Ferrari has made it two-from-two within the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship on residence soil at Imola in the present day, sending the devoted tifosi into delirium because the #51 crew of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi transformed pole place into victory
In a race that majored on strategic ability and astute tyre alternative, the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P Hypercar all the time seemed almost definitely to win – at one stage holding a lead of virtually half-a-minute over its closest pursuer – however a sequence of incidents and twists-and-turns meant the consequence may by no means be taken without any consideration.
Certainly, a second security automotive intervention with simply over two hours remaining on the clock shuffled the pack, however regardless of coming beneath stress from Porsche, Toyota and BMW, the #51 crew boldly held their nerve across the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari to take the chequered flag virtually ten seconds to the nice.
“It’s been an outstanding weekend,” acknowledged Giovinazzi, who stays undefeated in Hyperpole in FIA WEC in 2025. “Since Friday, we’ve all the time been on prime. There have been numerous Full Course Yellows and security vehicles within the race, which isn’t straightforward to handle in any respect, however the crew did a implausible job and we have been capable of take all the appropriate choices. The automotive was implausible, my team-mates have been implausible and the tifosi have been implausible. It’s been an incredible Sunday!”
The success – Ferrari’s first general endurance racing win on Italian soil as a manufacturing facility effort since 1973 – has vaulted Giovinazzi, Calado and Pier Guidi to the summit of the Drivers’ standings with 1 / 4 of the season now within the rear-view mirror, whereas the Prancing Horse maintains a wholesome benefit within the chase for the Producers’ crown.
BMW and Alpine exploited another technique to say the remaining two locations on the rostrum. Regardless of René Rast choosing up rear wing harm in a conflict with Mike Conway’s Toyota on the Curva Gresini, the #20 BMW M Group WRT Hypercar the German shares with Robin Frijns and Sheldon van der Linde fought again to clinch second.
That marked the trio’s maiden prime three end within the championship, with Alpine Endurance Group benefiting from a robust qualifying efficiency to spherical out the podium in third, as Mick Schumacher, Jules Gounon and Frédéric Makowiecki wound up lower than 4 seconds additional in arrears.
AF Corse sealed FIA World Cup for Hypercar Groups honours in fourth with its Robert Kubica, Philip Hanson and Yifei Ye-piloted Ferrari, adopted by the most effective of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing entries – the #8 GR010 Hybrid – in fifth.
Sébastien Buemi was one of many stars of the race throughout his stint behind the wheel, because the Swiss star unleashed a defensive masterclass to maintain Ferrari’s Antonio Fuoco at bay. The Italian’s team-mate Nicklas Nielsen introduced spectators to their ft early on, as he scythed his method by the sector from final on the 18-car grid up into the highest six.
The #15 BMW was one other podium protagonist earlier than in the end slipping to sixth forward of the #7 Toyota, with 2024 Drivers’ champions Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor scoring their first factors of the season in eighth. Very like Buemi, the pair’s stablemate within the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 Hypercar, Matt Campbell, was a standout performer because the Australian confidently fended off a decided Giovinazzi for lap-after-lap within the fourth hour on higher-mileage tyres.
For the primary time in FIA WEC historical past, race winners obtained the FIA President’s Medals following in the present day’s 6 Hours of Imola. Calado, Giovinazzi and Pier Guidi have been awarded private keepsakes envisioned by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem as a tangible image of success, which they obtained from the arms of Gian Carlo Minardi. Crafted from 100% recycled supplies, the medals honour success whereas representing innovation and reflecting the FIA’s dedication to sustainability.
REIGNING CHAMPIONS DENY HOME HERO IN LMGT3
In LMGT3, defending champion Manthey opened its account for the season with a win for the 911, as Richard Lietz fended off BMW’s Kelvin van der Linde in a tense duel that went proper the way in which right down to the road, narrowly denying residence hero and pole-sitter Valentino Rossi a well-known residence triumph.
The Imola crowd was handled to a nail-biting end within the LMGT3 class, as – for the second occasion in succession – the battle for glory went proper right down to the wire.
This time, Qatar duellists Corvette and McLaren have been changed by Porsche and BMW. Having secured pole place in qualifying within the arms of a number of MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi, the Group WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 EVO carried that stellar type over into the race, with Ahmad Al-Harthy opening up an early lead earlier than his Italian team-mate additional elevated the crew’s benefit.
Sadly, a subsequent conflict between the house hero and Simon Mann within the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari that pitched the latter into the Rivazza gravel entice resulted in a stop-and-go penalty, dropping the BMW to eighth.
A searing cost by Kelvin van der Linde then hauled the #46 automotive proper onto the tail of race chief Richard Lietz within the closing levels, however attempt as he may, the South African was unable to prise the door open as his Manthey 1st Phorm rival resolutely stood his floor within the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3.
The Austrian’s dogged defence delivered reigning LMGT3 title-winner Manthey its first victory of the marketing campaign following a disappointing curtain-raising contest in Qatar, whereas forcing fan-favourite Rossi to accept the runner-up spoils in his residence race for the second consecutive 12 months. After combating up on the sharp finish all through, Akkodis ASP Group took third and fourth, thereby cementing Lexus’ breakthrough podium end in FIA WEC competitors.
Spherical three of the 2025 FIA WEC marketing campaign – the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, in Belgium – will happen on 8-10 Could.
