In a remarkable setting with 92,175 spectators recorded over the weekend – an all-time record for an FIA WEC race at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari – the other car of the official Ferrari – AF Corse team, shared by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, finished sixth.

Tenth place went to the number 83 499P entered by AF Corse, driven by official drivers of the Maranello manufacturer Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson, alongside Robert Kubica.

The race. As had been expected in the build-up to the race, the first round of the championship proved highly competitive, with several crews in contention for victory.

At the green light, the number 51 499P, which started from pole position with Calado, maintained the lead ahead of the 50 driven by Molina, who gained one place off the line to slot in behind the sister car. Later, a drive-through served in the early stages forced that crew into a comeback race, which ended with a valuable finish in the points.

The 6 Hours of Imola, however, saw the number 51 car constantly in contention for a podium finish, despite the Virtual Safety Car periods that bunched the field up in the early hours. In the middle stints Pier Guidi consistently held a top-three position, allowing Giovinazzi in the final part to make the most of the 499P’s potential and capitalise on the team’s strategy – at a stage when rain seemed likely to wet the Italian circuit, although it allowed teams to keep fitting dry tyres right to the chequered flag – climbing to second after the final pit stop.

The number 83 car, which started eighth, leaves Imola as expected with tenth place, enabling the Ye–Hanson–Kubica trio to score their first world championship point of the season, the third in which the yellow-liveried car – winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025 – competes in the top class of endurance racing.

The situation. Ferrari scores 27 points towards the world manufacturers’ championship standings thanks to the results of the number 51 and 50 crews, who secured 19 and 8 points respectively in the drivers’ standings.

Next round. The FIA World Endurance Championship will return to the spotlight over the weekend of Saturday, 9 May, when the second round of the season, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, takes place.

Antonio Fuoco, 499P #50: “We began the season with the Italian race, which allowed us, as Ferrari drivers, to experience something unique: seeing the Imola grandstands so full of Tifosi is something we will hardly forget. Congratulations to our teammates who secured an excellent second place in a race where, with our number 50 499P, it would have been difficult to achieve a better finish.”

Miguel Molina, 499P #50: “I thank my teammates Nicklas and Antonio who were protagonists of a fine comeback, recovering many positions after the penalty that had dropped us down the standings, with stints that allowed us in part to make up for the initial mistake. Now we look ahead: fortunately, in three weeks we will be racing again, at Spa, where we will have the opportunity to try to make amends.”

Nicklas Nielsen, 499P #50: “We conclude the 6 Hours of Imola with some regret at not having achieved a better result in front of our Tifosi. Sixth place for our number 50 499P is not what we had hoped for in the run-up to this race. We thank the Italian crowd who supported us, as always, in an extraordinary way.”

Alessandro Pier Guidi, 499P #51: “The race was very complicated also due to the uncertainty of the weather, which right to the end forced us into complex decisions that the team handled in the best possible way. We got off to a good start, then we were a bit unlucky with a Virtual Safety Car which, during the pit stop phase, effectively cost us the lead. However, we continued to do our job as best we could and in the end we managed to secure second place, which we have to be very satisfied with.”

James Calado, 499P #51: “We achieved an excellent second place in the first race of the sporting season and that is a positive outcome at the end of a race weekend that also saw us take our first pole position. In the race, the fight for the very top positions was really tough: congratulations to our rivals who finished ahead of us. I thank our team, which did a great job: now we will analyse all the data collected in detail to return to the track at Spa with the aim of continuing to be among the protagonists.”

Antonio Giovinazzi, 499P #51: “We started the season with a pole position and second place, scoring points that will certainly be valuable for the championship. Thanks to the Tifosi or making the Imola weekend something truly unique and exciting: it is a shame not to have given them a win, but together we celebrated an excellent podium. Over the next two weeks we will study all the data collected, preparing in the best possible way for the next round at Spa with the aim of confirming our competitiveness and striving for the best possible result.”

Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Endurance Race Cars: “We bring home an important second place with the number 51 499P, which rewards the teamwork, a careful strategy and an excellent overall performance from the car and drivers. There is regret regarding the 50: a small mistake under yellow flag conditions resulted in a drive-through that affected the final result, and sixth place does not reflect the true potential shown over the weekend. We leave Imola aware of our competitiveness, but also with the confirmation that it is essential to take care of every smallest detail and we cannot afford any distractions. The championship is long and we must look to the next races with confidence and strong motivation.”

Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti: “The spectacle provided by the Tifosi was fantastic and our first thought goes to them – a heartfelt thank you for, as always, giving us extraordinary support in a special setting like the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which allowed the public to enjoy a unique weekend. We leave Imola with second place secured by the number 51 499P, the best result we could achieve today in a race that proved, as expected, very competitive. It is a pity about the result of the number 50 car, which was very fast, but due to the penalty it could go no higher than sixth place: there remains the regret of not having scored more points with this crew.”