Ferrari leads the charge at Imola as new WEC season gets underway: full guide and timings

Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, Ferrari WEC 2025

WEC | Big season opener at Imola: is Ferrari still the benchmark? guide and TV schedule

After the traditional prologue, the new FIA World Endurance Championship season officially gets underway. Imola is ready to host the opening round of the 14th WEC campaign, with the curtain rising on the 6 Hours of Imola at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

From Imola to Spa, passing through the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans at the heart of the season, and then across the Atlantic to São Paulo, Austin and Fuji, the calendar will eventually conclude with the Qatar round and the 8 Hours of Bahrain. A total of 17 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3 entries will compete, across two classes full of technical updates and major storylines. The big question remains: can Ferrari and Porsche defend their respective crowns in Hypercar and GT racing?

Ferrari ready to defend the throne: updates to the 499P after new homologation

The Hypercar category naturally dominates the preview, with Ferrari entering the 2026 season as the clear favourite after securing both the World Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships.

There are no changes to the driver line-ups. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen remain in the #50 Ferrari 499P, while Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi and James Calado continue in the #51, fresh from their 2025 Drivers’ title success.

AF Corse has also opted for continuity, keeping Robert Kubica, Phil Hanson (now officially signed by Ferrari) and Ye Yifei, the trio who famously won the most recent 24 Hours of Le Mans.

As expected, Maranello has focused on refinement rather than radical upgrades to the 499P, preserving at least four Evo Jokers for future development windows, alongside two additional tokens available for the 2027–2028 cycle.

Although no Evo Joker has been used, the Hypercar still features important updates driven by new homologation rules. Ferrari moved its aerodynamic development from Sauber’s wind tunnel (now under Audi ownership) to Windshear in North Carolina, requiring adaptation of the car’s front, floor, and rear aero structures to comply with ACO/FIA constraints.

These are not performance-focused upgrades, but they are still significant, as Ferrari engineers must now re-establish the optimal aerodynamic balance of the 499P under new conditions.

BMW and Cadillac bring IMSA developments, Toyota attacks with revised TR010

Several manufacturers arrive with major updates already tested in competition. BMW and Cadillac introduced large development packages at the Daytona 24 Hours, continuing their partnerships with WRT and Jota respectively.

Alpine has also evolved its package, while Toyota arrives with a heavily revised TR010, developed using one Evo Joker and significantly different from the previous GR010 concept. Once BoP stabilises, Imola will be the first real test of whether the Japanese manufacturer can regain control of the WEC through its new aerodynamic direction and vast endurance experience.

Genesis squad makes its long-awaited debut

After an intense testing programme, Genesis is finally ready for its competitive debut in the World Endurance Championship.

The Hyundai-backed brand enters the series with the GMR-001 LMDh, based on an Oreca chassis and powered by a 3.2-litre twin-turbo V8 engine derived from the company’s WRC four-cylinder philosophy.

André Lotterer, Pipo Derani and Mathys Jaubert form the driver line-up for car #17, while #19 is driven by Mathieu Jaminet, Daniel Juncadella and Paul-Loup Chatin.

With expertise drawn from Porsche, Cadillac/Corvette and Alpine, and extensive mileage gathered during testing, Genesis and IDEC have built a strong knowledge base. Under the leadership of Cyril Abiteboul and Gabriele Tarquini, the project is already generating major interest in the paddock.

Peugeot in transition year, Aston Martin looking for progress

For Peugeot, 2026 could represent a transitional season, potentially leading towards a new LMH project or a significant revision of the existing 9X8 Hypercar. Despite some strong results, including two podiums in 2025, Stellantis is demanding more from a programme that remains costly in a challenging financial context.

Aston Martin’s Valkyrie remains largely unchanged under The Heart of Racing banner. Its debut at Daytona was difficult, with reliability issues and a clear lack of outright pace, but late-season improvements in 2025 showed encouraging signs that the Anglo-American team will hope to build upon.

Alpine prepares for final WEC season

Imola will mark the start of Alpine Endurance Team’s final season in the World Endurance Championship.

The driver line-ups of da Costa/Habsburg/Milesi in car #35 and Gounon/Makowiecki/Martins in #36 will conclude their programme after the 8 Hours of Bahrain, as previously confirmed by the manufacturer.

Alpine’s goal will be to secure one last strong result, possibly replicating last year’s Fuji victory, while benefiting from aerodynamic updates designed to improve performance on high-downforce circuits.

Porsche absent but targeting future WEC return

The absence of Porsche 963 entries is notable this season, with neither Team Penske nor Proton Racing taking part as Weissach reassesses its motorsport strategy following reduced EV investment.

After three consecutive wins at Daytona and a Sebring double, Roger Penske remains optimistic about a possible Porsche return to the WEC top class by 2030.

New Michelin tyres introduced

A key technical note concerns the new Michelin low-environmental-impact tyre introduced across both IMSA and WEC.

According to Toyota technical director David Floury, manufacturers already competing in IMSA—such as BMW, Cadillac and Aston Martin—enter the WEC with a clear advantage, having gathered valuable race data at Daytona and Sebring rather than relying solely on testing sessions.

LMGT3 more competitive than ever: still Porsche vs Ferrari?

The LMGT3 field returns stronger than ever, featuring Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes and Porsche, although with several notable changes.

The absence of the Iron Dames entry allows Manthey to expand its Porsche programme, now fielding two 911 GT3 R cars.

The reigning team continues with the #92 driven by Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera, joined by Yasser Shahin arriving from BMW-WRT. The #91 returns after a one-year break with DTM champion Ayhancan Güven, former BMW driver Timur Boguslavskiy and James Cottingham, making his Porsche debut after competing with McLaren at United Autosports.

Ferrari AF Corse enters two cars under the Vista branding, retaining the driver crews of Alessio Rovera/Simon Mann/Francois Heriau and Davide Rigon/Francesco Castellacci/Thomas Flohr.

Ferrari aims to bounce back after narrowly missing out on the 2025 title, fielding the updated 296 Evo in pursuit of a GT world championship it has not won since 2022.

Two Mercedes entries confirmed with Iron Lynx

Mercedes continues its collaboration with Iron Lynx despite speculation during the previous season, largely fuelled by financial uncertainty within DC Racing Solutions.

Car #79 features two Italian drivers, Matteo Cressoni (returning to competition) and Johannes Zelger, alongside Lin Hodenius.

The #61 entry is driven by Maxime Martin, Martin Berry and Rui Andrade, who switches from Corvette to Mercedes.

Ford, Aston Martin and key driver movements in LMGT3

Gianmarco Levorato and Stefano Gattuso continue with Ford Proton, both having their names on the Mustang GT3 #88 in its Evo specification. They are joined by former F1 driver Logan Sargeant, who is expected to join Ford’s LMDh programme from 2027. The #77 Ford is driven by Seb Priaulx, Ben Tuck and Eric Powell.

Aston Martin retains Mattia Drudi, who also serves as reserve driver for the Hypercar programme. He is once again partnered with silver-rated Zacharie Robichon and team owner Ian James at The Heart of Racing.

BMW and WRT aim for reset season

BMW and WRT are expected to rebound strongly after what many considered a disappointing 2025 campaign.

Valentino Rossi returns full-time to GT World Challenge racing, while BMW and WRT have reshaped their LMGT3 approach.

Augusto Farfus leads the #32 crew alongside Sean Gelael and Darren Leung. The sister car carries the new #69 number, featuring Dan Harper, Parker Thompson and Anthony McIntosh.

Corvette and Lexus remain strong outsiders

The Corvette TF Sport entries return with Nicky Catsburg/Jonny Edgar/Ben Keating in one car and Charlie Eastwood/Salih Yoluc/Peter Dempsey in the other.

Akkodis ASP continues with Lexus RC F GT3 machinery, which is approaching the end of its cycle ahead of the new GR GT3 in 2027.

The French squad aims to replicate or improve upon its strong 2025 campaign, which included two victories, with line-ups featuring Hadrien David/Esteban Masson/Tom van Rompuy and José María López/Clemens Schmid/Petru Umbrarescu.

McLaren switches teams as Garage59 takes over programme

McLaren enters the 2026 WEC season with its 720S GT3 programme now run by Garage59 instead of United Autosports.

United has stepped back from racing for one year to focus on developing its LMDh prototype ahead of a planned 2027 debut, leaving Garage59 to take over competition duties.

The #10 car features Marvin Kirchhöfer, Tom Fleming and Antares Au, while the #58 is driven by Benjamin Goethe, Finn Gehrsitz and team owner Alexander West.