A dramatic qualifying session in the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship in Imola kept everything open until the very end. While Ferrari secured the expected pole position, the margin was incredibly tight.
For a long time, it looked like Ryo Hirakawa in the Toyota #8 could cause a surprise. However, in the final attempt, Antonio Giovinazzi in the Ferrari #51 countered and took the lead with a time of 1:30.127 minutes. The gap was only 0.011 seconds.
Previously, Hirakawa had himself briefly passed Antonio Fuoco in the sister car #50, leaving him just behind. In total, the first four Hypercars were within a mere tenth of a second of each other. Malthe Jakobsen in the Peugeot #94 also mixed it at the front, confirming the team's strong form from the practice sessions.
Behind the top four, Cadillac's #12 surprised in fifth, as the Imola track has not traditionally been one of the manufacturer's strongest showings. This was followed by another Toyota and the Alpine #35. The privateer Ferrari #83 completed the top eight, with Robert Kubica missing the best time by only a few tenths of a second – yet several cars were between him and pole.
For BMW, the Hyperpole was less successful: although both cars qualified for the final round, they did not play a decisive role there and will start from the back of the field.
Not all manufacturers were able to seize their opportunities. Alpine, Cadillac, and Peugeot each lost a vehicle before the decisive phase. The qualifying session was disappointing for Aston Martin: Both Valkyries failed to make it into Hyperpole and will start from the midfield.
Even the new Genesis prototypes couldn't keep up on their debut and will start the race from the back rows. It was noticeable that one car on medium tires was faster than its sister car on the soft compound.
An accurate assessment of the balance of power remains difficult as the WEC does not publish the balance of performance data for the 2026 season.
LMGT3: Garage 59 Secures Pole Position in Debut
In the LMGT3 category, qualifying followed the familiar format: first, the amateur drivers went in search of times, before the Silver drivers took over in the Hyperpole.
Antares Au won in the McLaren from Garage 59 here. With a best time of 1:41.181 minutes, the team secured pole position directly in its first WEC appearance.
Two Lexus vehicles lined up behind them, followed by the two BMWs from WRT. Also represented in the hyperpole were, among others, a Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, Porsche, Ford, and Corvette. Aston Martin, on the other hand, missed out on qualifying for the decisive session.