Ferrari AF Corse snatch first win on home soil in Imola 6 Hour

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 (...)

Apr 20, 2025 - 20:11

Ferrari AF Corse snatch first win on home soil in Imola 6 Hour

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.