– Finally, it’s starting: the World Endurance Championship (WEC) kicks off the 2026 season a bit late. After the season opener in Qatar was canceled due to the current military conflicts in the area, the start now takes place in Imola. (All information about the race)
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It is possible that manufacturers will train more intensively for qualifying than usual because “Track Position” is of utmost importance in Imola. Overtaking is hardly possible under normal conditions during the race due to the track characteristics.
On the Tuesday before the race weekend, the official prologue already took place on the track. The times will hardly be comparable, as FIA and ACO are keeping the 2026 Balance of Performance (BoP) secret.
How the practice sessions went
1st Free Practice: Ferrari immediately continued where they left off in the prologue: with a clear triple lead. Robert Kubica drove the fastest time of the session in the AF-Corse Ferrari #83 (Ye/Kubica/Hanson) in 1:31.739 minutes. ()
That was still 0.562 seconds slower than the best time from the prologue (1:31.177 by Antonio Fuoco), but 0.326 seconds faster than his own FT1 best time in 2024. In 2024, the FT1 best time also came from the yellow Ferrari, then set by Yifei Ye in 1:31.347 minutes.
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The two factory cars lined up 0.023 and 0.243 seconds behind. The best pursuer was the Cadillac #12 (Stevens/Nato; +0.444) in fourth, followed by the two Peugeot 9X8s. All manufacturers except newcomer Genesis brought at least one car into the top 10.
In LMGT3, the best time went to the TF-Sport Corvette #34 (Dempsey/Yoluc/Eastwood) in 1:42.678 minutes. Here, the prologue best time was beaten by 0.020 seconds. All manufacturers except Ford and Porsche brought vehicles into the top 10.
During the session, there were two FCY phases. Once the track had to be cleared of gravel in the Tamburello chicane, the second was called due to an inspection of the bollard in the Variante Alta. The race control had no choice but to restart the session with the warning that the foundation of the bollard was damaged.
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