In contrast to its perfect start to the IMSA GTP season, winning three out of three races, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s realistic target for the second WEC race of the year tomorrow in Imola is to put points on the board and stay in the mix for a podium throughout.

Jonathan Diuguid, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s managing director, feels the team is in better shape here in Italy than it was in the season opener at Qatar, where its 963s finished 10th and 11th. But there’s no expectation that the team will be competing for the win in Emila Romagna, certainly on raw pace against Ferrari AF Corse, which has emerged as the heavy favorite.

A 499P topped each of the three practice sessions, and the No. 51 claimed pole position with a sizable gap to the fastest car from the competition. Races are not won on qualifying day, of course, but the safe bet is on the hometown team as it stands.

“We have to score maximum points — we only scored a single point with one car in Qatar, so we are looking to add points to our tally any way we can get there,” Diuguid told RACER. “Ferrari is definitely out front, they’re the ones we are all chasing. After that, it’s quite tight and race execution comes into play between BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, Alpine and Toyota. If any of those teams get the strategy right or drivers perform well, then they can be fourth and back. Selfishly, we would have preferred a bit of rain tomorrow to spice things up and give us an opportunity. The 963 performs well in the wet, and our drivers do a good job.”

It’s not all doom and gloom at Porsche, though. Through the first four races of the year in IMSA and the WEC, Porsche feels that the suspension update for the 963 for this season has made a positive impact, and there’s a long way to go in the WEC season.