The 2025 World Endurance Championship campaign continued its thrilling journey at the iconic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, with the opening free practice session for this weekend’s highly anticipated 6 Hours of Imola (April 18-20).
Despite damp-but-drying track conditions, Ferrari once again asserted its early season dominance, with veteran Polish ace Robert Kubica setting the fastest lap for the Prancing Horse in FP1. This second round of the 2025 WEC season marks the 95th race since the championship’s inception in 2012, promising a captivating encounter on Imola’s challenging and undulating 4.909km, 21-turn layout, which will see 36 entries from 13 major global manufacturers battle for supremacy.
Hypercar Headlines: Ferrari on Top, Rivals Lurking:
As the 90-minute session progressed and the Imola circuit gradually dried, the times tumbled. Robert Kubica, piloting the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P Hypercar, unleashed a blistering 1m32.065s lap on his final flying attempt, placing Ferrari at the summit of the timing screens. This benchmark was a mere 0.236 seconds quicker than the #50 Ferrari AF Corse entry driven by Antonio Fuoco, who clocked in at 1m32.301s. Notably, Fuoco secured pole position for the inaugural FIA WEC race held at Imola last season, highlighting the Ferrari’s strong pedigree at this circuit.
The #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, with the experienced Alex Lynn at the wheel, showcased promising pace to secure third position. The factory #51 AF Corse Ferrari followed closely in fourth, while the sister #38 Cadillac completed the top five, indicating a strong showing from both manufacturers in the early stages of the weekend.
Sixth fastest in the Hypercar class was the #36 Alpine Endurance Team A424, featuring the talented driver lineup of Jules Gounon, former Formula 1 star Mick Schumacher, and Frédéric Makowiecki. Schumacher posted the French outfit’s best time in the session, suggesting potential for Alpine as the weekend unfolds.
The majority of the Hypercar competitors began the session on Michelin’s wet-weather tyres, carefully navigating the damp conditions. As the track surface improved, teams strategically switched to slick tyres around the 30-minute mark, allowing drivers to push for faster lap times and gather crucial data for the remainder of the weekend. Looking ahead to Sunday’s 6-hour race, tyre strategy is anticipated to be a key factor, with medium and soft tyre compounds allocated to the Hypercar teams, raising the possibility of triple-stinting the rubber to gain a competitive edge.
LMGT3 Battle: BMW Leads the Way, Rossi Shows Promise:
In the fiercely competitive LMGT3 category, Augusto Farfus emerged as the pacesetter during the 90-minute FP1 session. The experienced Brazilian driver, piloting the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 EVO shared with Timur Boguslavskiy and Yasser Shahin, set a best lap time of 1m43.330s in fully dry conditions. He narrowly edged out the #78 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F LMGT3, driven by FIA WEC returnee Esteban Masson, by a mere 0.093 seconds. Masson is stepping in for the injured Ben Barnicoat in the Japanese sportscar this weekend, partnering with Arnold Robin and Finn Gehrsitz.
Adding to the excitement for the home crowd, the #46 Team WRT BMW, featuring Italian motorcycling legend Valentino Rossi alongside Maxime Martin and Ahmad Al Harthy, was an impressive third-quickest in the LMGT3 class. Rossi’s strong showing in FP1 will undoubtedly fuel the enthusiasm of the passionate Italian fans.
Rounding out the top six in the LMGT3 category were the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari, the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus, and the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche. The Manthey Porsche team will be eager to bounce back from a challenging start to their season in Qatar and demonstrate the potential of their Porsche 911 GT3 R.