The entry list for the forthcoming 6 Hours of Imola – the opening round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign on 17-19 April – has been officially released, setting the scene for a captivating curtain-raiser to kick-start this season’s chase for the crown.
Some 35 high-calibre crews make up the star-studded field – 17 in the headlining Hypercar division and 18 in the ever-competitive LMGT3 category – representing no fewer than 14 major automotive marques in the form of Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Genesis, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota.
Ferrari will enter the event not only as the fans’ favourite – with the legendary Prancing Horse stabled barely an hour up the road in nearby Maranello – but also as the reigning world champion, having wrapped up both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ laurels in Bahrain last November, marking its first global endurance racing success since prevailing in the FIA World Sportscar Championship all the way back in 1972.
The ever-loyal tifosi celebrated a popular home soil triumph at Imola’s Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari 12 months ago, as eventual champions Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi converted pole position into their first victory of the campaign behind the wheel of the #51 499P. The trio will be looking to launch their title defence with a similar result next weekend, but Ferrari faces a fierce challenge from seven equally hungry Hypercar rivals.
Toyota – the most decorated brand in FIA WEC history – is seeking redemption with a heavily-updated TR010 Hybrid Hypercar, after enduring an uncharacteristically low-key 2025. The 6 Hours of Imola will be the Japanese giant’s 100th outing in the championship – and could yield its 50th race win.
Both BMW M Team WRT and Aston Martin THOR Team have slimmed down to two-driver line-ups for the event – as has Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s #38 V-Series.R, with Jack Aitken’s series bow delayed until Spa-Francorchamps due to a clash – while Genesis Magma Racing’s primary goal in Italy will be to reach the chequered flag. The South Korean carmaker is gearing up to make its debut at the international pinnacle of the discipline, as it embarks upon its maiden motorsport programme.
A prior commitment means ‘Dudu’ Barrichello will be temporarily replaced by rising Belgian star Kobe Pauwels – the latest winner of the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy initiative – in the #23 Heart of Racing Team Vantage, while there is similarly a change elsewhere in LMGT3 at TF Sport.
After Ben Keating broke his elbow during a training session, fellow American Blake McDonald – who competes for the British outfit in the European Le Mans Series – will take his countryman’s place alongside Nicky Catsburg and Jonny Edgar in the #33 Corvette at Imola and Spa.
Final preparations for the 6 Hours of Imola will begin with the traditional Prologue group test on Tuesday, 14 April, with the race weekend getting underway on Friday, 17 April. Check out the full event timetable and entry list.
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