2026 6 Hours of Imola
Endurance sportscar racing event
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The 2026 6 Hours of Imola was an endurance sportscar racing event, held between 17 and 19 April 2026, as the first of eight rounds of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. It was the fourth running of the event, and the third consecutive running of the event as part of the World Endurance Championship.
| Event information | |
|---|---|
| Round 1 of 8 in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship | |
| Date | 19 April 2026 |
| Location | Imola |
| Venue | Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari |
| Duration | 6 hours |
| Results | |
| Laps completed | 213 |
| Distance (km) | 1045.61 |
| Distance (miles) | 649.71 |
| Hypercar | |
| Pole position | |
| Time | 1:30.127 |
| Team | |
| Drivers | |
| Winners | |
| Team | |
| Drivers | |
| LMGT3 | |
| Winners | |
| Team | |
| Drivers | |
Background
The event was announced on 13 June 2025, during the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend.[1] After the 2026 Qatar 1812 km was postponed until October due to the 2026 Iran war, the 6 Hours of Imola became the opening round of the season.[2]
Entry list
The entry list was published on 7 April 2026 and consisted of 35 entries across 2 categories – 17 in Hypercar and 18 in LMGT3.[3] Alex Lynn was scheduled to drive the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota entry but underwent an operation on his neck prior to the race for an "ongoing neck injury".[4] Also absent from the Hypercar's entry list were Cadillac's Jack Aitken, as well as BMW's Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde, due to driving duties at the IMSA's 2026 Grand Prix of Long Beach held at the same weekend.[5] In the LMGT3 category, Aston Martin Academy graduate Kobe Pauwels made his debut in place of The Heart of Racing's Eduardo Barrichello due to similar clashing commitments,[6] while Corvette TF Sport's Ben Keating was injured in a training accident and was replaced by Blake McDonald.[7]
Schedule
Practice
Three practice sessions were held before the event: two on Friday, and one on Saturday. The sessions on Friday morning and Friday afternoon lasted 90 minutes, and the session on Saturday morning lasted 60 minutes.[8]
Practice 1
| Class | No. | Entrant | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypercar | 83 | 1:31.739 | ||
| LMGT3 | 34 | 1:42.678 | ||
| Source:[9][10] | ||||
- Note: Only the fastest car in each class is shown.
Practice 2
| Class | No. | Entrant | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypercar | 35 | 1:30.898 | ||
| LMGT3 | 23 | 1:42.081 | ||
| Source:[11][12] | ||||
- Note: Only the fastest car in each class is shown.
Practice 3
| Class | No. | Entrant | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypercar | 50 | 1:30.370 | ||
| LMGT3 | 27 | 1:41.973 | ||
| Source:[13][14] | ||||
- Note: Only the fastest car in each class is shown.
Qualifying
Qualifying results
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Qualifying | Hyperpole | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hypercar | 51 | 1:30.341 | 1:30.127 | 1 | |
| 2 | Hypercar | 8 | 1:30.471 | 1:30.138 | 2 | |
| 3 | Hypercar | 50 | 1:30.088 | 1:30.167 | 3 | |
| 4 | Hypercar | 94 | 1:30.309 | 1:30.200 | 4 | |
| 5 | Hypercar | 12 | 1:30.644 | 1:30.419 | 5 | |
| 6 | Hypercar | 7 | 1:30.274 | 1:30.432 | 6 | |
| 7 | Hypercar | 35 | 1:30.420 | 1:30.469 | 7 | |
| 8 | Hypercar | 83 | 1:30.215 | 1:30.508 | 8 | |
| 9 | Hypercar | 20 | 1:30.576 | 1:30.618 | 9 | |
| 10 | Hypercar | 15 | 1:30.640 | 1:30.801 | 10 | |
| 11 | Hypercar | 36 | 1:30.682 | 11 | ||
| 12 | Hypercar | 007 | 1:30.806 | 12 | ||
| 13 | Hypercar | 38 | 1:30.867 | 13 | ||
| 14 | Hypercar | 009 | 1:30.967 | 14 | ||
| 15 | Hypercar | 93 | 1:30.995 | 15 | ||
| 16 | Hypercar | 19 | 1:31.258 | 16 | ||
| 17 | Hypercar | 17 | 1:32.216 | 17 | ||
| 18 | LMGT3 | 10 | 1:43.038 | 1:41.181 | 18 | |
| 19 | LMGT3 | 78 | 1:42.815 | 1:41.407 | 19 | |
| 20 | LMGT3 | 87 | 1:43.009 | 1:41.545 | 20 | |
| 21 | LMGT3 | 69 | 1:42.315 | 1:41.591 | 21 | |
| 22 | LMGT3 | 32 | 1:42.428 | 1:41.812 | 22 | |
| 23 | LMGT3 | 61 | 1:42.810 | 1:42.092 | 23 | |
| 24 | LMGT3 | 21 | 1:42.940 | 1:42.230 | 24 | |
| 25 | LMGT3 | 91 | 1:43.081 | 1:42.265 | 25 | |
| 26 | LMGT3 | 88 | 1:42.912 | 1:42.435 | 26 | |
| 27 | LMGT3 | 34 | 1:43.081 | No time | 27 | |
| 28 | LMGT3 | 92 | 1:43.093 | 28 | ||
| 29 | LMGT3 | 27 | 1:43.106 | 29 | ||
| 30 | LMGT3 | 77 | 1:43.241 | 30 | ||
| 31 | LMGT3 | 33 | 1:43.281 | 31 | ||
| 32 | LMGT3 | 23 | 1:43.336 | 32 | ||
| 33 | LMGT3 | 58 | 1:43.364 | 33 | ||
| 34 | LMGT3 | 79 | 1:43.522 | 34 | ||
| 35 | LMGT3 | 54 | 1:43.999 | 35 | ||
| Source:[15][16] | ||||||
Race
Race results
The minimum number of laps for classification (70% of overall winning car's distance) was 150 laps. Class winners are in bold and ‡.
Championship standings after the race
Hypercar
Drivers
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Teams
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Manufacturers
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LMGT3
Drivers
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Teams
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