AF Corse honours World Cup title
As well as the #51 Ferrari, AF Corse’s #83 499P is also sporting rainbow bands this season, in celebration of its 2025 FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams triumph.
With only one car entered, the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams will not be contested this year, meaning that Robert Kubica, Ye Yifei and Phil Hanson’s full-focus is on the drivers’ world championship.
The #83 crew is also part of the growing number of teams sporting a mascot, with a ‘yellow submarine’ added to the car ahead of its team photo yesterday.
Iron Lynx eligible for new drive time regulations
Iron Lynx’s #79 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 is the first car able to take advantage of a tweak made to the sporting regulations for this year.
In LMGT3, cars with multiple silver-rated drivers will now only need to fulfil the minimum drive time required from a silver, which is one hour and 45 minutes this weekend, with one of those drivers.
The other driver is not restricted by a mimimum drive time, but will be required to complete at least 45 minutes in the car to be eligible to score drivers’ championship points.
The #79 Mercedes-AMG is the only car set to feature two silver-graded drivers this year, with Matteo Cressoni and Lin Hodenius racing alongside Johannes Zelger.
Gelael excited to be back with WRT
Sean Gelael, and co-driver Darren Leung, have returned to Team WRT for this season, reuniting with BMW M factory driver Augusto Farfus in the #32 BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo.
The trio previously raced together in 2024, when they won here at Imola, and finished second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“Honestly, I’m super excited,” Gelael told DSC.
“I think the collaboration with the three of us in the first year was something that we didn’t really expect. But in the end it was really good. Outside the racetrack, we’re really good friends, we spend time together in winter.”
Their Imola triumph is the only win in FIA WEC competition for BMW, with the 29-year-old optimistic that changes to the LMGT3 tyre regulations for this year should help the Bavarian marque return to winning ways.
“With the new rules changes, hopefully it’s making it a bit more level with the cars that are a bit better on tyres and the cars that are a bit worse on tyres,” he explained.
“The BMW, being heavy and a front-engined car, has always been on the back foot, and hopefully this evens the playing field. I think it’ll be a super interesting year.”
Harper looking forward to FIA WEC debut
BMW M factory driver Dan Harper is set to make his FIA WEC debut this weekend at Team WRT alongside Anthony McIntosh and Parker Thompson.
The trio’s #69 BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo has already made headlines, with confirmation that it will run in a new livery at all eight rounds this year. The expectation, however, is that it’s the on-track performances that will instead be putting this car into the spotlight as the season progresses.
“I think we’re going to have a very strong year,” Harper said.
“It’s a lot of fun with them, a lot of energy. ’m really looking forward to a new challenge, first time in WEC, first 24 Hours of Le Mans, and I think we really have a package that can fight for both Le Mans and the overall championship.”
Harper, McIntosh and Thompson prepared for the season with an assault on the Asian Le Mans Series, an approach successfully taken by Manthey last year.
“We had a very successful Asian Le Mans Series, which was the first time the three of us as a driver package were racing together. We had two victories, one more podium, P2 in the championship, so it was quite successful.” Harper explained.
“We weren’t really expecting to be that competitive straight away, and we were really using that as testing for WEC, but we gelled very well together.
“Tony is a very fast Bronze, he’s naturally very talented, and I think Parker and him, both learned the BMW and gelled with the car quite quickly, so that made my job a bit easier.”
Cassidy “more comfortable” with 9X8
WEC newcomer Nick Cassidy has been soaking up his first event as part of the Peugeot Hypercar outfit. The Kiwi now feels more up to speed with the 9X8 package after a valuable 24-hour test over the winter and the Prologue earlier this week.
“It’s been a busy winter for me, with Formula E. But we did a 24-hour test at Portimao, and now I feel good,” he told reporters ahead of FP1.
“The 24-hour run was very valuable. It was good to get used to little things like the dash at nighttime, the lights, and procedures. It’s all a little bit different. It was definitely important and helped me feel more comfortable.
“Now here in Imola, it’s been good to run in changeable conditions, with a full field. It’s good to have a refresher. The Prologue was my first time running in the wet with the car, and it was better than I expected.”
Collective photos taken
Ahead of yesterday’s drivers’ briefing in Imola City Centre, the FIA WEC’s class of 2026 gathered for a pair of collective driver photos – one for this year’s Hypercar field, and another for the 54 LMGT3 drivers.
Lotterer enjoying “very pure” Genesis GMR-001
After missing the 2025 season, two-time drivers’ champion André Lotterer is making his FIA WEC return this weekend, with Genesis Magma Racing and its #17 GMR-001 Hypercar.
One aspect of his new LMDh challenger that the German is particularly enjoying is its ORECA-built spine, which he compares favourably with his former, Multimatic-based Porsche 963.
“Obviously, we still have a lot to learn and improve with the car, but from the early days already, the car is quite nice to drive,” he said.
“I like the ORECA chassis. It’s very pure in terms of a race car, and you understand a bit more what’s going on. It is much more direct and more precise [than the Porsche]. Maybe after I left Porsche improved, but the Porsche was a bit more of a guesswork.”
Da Costa “happy to be back” in Hypercar
Antonio Felix Da Costa enters 2026 in a strange position, with, following the announcement that Alpine is exiting the FIA WEC at the end of this year, his first season with the French marque also likely to be his last.
The 2022 LMP2 drivers’ champion will race the #35 A424 this year, as he makes his return to the Hypercar grid after two years away.
“I’ve been working hard to get back to this paddock, and I’m very grateful to the Alpine Endurance Team for giving me the chance,” he said.
“It’s a shame, what’s going to happen at the end of this season, but that’s completely out of our hands, so the whole team is very focused on improving, and what we’ve learned over the winter to bring a a faster car, a better package, to this season.
“Now there are 17 Hypercars on track, so it’s very cool. You’re always fighting someone and on track, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s about having good competition and having fun.
“It needs to be fun for the drivers, and at the moment this championship is ticking all the boxes, so I’m very happy to be back.”
The early signs are good for Alpine, after Da Costa’s co-driver Charles Milesi set the fastest time of the week so far during Free Practice 2.
Levorato optimistic heading into third season with Proton and Ford
Giammarco Levorato is entering his third year with Proton Competition and the Ford Mustang this season, following on from his 2024 IMSA Sportscar Championship and 2025 FIA WEC campaigns.
The Italian, who claimed LMGT3 pole position at COTA last September, is welcoming a new teammate to his #88 Mustang LMGT3 Evo this year, in Ford Racing factory driver Logan Sargeant.
Working with Sargeant has offered Levorato a great opportunity to develop, whilst he, in turn, can help teach the American about the art of GT racing.
“This year, we are a pretty strong line-up with Logan joining us,” he said.
“He is a super experienced driver, so I’m sure we can learn a lot from him. We are actually helping him to understand that the car, because it’s a bit different from F1, of course.
Sargeant has been inserted into the established Italian duo of Levorato and Stefano Gattuso, with the three bonding quickly despite only having limited testing in the build-up to this weekend.
“I’m surprised we are a good three,” Levorato admitted. “I’m really happy.”
“I would say that’s why I’m really looking forward to the season. We are all working well together with Proton Competition, with our engineer, with Multimatic, and all the Ford Racing crew. It’s good to learn some method son how a former F1 driver works. As a young driver, it’s really helping me a lot.”
Frey scores inaugural Legends of Le Mans pole
Michel Frey was fastest in today’s first 30-minute qualifying session for the Legends of Le Mans, with the Swiss driver setting a 1:35.205 aboard the #5 Lola B07/18 LMP1.
Christian Albrecht’s #008 Lola Aston Martin DBR1/2 was second, only 0.045 seconds off pole, with Steve Brooks completing the top three in the #16 Peugeot 908.
François Perrodo comfortably claimed LMP2 pole in his #83 Porsche RS Spyder, with the Frenchman’s 1:38.355 almost four seconds clear of the class opposition, whilst Franz Wunderlich led LMGTE in the #25 Aston Martin Vantage AMR.
Images courtesy of BMW Motorsport, FIA WEC and Proton Competition
