Ferrari AF Corse scored its first Hypercar win on home soil Sunday in Imola after a captivating six hours of racing in which the battle for track position and variations in tire strategy created a dramatic multi-brand fight for the win.
The No. 51 499P of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi claimed a famous victory for the fabled brand, but the polesitters were made to work for their first visit to the top step of the podium since the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours late in the race after controlling the first three hours.
A couple safety car periods for incidents at Rivazza, one in the second hour for a big off for Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin and a second in hour four after an incident involving Valentino Rossi’s WRT BMW M4 and Simon Mann’s AF Corse Ferrari 296, kept the Hypercar runners bunched up.
The resets blunted the pace advantage the 499Ps enjoyed all weekend and handed the other contending brands — Toyota, BMW and Porsche — a chance to seize track position on the narrow, unforgiving circuit, with gambles on tire strategy.
Penske’s No. 6 963 of Kevin Estre took a turn in the lead, as did Toyota’s No. 8 GR010 of Sebastien Buemi and the No. 20 WRT BMW of Sheldon van der Linde in the closing stages. In the end, the No. 51 prevailed.
INSANE Toyota and Ferrari battle 😱⚔️
If you’re not watching the race, WHY NOT?!
Watch now on https://t.co/IPZa0nvsLu 🎥#WEC #6HImola pic.twitter.com/mFghW7T6ur
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) April 20, 2025
Pier Guidi stayed calm and collected at the end, managing a full set of soft Michelin tires for the final two hours, emerging from the pit lane with a 16s lead after the final flurry of short fuel stops, before taking the checkered flag 8.4s clear.
“It was just amazing. It’s been a long time, but the team did a superb job with the strategy and everything went to plan. I am over the moon to win in Italy,” Calado said after he and his teammates took the lead in the drivers’ world championship.
“We’ve been on top since FP1 and we deserved it after a tough start in Qatar,” added Giovinazzi.
Behind, the No. 20 BMW Team WRT M Hybrid V8 of Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns and Rene Rast, nabbed second after a rollercoaster day with a series of clever strategy calls in the final hours. The No. 36 Alpine A424 of Jules Gounon, Mick Schumacher and Frederic Makowiecki also emerged as a contender late on, utilizing the soft Michelin compound and short-fuelling to take third, completing the podium.