The passion of Italian motorsport roared through the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on Saturday as homegrown talents Antonio Giovinazzi and Valentino Rossi delivered commanding performances in qualifying for the 6 Hours of Imola, round two of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

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Giovinazzi Unstoppable in Hypercar Pole Fight

Antonio Giovinazzi maintained his perfect record in Hyperpole this season, posting a sensational lap of 1:28.920 in the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P to secure his second consecutive pole. After edging the competition in Qatar by 0.136 seconds, the Italian widened the gap at Imola to an impressive 0.758 seconds.

“The atmosphere here is incredible,” Giovinazzi beamed post-session. “To take pole at home in front of all these passionate fans is something else. The car’s been dialed in since Free Practice 1.”

Joining the pole-sitting Ferrari on the front row is the #83 AF Corse entry driven by Robert Kubica. Despite suffering a mechanical setback in FP3, Kubica delivered when it counted, clocking a 1:29.678 to complete a Ferrari front-row lockout.

BMW M Team WRT’s Dries Vanthoor claimed third with a 1:29.885 in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, narrowly ahead of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Ryō Hirakawa and Nyck de Vries, who were separated by just 0.001 seconds in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Further down the grid, Mick Schumacher secured a strong sixth for Alpine Endurance Team. Notably, reigning champion Kévin Estre continued to face difficulties, placing tenth for Porsche Penske Motorsport. The #50 Ferrari AF Corse, last year’s pole-sitter with Antonio Fuoco, will start 18th after being penalized for a track limits violation.

Rossi Captures First LMGT3 Pole in BMW M4

Valentino Rossi, a legend on two wheels, is proving just as formidable on four. The Italian fan favorite delighted the Imola faithful by taking pole in the LMGT3 class with a time of 1:42.530 in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

Despite a deleted lap for exceeding track limits, Rossi regrouped to edge out Akkodis ASP’s Clemens Schmid, who set a 1:42.857 in the Lexus RC F GT3. Aston Martin’s Zacharie Robichon rounded out the top three with a 1:42.987 for Heart of Racing.

“I had a bit of fun with the track limits, but we made it work,” Rossi joked. “It’s a special feeling to do this at Imola with so much support from the crowd.”

Team WRT’s performance was built on a strong foundation, with teammate Ahmad Al-Harthy delivering a rapid lap in the opening segment of qualifying to set up Rossi’s run. The team now sets its sights on repeating last year’s LMGT3 victory.

Meanwhile, Qatar class winner Ben Keating had a tougher outing, qualifying 16th in the TF Sport Corvette.