Ferrari is launching its WEC season on home soil and fully intends to maintain its leading position.

Five and a half months after their historic victory in Bahrain, Ferrari is back on track. On April 19th, the Team will compete in the 6 Hours of Imola, the first event of a season WEC which was originally scheduled to open in Qatar before the Middle Eastern round was postponed to October. For the first time in the championship's history, the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is hosting both the Prologue—the official collective tests on April 14—and the opening race. This unprecedented lineup makes Emilia-Romagna the world capital of...Endurance for this week in mid-April.

This return to competition comes after a 162-day hiatus, a winter during which the teams worked within the testing limits permitted by the regulations. For Ferrari, which enters 2026 in the position of the hunted rather than the hunter—the paradox of the champion—the stakes of this opening race go beyond mere results. It's about validating the development strategies adopted during the off-season and immediately assessing the competition, which has also improved.

Three cars, three ambitions

Ferrari is once again fielding three 499Ps in the Hypercar class this year. The #50 car is driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, who are looking to build on their 2025 performance: a victory at Losail, three more podium finishes at Spa, Austin, and Bahrain, a pole position in Belgium, and third place in the Drivers' Championship. The #51 prototype is entrusted to the reigning world champions, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi, winners at Imola and Spa last season, who also secured two Hyperpoles and clinched the Drivers' Championship title at the end of the season.

The last car, number 83, entered by the private AF Corse team for the third consecutive year, features Yifei Ye, Phil Hanson, and Robert Kubica. These three triumphed at 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025 — Ferrari's third consecutive victory at Le Mans, each time with a different driver lineup — and they finish second in the Drivers' Championship. They arrive at Imola as defenders of the "FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams" title reserved for independent teams, a title they fully intend to retain.

A refurbished 499P

Winter wasn't just a period of rest. The 499P underwent re-homologation in a new American wind tunnel, in accordance with the new regulations applicable to the entire grid. This mandatory step required several aerodynamic modifications to reposition the car within the performance window defined by the regulations. Michelin also introduced new tires for the 2026 season, adding another variable for all the teams to manage.

Imola will therefore be the first full-scale test to measure the concrete impact of these changes in real race conditions. The task promises to be delicate on such a demanding track, with its significant elevation changes, its legendary corners—Tosa, Acque Minerali, Rivazza—and its slim margin for error. Finding the right aerodynamic balance and validating the behavior of the new tires from the very first kilometers will be an absolute priority for the three Ferrari crews.

Inaugurated in 1953 and named in honor of Enzo Ferrari and his son Dino, the Imola circuit only joined the WEC calendar in 2024. In just two editions, Ferrari has already etched its name in the record books: victory for car #51 in 2025, with pole position to boot. The 6 Hours of Imola starts at 13 p.m. this Sunday, April 19, with a scheduled finish at 19 p.m. Qualifying and Hyperpole take place the day before, Saturday, April 18, starting at 15:10 p.m. The next round of the World Endurance Championship will be held in France, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, from June 10 to 14, where Ferrari will be aiming for a fourth consecutive victory on the Mulsanne Straight.

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