Live streamed pit action!
One new-for-2026 WEC paddock innovation that has no coverage as yet will mean a big boost for the visibility of the pit garages in the paddock.
By regulation, each team will now have to have a live-streamed web camera in every garage with a flatscreen on display in the paddock.
The teams were getting to grips with this new challenge as they set-up ahead of the Prologue tomorrow.
Flood mitigation
Major flood mitigation works are very apparent on both banks of the Santerno River which passes behind the circuit boundary on the paddock side.
Flooding in 2023 in the region saw multiple fatalities and forced the cancellation of the 2023 Emilia-Romagna F1 Grand Prix at the circuit, as well as that year’s European Le Mans Series event.
Preparations underway
Set up is well underway ahead of tomorrow’s Prologue, with activities such as scrutineering and media photos taking place.
The new Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar has attracted plenty of attention, including from some of the Korean marque’s rivals, with the #17 and #19 presented in their similar, but distinct, race liveries.
Toyota’s renamed and reworked TR010 Hybrid is resplendent in its distinctive new livery. Toyota’s team kit has had a nice refresh, too.
Alpine’s updated A424 is set to make its race debut, ready for what is set to be the marque’s final season in Hypercar.
Whilst BMW M Team WRT is hard at work applying the final stickers to the M Hybrid V8’s redesigned nose. The #20 machine will once again run with prominent Shell backing this year.
Aston Martin’s FIA WEC programme is returning to a circuit it has raced at previously for the first time, as it aims to build on its promising end to the 2025 season.
Ferrari, naturally, are set to be amongst the main attractions on home soil this weekend. The Italian marque will defend its drivers’ and manufacturers’ championship titles with a tweaked look to all three 499Ps, as well as a modified design due to a re-homologation over the winter.
Also with a new livery is Peugeot’s 9X8, with the French marque entering a big year as we wait to hear more about the long-term direction of the programme.
Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, meanwhile, is sticking with its tried-and-tested look from the past three years, as the British outfit makes its first start with the 2026-spec V-Series.R.
In the LMGT3 ranks, Garage 59 is preparing for its FIA WEC debut with its pair of McLaren LMGT3 Evos. The British outfit has arrived at Imola off the back of a podium finish at the GT World Challenge Europe opener at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Heart of Racing Team is set to field two Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3s in the FIA WEC for the first time this weekend, with both cars featuring the team’s traditional colours.
New liveries include the #79 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3, of Italian outfit Iron Lynx.
The #33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, which will feature Blake McDonald for the first two rounds in place of the injured Ben Keating, has switched to a chrome base for 2026.
On TF’s second car, the colours of Racing Team Turkey, pictured here with FIA WEC rookie Peter Dempsey, will return to the FIA WEC grid for the first time since 2020.
Team WRT’s #69 BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo is sporting a tribute to the 1991 DTM BMW E30 M3, and the Italian brand Tic Tac. The car is set to feature a different look at all eight FIA WEC events this year.
Proton Competition’s pair of Ford Mustang LMGT3 Evos are adorned in the updated works colours of Ford Racing, which we have already seen in IMSA competition.
And Manthey’s new partnership with DK Engineering and James Cottingham begins this weekend, the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) LMGT3 seen here undergoing a snatch tractor test after exiting scrutineering this morning.
