Post-race Penalties
There were a gaggle of post-race penalties after an incident strewn race at Imola.
Both Davide Rigon (#51 AF Corse Ferrari) and Henry Cubides Olarte (#13 Inter Europol Ligier) have lost the points scored in the race after both drivers were adjudged to have failed to complete their minimum drive time.
Rigon was 16 minutes and 20 seconds short of his required 40-minute minimum stint while Cubides Olarte was three minutes and 26 seconds short.
Cubides Olarte, notably, climbed aboard his #13 Ligier with under 40 minutes to go after the car underwent an extended, 17-minute final pit stop.
There was a second penalty too for the #51, 10 seconds added for a Full Course Yellow infringement though with no impact on the car’s 5th place finish in LMGT3.
The #59 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin meanwhile will receive a five-place grid penalty for the next ELMS race at Spa after Clement Mateu’s mistake took out his own car and the #63 Iron Lynx AMG after the #59 Vantage driver lost control coming into Tamburello. Mateu also has a penalty point deducted.
More seriously, in a decision currently under appeal, the Stewards disqualified the #10 Vector Sport LMP2 class entry from a fifth place finish in class (seventh overall) after judging that the car did not go directly to Parc Ferme at the end of the race, instead proceeding to the pit lane.
As things stand the decision costs the team 10 points and they drop from fifth to sixth in the Teams’ standings.
Goodyear Wingfoot Award winners
Valerio Rinicella, Enzo Trulli and Blake McDonald took the class wins in the Goodyear Wingfoot Awards, voted for by fans via the ELMS Instagram page.
Bill Gibson remembered
Bill Gibson was honoured on the grid ahead of the four-hour race, with a moment of reflection.
We pause for a moment of reflection for Bill Gibson who sadly passed away in the lead up to Imola.
As one of the founders of Gibson Technology, we remember a popular figure in the world of motorsport and pay tribute to his lifelong efforts and achievements including the… pic.twitter.com/L9mfAqDoED
— European Le Mans Series (@EuropeanLMS) July 5, 2026
The broadcast also paid tribute in-race, with an onboard lap of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari soundtracked by the sensational Gibson GK428.
This is for you Bill Gibson 💙
Pure, unfiltered onboard lap at Imola📺🔴🔗 https://t.co/jGipxC5xj0 #ELMS #4HImola pic.twitter.com/JePyW4Skh5
— European Le Mans Series (@EuropeanLMS) July 5, 2026
Record attendance despite heatwave
A record 16,700 fans attended the event over the weekend with scorching temperatures likely a factor in that figure not being even higher.
As a reference, last year’s attendance was 12,800.
Championship shake-up
The championship lead has changed in three out of four classes after Imola, following challenging races for several leading protagonists.
The #30 Duqueine Team ORECA has fallen to third in LMP2 Pro/Am after finishing seventh, with the #20 Algarve Pro Racing and #7 Vector Sport efforts now tied for the lead on 43 points. The Portuguese outfit is classified ahead courtesy of having more second-place finishes.
In LMP3, the #5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier has returned to the lead, after a 10th-place finish for the #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier. The German squad has an eight-point advantage.
TF Sport’s #33 Corvette has moved into the LMGT3 lead by a single-point over the #75 Proton Competition Porsche, with the #57 Kessel Racing Ferrari falling to third after finishing outside of the points-paying places.
The exception is in LMP2, where the #22 United Autosports ORECA still leads, with its advantage having grown to six points. The #29 Forestier Racing by Panis ORECA has moved up to second following its victory.
Images courtesy of David Lord
