The opening two hours of the 6 Hours of Imola have ignited the passionate Italian crowd, with Ferrari maintaining their strong early season form as James Calado and Philip Hanson controlled the Hypercar field.
However, the legendary Valentino Rossi has also set the Imola grandstands alight with a strong start in the LMGT3 category, showcasing the thrilling battles unfolding across both classes.
Hypercar Command: Ferrari 1-2, Nielsen on a Charge:
The pole-sitting #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P Hypercar, expertly piloted by James Calado in the initial stint, dominated the opening two hours of the 6 Hours of Imola.
Delighting the legions of tifosi trackside, Calado established and maintained a slender lead over the #83 AF Corse-run Ferrari 499P, driven by fellow Briton Philip Hanson. The two Prancing Horses ran in close formation, building a significant 15-second buffer over the third-placed car, the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Kevin Magnussen, indicating Ferrari’s continued pace advantage.
Adding another layer of intrigue to Ferrari’s race, Nicklas Nielsen, sharing the #50 factory Ferrari, embarked on a remarkable recovery drive, scything his way up the order from the back of the grid after a technical issue in qualifying forced them to start at the rear. By the two-hour mark, Nielsen had already made significant progress, highlighting the potential for the #50 car to factor into the later stages of the race.
LMGT3 Thriller: Al-Harthy Leads Early, Rossi Takes the Wheel:
The opening exchanges of the fiercely-contested LMGT3 class provided captivating action. Ahmad Al-Harthy shone in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3, leading the charge in the initial stages. Despite briefly relinquishing the lead to the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari of François Heriau, Al-Harthy reclaimed the initiative after the first round of pit stops when Heriau was handed a five-second penalty for a starting infringement.
However, a safety car period in the second hour prompted an earlier-than-planned second pit-stop phase, shuffling the order once again. Just before the three-hour mark, the Imola grandstands erupted as Italian hero Valentino Rossi climbed aboard the leading #46 BMW for his double stint.
While Rossi initially held the lead, he subsequently relinquished it to the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus driven by Clemens Schmid, dropping back to third position but remaining firmly in contention and keeping the home crowd on the edge of their seats. The close battles and strategic pit stops in the LMGT3 category underscore the intense competition expected throughout the remainder of the six-hour endurance event.