WEC News: Ferrari Ends Imola Prologue Test on Top as 2026 FIA WEC Season Looms

The FIA World Endurance Championship’s official pre-season Prologue test at Italy’s Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola concluded on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, with Ferrari AF Corse once again asserting dominance in the Hypercar class.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The Italian manufacturer’s trio of 499P entries locked out the top three positions in both the morning and afternoon sessions, underlining their status as early favorites ahead of Sunday’s six-hour season-opening race at the same venue.

The afternoon session (Session 2) ran for approximately four-and-a-half hours under mostly dry conditions with a persistent threat of rain and occasional light showers. Antonio Fuoco set the benchmark early in the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P with a lap of 1m31.177s — the fastest time of the entire test day. Robert Kubica followed closely in the #83 AF Corse entry (0.126s behind), while Antonio Giovinazzi placed third in the #51 factory Ferrari (0.198s off the pace).

Hypercar Afternoon Session Top 10 (best laps)

Robin Frijns’ effort in the #20 BMW secured fourth overall, while the two Alpine A424s rounded out the top six. Peugeot, BMW’s second car, Toyota, and the second Peugeot followed. Newcomer Genesis Magma Racing rounded out the Hypercar order but posted encouraging improvement on their morning bests, with Mathieu Jaminet setting a 1m33.618. Across both Genesis cars, the team completed more than 350 laps — valuable mileage for their debut weekend.

The #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid topped the lap-count charts in the afternoon with 142 circuits, followed closely by one of the Peugeots. The #15 BMW returned strongly after an engine change in the morning and also surpassed 100 laps.

Aston Martin Setback and LMGT3 Storylines

The #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (Aston Martin Thor Team) missed the entire afternoon session after Marco Sørensen’s heavy morning accident necessitated a chassis change. The team will work through the night to prepare for Friday’s free practice.

In the LMGT3 class, Heart of Racing Team’s #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR topped the times with Mattia Drudi’s 1m42.698. It edged out the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo (Alessio Rovera, morning leader) by just 0.051 seconds. Garage 59’s McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo placed third, followed by the two TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.Rs and the BMW M4 LMGT3 Evos from Team WRT. The top 14 LMGT3 cars were covered by less than a second, highlighting the category’s typical competitiveness.

LMGT3 Afternoon Session Top 5 (best laps)

The session was interrupted twice by red flags — one for a systems issue and another triggered by Jose Maria Lopez’s spin in the #87 Lexus at Acque Minerali. Further FCYs were caused by gravel traps involving a Porsche (#92) and a Ford Mustang (#77). Despite the disruptions, several LMGT3 cars exceeded 100 laps, with the #91 Manthey DK Engineering Porsche leading the class at 124 circuits.

Context for the 2026 Season

The Prologue marked the first on-track action of the 2026 FIA WEC campaign, which features 17 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3 entries (no LMP2 class this year). With no prior Prologue data at Imola for direct comparison, the 1m31.177 benchmark sits in the same ballpark as recent free-practice leaders here. Teams used the extended running to evaluate new Michelin tires (including wet compounds on a damp morning), gather data, and iron out reliability issues.

Ferrari’s official statement described the day as “decidedly productive,” with their three cars completing over 500 laps combined across both sessions. Rivals like BMW, Alpine, Peugeot, and Toyota also logged solid mileage, while Genesis expressed satisfaction despite minor teething problems typical of a new program.

The 35-car field returns to Imola on Friday for Free Practice 1 and 2, followed by qualifying and the six-hour race on Sunday, April 20. Expect BoP adjustments and intense competition as the championship battle officially begins.

Full Session 2 Results