Ferrari has made it two-from-two within the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship on dwelling soil at Imola immediately, sending the devoted tifosi into delirium because the #51 crew of Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi transformed pole place into victory
In a race that majored on strategic talent and astute tyre alternative, the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P Hypercar all the time regarded most probably to win – at one stage holding a lead of virtually half-a-minute over its closest pursuer – however a collection of incidents and twists-and-turns meant the outcome 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 underneath 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 nearly ten seconds to the great.
“It’s been an excellent weekend,” acknowledged Giovinazzi, who stays undefeated in Hyperpole in FIA WEC in 2025. “Since Friday, we’ve all the time been on high. There have been a whole lot of Full Course Yellows and security vehicles within the race, which isn’t simple to handle in any respect, however the group did a improbable job and we had been capable of take all the fitting choices. The automotive was improbable, my team-mates had been improbable and the tifosi had been improbable. It’s been an incredible Sunday!”
The success – Ferrari’s first general endurance racing win on Italian soil as a manufacturing unit 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 an alternate technique to assert 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 high 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 means via the sphere from final on the 18-car grid up into the highest six.
The #15 BMW was one other podium protagonist earlier than finally 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 acquired the FIA President’s Medals following immediately’s 6 Hours of Imola. Calado Giovinazzi and Pier Guidi had been awarded a private souvenir envisioned by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem as a tangible image of success. 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 dwelling hero and pole-sitter Valentino Rossi a well-known dwelling 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 had been changed by Porsche and BMW. Having secured pole place in qualifying within the palms 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 lure 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 would possibly, 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 dwelling race for the second consecutive yr. 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.
