Text & Images: Rick Kiewiet
Antonio Giovinazzi delivered Ferrari pole position for the 2026 FIA WEC season opener at Imola, but the story of a remarkable Hyperpole session was the 0.011 seconds separating the reigning world champion from Ryo Hirakawa’s Toyota — and four different manufacturers filling the top five grid slots.
Giovinazzi set his pole lap of 1:30.127 on his final run in the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P, vaulting from third to first in the closing moments. Hirakawa had looked set to hand Toyota an upset pole on the TR010 Hybrid’s first outing in upgraded form, his 1:30.138 briefly topping the times. Antonio Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari settled for third, 0.040 seconds off pole. Malthe Jakobsen then completed the surprise package, putting the #94 Peugeot 9X8 fourth with a 1:30.200 — the top four covered by just 0.073 seconds. Norman Nato added a fifth manufacturer by placing the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota V-Series.R fifth on his first qualifying appearance for the team.
The #7 Toyota, #35 Alpine Endurance Team A424, #83 AF Corse Ferrari and the two BMW M Team WRT Hybrid V8s of Robin Frijns and Kevin Magnussen completed the top-10. The 0.674-second spread across the entire top ten set a new record for the tightest Hyperpole field since the format was introduced, surpassing Fuji 2024’s 0.688 seconds.
Jules Gounon was the unluckiest absentee, missing the cut by 0.038 seconds in the #36 Alpine. Genesis Magma Racing propped up the Hypercar field, Mathieu Jaminet heading André Lotterer in the two GMR-001s.
LMGT3
Garage 59 made an immediate impression on its FIA WEC debut, Tom Fleming taking LMGT3 pole at the first attempt with a 1:41.181 in the #10 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo — 0.226 seconds clear of Hadrien David in the #78 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F LMGT3. Clemens Schmid completed an Akkodis ASP top three in the #87 sister car despite losing laps to a gravel excursion at Rivazza. The two Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 Evos of Parker Thompson and Sean Gelael took fourth and fifth, ahead of the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG in sixth.
Peter Dempsey had led LMGT3 qualifying in the #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, but co-driver Salih Yoluç beached the car in the gravel at Rivazza on his final Hyperpole lap, bringing out the red flag and leaving the #34 tenth — all lap times subsequently deleted by stewards’ decision. Heart of Racing was the only team without either Aston Martin in Hyperpole.