{"id":1458,"date":"2026-04-18T15:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onwheelstv.com\/?p=1458"},"modified":"2026-04-18T23:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T23:59:08","slug":"giovinazzi-coloca-ferrari-na-pole-em-imola-apos-hyperpole-historico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onwheelstv.com\/en\/giovinazzi-coloca-ferrari-na-pole-em-imola-apos-hyperpole-historico\/","title":{"rendered":"Giovinazzi Puts Ferrari on Pole at Imola in Historic Hyperpole Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Photo: \u00a9Ferrari<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The FIA World Endurance Championship season kicked off in spectacular fashion at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where Ferrari once again asserted itself at the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After topping four of five test and practice sessions, Ferrari entered qualifying as the clear favorite \u2014 but faced significantly stronger competition in the decisive Hyperpole shootout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driving the Ferrari 499P (Ferrari), Antonio Giovinazzi had to dig deep to secure his fourth career pole position, delivering a decisive lap at the very end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closest Hyperpole in WEC History<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Hyperpole session turned into the tightest battle ever seen in the championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Toyota GR010 Hybrid (Toyota) of Ry\u014d Hirakawa briefly held provisional pole after a strong late lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo: \u00a9Toyota Racing<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But Giovinazzi responded on his final attempt, snatching pole by just 0.011 seconds, sending the home crowd into celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top 4 results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • 1st: Ferrari 499P (Antonio Giovinazzi)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 2nd: Toyota GR010 Hybrid (Ry\u014d Hirakawa)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 3rd: Ferrari 499P (Antonio Fuoco)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 4th: Peugeot 9X8 (Malthe Jakobsen)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The top four were covered by just 0.073 seconds, a record margin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ferrari Leads, But Race Wide Open<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Despite strong form in practice, Ferrari faced serious pressure from both Toyota and Peugeot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Photo: \u00a9Ferrari<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Giovinazzi acknowledged the increased challenge: \u201cIt was much harder than last year. We knew Toyota would be a threat, and the hotter conditions made the car more difficult to drive.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He also revealed he had even more pace in hand: \u201cI had an even quicker lap before making a mistake, but I managed to deliver when it mattered.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The competitiveness extended throughout the field, with just 0.674 seconds covering the top ten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Other highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Cadillac V-Series.R (Hertz Team JOTA) secured 5th with Norman Nato<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Toyota lines up on the front row for its 100th WEC start<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Genesis made its debut with both GMR-001 prototypes in 16th and 17th<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      The 6 Hours of Imola starts Sunday at 13:00 CEST.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      O FIA World Endurance Championship arrancou a nova temporada com um momento de qualifica\u00e7\u00e3o absolutamente eletrizante no Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, onde a Ferrari voltou a afirmar-se na luta pela pole. Depois de dominar quatro das cinco sess\u00f5es de testes e treinos, a marca italiana confirmou o favoritismo, mas enfrentou uma oposi\u00e7\u00e3o muito […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,8,209],"tags":[432,435,433,149,146,434,139],"class_list":["post-1458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motorsport","category-news","category-wec","tag-6h-imola","tag-antonio-giovinazzi","tag-autodromo-internazionale-enzo-and-dino-ferrari","tag-ferrari-499p","tag-fia-wec","tag-toyota-gr010-hybrid","tag-wec"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t