pier Guidi securing third, marking a Ferrari hat-trick with all three cars dipping below the 1:30 mark, a feat unmatched by their rivals.

Porsche and Toyota trailed behind the Ferraris, with Kevin Estre coming closest to Pier Guidi’s time.

The euphoria among spectators, who filled the lawns and stands, underscored the responsibility now resting on the Ferrari trio to deliver a strong performance in the upcoming race.

LMGT3

In the initial qualifying phase, Alex Malykhin’s Porsche led the pack, followed by Sara Bovy in a Lamborghini and Yasser Shahin in another Porsche.

Both Ferrari 296s from the AF Corse team and the BMW M4s from the WRT team advanced to the final phase.

The ten GT cars competing in the Hyperpole were separated by less than a second, promising a tense battle for drivers.

Under the blazing sun, Alex Malykhin of the Purexracing team seized the opportunity to shine, clinching pole position with a time of 1:42.365. Ian James in an Aston Martin Vantage secured second place, with Ahmad Al Harthy in a BMW M4, teammate to Valentino Rossi, claiming third.

Completing the all-BMW second row was Darren Leung.

The two AF Corse Ferraris lagged notably behind in eighth and ninth positions, over a minute behind pole, while the Corvettes and Lexus also struggled. The Ironlinx Lamborghini, unfortunately, languished at the bottom of the grid.

The WEC 6 Hours of Imola is scheduled to commence tomorrow at 13:00 local time, promising a day filled with intense racing action.

Alessio Romanò contributed to this report

 
 

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