IMOLA WEC FP1 & FP2: FERRARI STRONG, ALPINE SURPRISES, CLOSE FIGHT AHEAD
The opening day of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship at Imola began under warm spring sunshine, with 35 cars from 14 manufacturers taking to the track. In the first free practice session, Ferrari immediately showed its strength on home soil. Robert Kubica set the fastest time in the AF Corse #83 Ferrari 499P, continuing the car’s tradition of topping FP1 at Imola.
He was closely followed by Antonio Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari, while the #51 car of Giovinazzi, Pier Guidi and Calado completed a clean Ferrari top three. The tifosi had plenty to cheer for, as the Italian team looked comfortable and in control early on.
Behind Ferrari, Cadillac placed fourth with the JOTA entry, while Peugeot impressed with both cars finishing fifth and sixth. Toyota ended up seventh with the #8, still preparing for the race debut of its updated car.
Alpine and BMW completed the top ten, while Genesis made a quiet but solid start to its first WEC weekend. In LMGT3, Corvette led the way thanks to Charlie Eastwood, with McLaren and Aston Martin close behind. The session saw a couple of interruptions with Full Course Yellows after minor incidents, but overall it was a smooth start to the weekend.
Free Practice 2
In the second free practice session, the picture changed slightly. Alpine stepped forward and set the fastest time of the day, with Charles Milesi being the only driver to lap under 1 minute 31 seconds.
Toyota followed in second place, showing strong pace, while Ferrari dropped to third and fourth but still looked very competitive, especially over longer runs. The two Ferrari 499Ps completed over 100 laps combined, suggesting good consistency for the race.
The field remained extremely close, with the top 15 Hypercars separated by around one second. Peugeot continued its solid form, BMW stayed in the mix, and Aston Martin’s Valkyrie managed to enter the top ten. Cadillac, however, was slightly further back, and Genesis still had some ground to make up in its debut.
In LMGT3, the fight at the front was mainly between Aston Martin and Lexus, constantly swapping positions. Corvette and Ferrari followed, while Mercedes also placed both cars inside the top ten. Porsche, McLaren, BMW and Ford struggled more, lacking pace compared to the leaders.
Overall, Ferrari looked strong and consistent across both sessions, especially in race pace, but Alpine’s outright speed in FP2 and Toyota’s steady performance suggest a very close fight ahead for the race at Imola.
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