FIA WEC Preview: Ferrari chased by BMW, Porsche and Toyota at Imola

Just a stone’s throw from Maranello, one might expect the Scuderia to be chasing a Formula 1 double victory in Saudi Arabia — and another home 1-2-3 in the WEC at Imola on Sunday.

Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen steered the red #50 Ferrari to victory in Qatar last month, ahead of the yellow #83 driven by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Phil Hanson, with the red #51 of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi completing the podium.

Among the challengers, WEC sophomore BMW impressed with Vanthoor, Marciello, and Magnussen stealing fourth place from champions Toyota Gazoo Racing. Despite a tough qualifying, Toyota managed fifth and sixth — a better-than-expected result. They finished ahead of the second BMW and the best-placed Cadillac V-Series.R, which was delayed by a team tangle.

Porsche endured a Qatar race to forget, one year after steamrolling to its maiden win there. Finishing tenth and eleventh this time around, the team will be searching for a major turnaround at Imola — deep in Ferrari’s backyard.

The FIA’s race-by-race Balance of Performance has introduced notable changes for Imola. Ferrari has gained 8 kg and 7 kW compared to Qatar, making the 499P 4 kg heavier than at Imola in 2024 — when the team famously snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Can it conquer again at home?

BMW, also strong in the season opener, gains 5 kg but receives a healthy 8 kW power boost. Toyota’s GR010 HYBRID LMH — which bounced back in Qatar — returns at the same weight but loses 4 kW this weekend.

Fast but unlucky in Qatar, Cadillac takes the biggest hit with a 10 kg weight increase, though its naturally aspirated V8 gains 7 kW.

Porsche receives the largest weight break with an 11 kg reduction, yet its 963s remain 20 kg heavier than they were a year ago, at 1030 kg. Maximum power is down 8 hp, but the reigning drivers’ champions will be hoping to improve on tenth and eleventh.

Elsewhere, Alpine’s A424 LMDh loses two kilos, and Peugeot’s 9X8 sheds one, now at the Hypercar minimum weight of 1030 kg with 520 kW maximum power. Aston Martin’s new Valkyrie LMH V12, meanwhile, gains 8 kg.

In LMGT3, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R crew of Daniel Juncadella, Ben Keating, and Jonny Edgar arrive in Italy leading the championship, ahead of the Cottingham-Baud-Saucy #59 McLaren.

Third in the standings is the Shahin-Boguslavskiy-Farfus BMW M4, followed by the surprise package from Qatar — the Robin-Gehrsitz-Barnicoat Lexus — and the Heriau-Mann-Rovera Ferrari 296.

With practice and qualifying beginning on Friday 18 April and the race starting at 13:00 CEST on Easter Sunday 20 April, follow live timing and streaming at www.fiawec.com.