How Toyota Stole the Win From Ferrari on Home Soil

Everything That Happened at the 2026 6 Hours of Imola

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, a circuit baptised with the name of the sport’s most iconic family, was the stage for a story nobody had scripted. On April 19, 2026, Toyota Gazoo Racing walked into Ferrari’s house in front of more than 92,000 red-clad fans and drove away with the victory at the 6 Hours of Imola with surgical precision. It was not merely a win. It was the 50th in the Japanese manufacturer’s FIA World Endurance Championship history, achieved on the team’s 100th race appearance. A round number that carries the weight of legend.

The weekend had opened with Ferrari setting the tone. From the April 14 Prologue through Free Practice 1 on the morning of Thursday, April 17, the Prancing Horse swept the timing screens. Robert Kubica, in the AF Corse No. 83 Ferrari 499P, led FP1 with a 1:31.739, completing a Ferrari 1-2-3 that sent the tifosi into rapture. It was the Cavallino’s home circuit and everything appeared to be going to script.

The world of endurance racing, however, rarely follows scripts. In Free Practice 2 on Thursday afternoon, Charles Milesi climbed into the Alpine A424 No. 35 and shattered Ferrari’s dominance with a lap of 1:30.898 the first time an Alpine A424 had ever led a WEC practice session. The signal was unmistakable: this battle would be far more open than the red cars suggested.

Friday morning brought FP3, and Ferrari hit back. Antonio Fuoco clocked a blistering 1:30.370 in the No. 50 Ferrari 499P to head the final pre-qualifying session, with Giovinazzi second in the No. 51 just 0.323 seconds adrift. Alpine sat third with Milesi, while Toyota lurked patiently in the shadows, gathering data and building their race strategy.

Qualifying was pure theatre. The WEC’s two-stage system an open timed session followed by a Hyperpole shootout for the ten fastest cars always promises drama. And it delivered without restraint. In the closing seconds of Hyperpole, Antonio Giovinazzi, with the Imola crowd holding its collective breath, put in a lap of 1:47.428 that edged the best effort of Ryo Hirakawa in the Toyota No. 8 by just 0.011 seconds. Eleven thousandths. That is what separated Ferrari’s pole from Toyota’s front row.

The LMGT3 Hyperpole produced its own unexpected hero. Tom Fleming, a 23-year-old British driver at the wheel of the Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo No. 10, made his WEC debut with a lap of 1:41.181 that left the paddock speechless. Garage 59, making its first-ever appearance in the World Endurance Championship, started from pole position. A fairytale opening that, as we would discover, was destined for a bittersweet ending.

On Sunday, April 19, under perfect racing conditions, 35 cars took the green flag at 1:00 PM local time. James Calado led the No. 51 Ferrari from the start while Brendon Hartley in the No. 8 Toyota lined up alongside. Almost immediately, Miguel Molina in the No. 50 Ferrari powered past Hartley from third, handing the Italian manufacturer a 1-2 at the front to deafening approval from the stands.

The opening phase of the race was a red affair. The two Ferraris began to pull away, but Hartley held his nerve and refused to allow the gap to grow beyond manageable limits. The first full-course yellow arrived when LMGT3 driver Petru Umbrärescu beached his ASP Lexus in the gravel. The crane crew worked for several minutes before recovering the stricken car, but the neutralisation was the first turning point of the afternoon.

In the pit lane, Toyota reacted with the precision of a team that understood exactly what the race needed. Hartley vaulted over Molina in the stops, placing the No. 8 directly behind Calado in a position to threaten the Ferrari lead.

The second and final Safety Car period arrived just past the two-hour mark when Nick Cassidy, the New Zealander making his first full WEC season in the No. 94 Peugeot 9X8, exited the pit lane on cold tyres and beached the car in the gravel at Tamburello. A painful moment for a debutant, but a strategic gift for the teams sharp enough to capitalise.

Toyota read the situation with clarity. Hirakawa replaced Hartley in the No. 8, Pier Guidi took over from Calado in the No. 51, and when the Safety Car peeled into the pit lane, Hirakawa emerged ahead of Pier Guidi handing the Japanese manufacturer the outright lead of the race for the first time all day. Will Stevens in the No. 12 Cadillac was technically on the road ahead of them, but he carried a drive-through penalty for a yellow flag infringement that he served the moment racing resumed, surrendering any claim to the lead.

What followed was one of the purest battles the WEC has staged at Imola. Hirakawa and Pier Guidi traded laps on a circuit built in the 1950s that punishes errors and offers few natural overtaking points. The Italian pressed and probed, staying within a second, searching for any crack in Toyota’s defence. He never found one.

When Hirakawa handed the wheel to Sébastien Buemi for the final stint, Giovinazzi took the No. 51 Ferrari and went hunting. With fresh soft tyres and pure ambition, Giovinazzi closed the gap a fraction. But Buemi four-time Formula E champion and a WEC veteran who has experienced every kind of pressure this sport can produce managed his tyres and his fuel with the composure of a man who understands the difference between looking fast and being fast when it matters. He crossed the finish line 13.352 seconds clear, in an afternoon Toyota will always treasure.

The No. 7 Toyota, driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries and Mike Conway, completed the podium in third. A brilliant final strategy that jumped Ferrari in the pits allowed Kobayashi to defend with fresh tyres in the closing laps. Charles Milesi brought the No. 35 Alpine home fourth, delivering a strong result for the Endurance Team in a race that confirmed Alpine’s growing competitiveness. René Rast and Robin Frijns guided the No. 20 BMW to fifth, while Antonio Fuoco’s No. 50 Ferrari crossed in sixth just tenths behind the BMW after serving a drive-through penalty for a yellow flag violation.

In LMGT3, the most emotional story of the day belonged to Garage 59. The No. 10 McLaren of Tom Fleming, Marvin Kirchhöffer and Antares Au led for the majority of the six hours, fully justifying their pole position. But in the final hour, Kirchhöffer suffered an electrical failure immediately after passing the pit entry on the main straight, forcing him to crawl around the entire circuit at walking pace while rivals flew past. The lead they had built through craft and pace evaporated in a matter of minutes.

The No. 69 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo of Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper capitalised on the McLaren’s misfortune to take the lead and hold it to the flag. The No. 33 TF Sport Corvette of Blake McDonald, Nicky Catsburg and Jonny Edgar finished a close second, with Jonny Edgar arriving just a handful of tenths behind Harper in a tense finale. The No. 92 Manthey Porsche of Richard Lietz, Yasser Shahin and Riccardo Perra completed the LMGT3 podium, 45 seconds behind the winner.

Can Ferrari reclaim the top step at the next round in Spa? Does Toyota have the consistency to carry this momentum through an entire season? What is already certain is that the 2026 WEC has opened exactly as it should with no easy answers, and with the promise that every race ahead will be a new chapter in a story that has only just begun.

Source: motorsportweek.com, pitdebrief.com, racetrackmasters.com, racingnews365.com, fiawec.com, autohebdof1.com

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