WEC: FERRARI KEEPS DOMINANCE; GARAGE 59 STROMS TO POLE ON DEBUT - Motorsportsclicks

The #51 Ferrari, with Antonio Giovinazzi behind the wheel, sent the home crowd wild as he snatched pole position, edging out Ryō Hirakawa by just 0.011 seconds. Hirakawa’s 1.30.138 in the Toyota looked enough, but Giovinazzi found just enough extra pace to beat it at the line.

The session marked the first pole of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season, and it couldn’t have been closer. Ferrari also secured third place, with Antonio Fuoco putting the #50 499P just behind the leading Toyota with a 1.30.157 lap, sandwiching the #8 car between the two Ferraris.

One of the biggest surprises came from Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, as Malthe Jakobsen delivered a standout lap of 1.30.200 to put Peugeot in contention. Just 0.073 seconds covered the top four cars, making it one of the tightest qualifying sessions seen in WEC.

Before Hyperpole, Fuoco had already shown Ferrari’s pace by going fastest in the initial qualifying session. His 1.30.088s lap in the #50 Ferrari AF Corse entry secured a strong run into the top ten shootout.

There was disappointment for several teams in the earlier phase, though. Both Aston Martin entries were knocked out, along with the two Genesis Magma Racing cars. They were joined by the #93 Peugeot, the #36 Alpine, and the #38 Cadillac, all missing the cut for Hyperpole.

LGMT3 – DEBUT POLE FOR GARAGE 59

IMOLA, ITALY – APRIL 18: The #10 Garage 59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo of Antares Au, Thomas Fleming and Marvin Kirchhofer celebrate pole position in LMGT3 during the World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Imola at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 16, 2026 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Jakob Ebrey/LAT Images)

In LMGT3, Garage 59 made an immediate impact on debut as rookie Tom Fleming delivered a standout performance in the Hyperpole session.

For most of the ten-minute shootout, Fleming looked completely in control, lighting up the timing screens with fastest sectors and setting the pace. Other contenders tried to close the gap towards the end, no one was able to match the Flemmings pace, who held on to secure an impressive pole position with a 1.41.181.

The Akkodis ASP Team locked out second and third position. Hadrien David put the #78 Lexus RC F into second place, finishing 0.226 seconds off the top time, while his teammate Clemens Schmid took third in the sister #87 car. Schmid’s session wasn’t without mistake, as he ran through the gravel at Rivazza on his fast lap, costing him a potential shot at pole.

The session came to an abrupt end with a red flag in the closing stages after the #34 Corvette from Racing Team Turkey by TF Sport spun into the gravel at Piratella.