Ferrari wins the 6 Hours of Imola
Imola 20 April 2025
At Imola, Ferrari secured its second consecutive win in the 2025 FIA WEC, celebrating victory with the number 51 499P, driven in the race by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi who, after starting from pole position, climbed the top step of the podium to the applause of the Italian tifosi who had come to support the Prancing Horse.
The number 83 499P, entered by AF Corse and entrusted to official Ferrari driver Yifei Ye alongside Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson, finished fourth. Meanwhile, the other car fielded by the official Ferrari – AF Corse team came home 15th, with Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen at the wheel.
Benedetto Vigna, Ferrari CEO, was also present to celebrate the victory of the Maranello-based manufacturer, attending the 6 Hours of Imola – an event that drew 65,504 spectators to the grandstands over the course of the weekend.
The race. Starting from pole with Calado at the wheel, the number 51 499P was a constant frontrunner throughout the race, remaining firmly in the top two positions and making the most of a strong team strategy. It was Pier Guidi who took the chequered flag at the end of 212 laps.
It was a trickier race for the number 50 crew, who began from 18th on the grid. Despite a remarkable recovery by Nielsen and Molina, who climbed to fourth place, the final stages saw a setback when Fuoco – at the wheel – made contact with the number 8 Toyota, causing a puncture to the left rear tyre. The unscheduled pit stop proved decisive in the final classification. The incident resulted in a 45-second penalty for the number 50 crew, who nonetheless leave Imola with the fastest lap of the race – 1:32.504 – set by Fuoco.
Also putting in a noteworthy performance was the number 83 499P. Starting from second on the grid with Kubica, the Giallo Modena-liveried car was in podium contention for much of the race, eventually crossing the line in fourth, 20 seconds behind the winners.
The numbers. The number of overall wins for the 499P in the FIA WEC has now risen to five: the two victories this season – at Imola and in Qatar, with Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen – add to the extraordinary triumphs at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023 and 2024, respectively with the number 51 and number 50 crews. The car fielded by privateer team AF Corse, meanwhile, had triumphed in the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans.
Into the history books. The Imola weekend – which saw Ferrari top all the sessions held on track – is set to enter motorsport history. On the circuit hosting a world championship round for only the second time, Ferrari became the fifth constructor to achieve at least five victories in the World Endurance Championship. With today’s result, Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi gave the Prancing Horse its first overall victory in a race on Italian soil in 52 years – the last occasion being in 1973, when Brian Redman and Jacky Ickx triumphed at the 1000 Kilometres of Monza in the Ferrari 312 PB. For the second consecutive round, the 499Ps also secured pole position, fastest lap and the race win.
The standings. Ferrari consolidates its lead at the top of the constructors’ standings, moving up to 92 points, while in the drivers’ standings Pier Guidi–Calado–Giovinazzi now lead with 50 points. Ye–Kubica–Hanson are second, followed by Fuoco–Molina–Nielsen in third, with 39 and 38 points respectively.
The calendar. The next round of the FIA WEC is scheduled to take place at Spa, Belgium, on 10 May, the third race of the season over a six-hour distance.
A thunderous roar rose to the sky at the end of the Inno di Mameli (the Italian national anthem). It was the voice of the tifosi – out in force beneath the podium at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari to celebrate the victory of the number 51 499P. The comments of the key figures, collected at the end of the race, convey both the joy of a historic moment and the desire for redemption felt by the crew of the number 50 499P.
Antonio Giovinazzi: “Finally, a win! To achieve it on home turf makes it even more extraordinary. It’s been a perfect weekend – right from the free practice sessions, then the pole position and now this win. It was a long race, but we were well aware of the car’s potential and made no mistakes, neither in terms of strategy nor tyre management. My teammates were excellent, just as the whole team was, and we’re enjoying this moment together.”
James Calado: “This is one of the finest wins of my career, because I’d never stood on the top step of the podium in front of our own tifosi before. It’s an incredible feeling and I’m proud we managed to return to winning ways after such a long time – and to do it here at home. Today we made the most of our potential, had a bit of luck, and executed a perfect strategy. As a team we did an outstanding job, and we dedicate this success to our wonderful tifosi.”
Alessandro Pier Guidi: “I’m pleased with this win – we’ve been chasing it for a long time and without doubt we deserved it. Already last season, for one reason or another, we came close on several occasions without quite getting there. And there’s nothing better than clinching this victory in front of our tifosi, here at Imola. After the win at Le Mans, I missed standing on the top step of the podium, but I wasn’t worried because I always focus on the end goal rather than partial results. If I’d had to choose one race to return to the top, it would have been Imola.”
Nicklas Nielsen: “After a strong first part of the race where we fought our way back from eighteenth to fourth, things got tricky for us despite a solid strategy and the car showing good pace. We were unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car, and then we had contact which led to a puncture. It’s a shame, because we came to Imola aiming to score points in the drivers’ standings after our win in Qatar.”
Miguel Molina: “I think today’s race was really tough for our crew. Nicklas did two fantastic opening stints, and then we tried to gain positions by making the most of the best tyre strategy we could find – but we weren’t able to stay in contention at the top of the standings. It’s disappointing to leave Imola like this, but it’s only the second round, so we’ll keep working hard and looking ahead with confidence. Congratulations to our teammates on a fantastic win in front of the Italian tifosi.”
Antonio Fuoco: “Today we were tasked with a tough challenge, and the race played out in a very unpredictable way. Imola is a beautiful but demanding circuit when it comes to overtaking, so staging a comeback wasn’t easy. I believe we could have been in contention for a top-five place – maybe even the podium – but unfortunately things didn’t go the way we’d hoped.”
Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti: “The satisfaction is immense with this victory in Italy for the number 51 499P in front of our tifosi. After our Qatar one-two-three, today reaffirmed how effective our winter development work has been. At Imola, we’d obviously hoped for stronger results with the other two cars, but for different reasons, we couldn’t achieve what we’d targeted. We take home a second win from as many races this season. My compliments to the whole team for the excellent job they did, as demonstrated on Saturday, for example, when we managed to substitute the engine of the number 83 in just one hour and 45 minutes – in time for qualifying – and secured a second place on the starting grid. This is undoubtedly a strong moment for us, but we can’t relax: there are six more rounds ahead, including the biggest challenge at Le Mans.”
Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Ferrari Endurance Race Cars: “This result rewards all the efforts made and reflects the incredible work and determination of the entire team. I’m disappointed we couldn’t put the number 50 499P on the podium due to the puncture, but the strategy we’d set to move it up the order was working very well. The number 51 crew delivered a flawless performance—despite the race being complex and the competition, as expected, extremely strong, we executed everything perfectly. Now we look ahead, aware that more tough races await, but with this spirit, I’m confident we’ll achieve further success.”
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FERRARI FOR EVER !!!!!!!
Originally Posted by PURE PASSION
YESS
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