Toyota Gazoo Racing back on the WEC podium in the land of Ferrari

Whenever you arrive at the Autodromo Internazionale Dino and Enzo Ferrari, two thoughts get a hold of you immediately.
1. This is Ferrari’s land.
2. This is the place where Senna raced for the last time.

There is a sense of prancing horse pride everywhere, all red everything, Ferrari flags and Ferrari symbols all over, people walking on the streets surrounding the circuit wearing Ferrari colors and waving flags, whether it’s a race day or not. You walk into the coffee shop for an espresso or into the local deli to get a piadina (the famous Italian flatbread filled with ham and cheese or prosciutto or whatever is the specialty of the day), and on the wall are Ferrari souvenirs and magazine clippings of racecar drivers and cars that made history with the Maranello Brand.

There is also a somber atmosphere in the back of the joy of a race day, which is exciting and fun for many families – the remembrance of Ayrton Senna’s last race is in the air. And it’s not just the monument, where fans and people from all over the world constantly add flags and signs and mementos – it is something that permeates the grounds of the circuit every day, a tiny reminder of the clock of life ticking, a small voice in your head that says live each day like it’s the last lap, because one day it will be.

When people think of Italians as nostalgic and romantic, in a way, they have a point. When they ask you what you are doing there, and you say I’m working the WEC race at Imola, they make a mixed expression between happy and sad because Imola means Ayrton Senna to them. If you give them a minute and take the time to sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee the way they do, they will step out of the kitchen to join your table and show you some personal memories of the racetrack, like a picture with a champion, or a relative who worked at the races. This is the Romagna region; they remember and cherish their sports heroes and pay respectful tribute to them every day. You see it here at Imola with their timeless love for Senna, and you see it not far from here when you make the hill climb up to Mount Carpegna – best known as Cippo Pantani – where monuments, murals, and signs celebrate the life of another local hero: road cycling champion Marco Pantani.

The Italian Tifosi in their red Ferrari shirts are all around, waving Senna flags that say ‘sempre con noi’ (always with us) and telling us to hit the pedal because we get this one life and this one chance and that’s all we get and may as well make the best of it.

We arrived in Imola after a prologue and a first race, which positioned Team Penske and Team Jota/Hertz in a really good spot for the season. In Qatar, the No.6 Porsche Penske 963 Hypercar, driven by Andre Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre, took the first victory of the season. Team Jota/Hertz and the No. 5 Porsche completed the hypercar podium.
On the other hand, the long-dominant Toyota Gazoo Racing, which had accumulated many victories in the prototype class over the years, did not have the desired start in Qatar, nor did the 2023 Le Mans winner Ferrari.

In the season-opening race in Qatar, the highest-placed Ferrari was 5th, and the highest-placed Toyota came in sixth. Both teams set their sights on Imola to gain meaningful points and get on the podium.

In the LMGT3 category, the podium in Qatar had Manthey PureRxcing in first, followed by two Aston Martin Vantage cars, Team The Heart of Racing in second, and Team D’Station Racing in third.

The Ferrari hypercars were the fastest in qualifying at Imola. Ferraris No. 50, No. 83, and No. 51 clocked the fastest laps on the circuit, followed by Team Penske’s Porsche hypercars No. 6 and No. 5. The Toyota No.7 Toyota hypercar ended the session in sixth place, while the remainder of the top ten group included the No. 20 BMW, the No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing, the No. 12 Jota/Hertz, and the No. 99 Porsche of Team Proton Competition.

Qualifying for the LMGT3 class established the front row: the Manthey PureRxing Porsche 911, The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage, and the No.46 Team WRT BMW.
The Lamborghini Huracan of the Iron Dames took fourth place, followed by the No.88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang.
The Manthey EMA Porsche, the two VISTA AF Corse Ferraris, and the No.59 United Autosports McLaren completed the top ten group.

In the No. 46 BMW was another local favorite, Moto GP Champion Valentino Rossi, now competing in endurance racing and co-owner of Team WRT. The WRT garage was always crowded with media and fans during the grid walks and open sessions to show the unwavering support of the Italian Tifosi and press.

What can be more exciting than three Ferrari hypercars leading a race at the start on the Circuit that bears the names of Dino and Enzo Ferrari? It looked like the perfect way to begin the 6 hours race.
Except it did not last long.
The No.91 Porsche 91 hit the wall on the straight, and confusion followed at Tamburello, where a group of hypercars got tangled up. Among them were BMW, Alpine, Peugeot, and Isotta Fraschini.
That was the first run of the safety car, barely even minutes after the green flag.

The on-and-off rain became a theme throughout the race, prompting tire changes and difficult decision-making moments for several teams. In the LMGT3 category, Manthey PureRxing and Team WRT were in the lead, while the Iron Dames Lamborghini kept suffering mechanical issues throughout the first two hours. The mechanics worked on the car, which had been really strong in qualifying, with hopes of rejoining the race, but unfortunately, the Lamborghini had to abandon the race before the midpoint.

In the changing conditions, Team WRT maintained strong laps and capitalized on areas of track grip, with the No. 31 car remaining on slicks despite the moments of rain. This decision proved to be a good strategy, as the No. 31 car got in the lead, followed by sister car No. 46.

With the rain coming in, the hypercars kept going, with two Ferraris at the top, followed by Toyota. When Ferrari elected to delay tire changes, Toyota took advantage of the changing terrain and took the lead. The change to slicks after the rain ceased gave Toyota some more advantages, together with some risks. Over the following pit stops, with Ferrari and other teams also changing back to slicks, conditions became more unstable, as the track was still partially wet, and a few cars overshot some turns, including the Toyota No. 8.
When the No. 99 Porsche veered off the track into the sand, a full course yellow was declared, presenting Ferrari with a golden opportunity to close the gap and reclaim the lead at the race’s restart. However, the battle between Toyota and Porsche was far from over, and the Toyota team, displaying remarkable resilience, managed to surge ahead and ultimately clinch the victory.

Kobayashi crossed the finish line first, followed by the two Team Penske Porsche hypercars, and Antonio Fuoco’s Ferrari ended the race in fourth place.