Toyota wins the 2026 Imola 6 Hours ahead of Ferrari

Champions never die. Denied a title in 2025, Toyota Toyota has started the 2026 season in the best possible way. The Japanese manufacturer, with its new TR010 Hybrid, won the 6 Hours of Imola, the opening round of the new season. With this victory, Toyota logically takes the lead in the championship, a first since Bahrain 2023!

The Japanese firm thus spoiled the party for Classic Ferrari for sale on home soil. It had almost happened on Saturday during the Hyperpole session, with Ryo Hirakawa missing out by just 11 thousandths of a second, denying the Tifosi the joy of seeing their favorite driver secure pole position. Antonio Giovinazzi ultimately put the No. 51 back at the top of the timesheets in the final seconds, but it wasn't enough to clinch the race victory on Sunday.

The difference was made after about two hours of racing. By spending less time in the pits, the No. 8 Toyota of Hirakawa, Brendon Hartley et Sébastien Buemi managed to overtake the Ferrari No. 51 of Giovinazzi, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi as they exited the pits.

Toyota Racing, as it is now called, was even close to achieving a one-two finish at the end of the six-hour race at Imola, since the No. 7 car of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike conway et Nyck de Vries It slotted into second place, also benefiting from a pit stop, but the No. 51 Ferrari ultimately reclaimed second place during the final round of pit stops.

Alpine Peugeot misses out on a podium finish

Alpine had a great race with the #35 car of Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, and António Félix da Costa. Starting seventh, the trio finished just off the podium after an aggressive start strategy on soft tires. It was more complicated for Peugeot despite Malthe Jakobsen's fine performance during the Hyperpole (4th).

On number 94, Loïc duval lost many positions in its first stint and the Sochaux-based manufacturer finished outside the points. Starting 15th on the grid, the #93 finished second to last among the Hypercars after two off-track excursions for the unfortunate Nick Cassidy, who struggled in his first race with the 9X8.

VIDEO - Nick Cassidy (Peugeot) in the gravel at the pit exit

The pleasant surprise came from Genesis. Starting from the penultimate row, the Korean manufacturer delivered a convincing performance with the No. 17 car. The final result (15th) didn't reflect the race led by André Lotterer, Mathys Jaubert, and Pipo Derani, with the Frenchman staying close to the points for much of the race (11th), keeping Nicklas Nielsen (Ferrari) behind him for several laps. The No. 19 car of Dani Juncadella, Paul-Loup Chatin, and Mathieu Jaminet lost a significant number of laps early in the race due to a sensor problem.

Garage 59 close to the feat in LMGT3

The LMGT3 once again offered magnificent battles for the lead, mainly between the McLarenThe Corvettes and the BMWs. Special mention goes to the high-flying duel between the British drivers Jonny Edgar and Thomas Fleming, side-by-side for several corners. Starting from pole position, the Garage 59 McLaren #10 was well on its way to victory with Fleming, Antares Au, and Marvin Kirchhöfer. The British team came close to achieving a remarkable feat in its very first World Championship race.Endurance, but was caught out by a mechanical problem 38 minutes from the checkered flag.

The class victory ultimately came down to a battle between the #69 BMW M4 of Dan Harper, Parker Thompson, and Anthony McIntosh and the #33 Corvette Z06.R of Blake McDonald, Nicky Catsburg, and Edgar. The BMW ultimately held on to cross the finish line in first place.

WEC – 6 Hours of Imola 2026
The classification of the race: