The Ferrari AF Corse 499P Hypercar, driven by Antonio Giovinazzi, took pole position in a dramatic qualifying session, and the Italian trio of Ferraris would all take their turns at the front in a gripping 10-hour race. The #51 car, piloted by James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and Giovinazzi, appeared to be in control early on. However, a misstep under Virtual Safety Car conditions saw Giovinazzi hit with a drive-through penalty, dropping them to the lower half of the top ten.
Meanwhile, the privately-run #83 AF Corse entry, starting from eighth on the grid, seized the moment, passing the #50 ‘works’ Ferrari after it was spun out by the #15 BMW. From there, the battle for the lead was nothing short of intense, with both Ferraris exchanging blows at the front, each one seemingly on course for victory at various points.
In the final pit-stop phase, Antonio Fuoco, sharing the car with Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina, delivered a blistering stint, overtaking Robert Kubica. He then held off the determined Pole to cross the finish line first, claiming the team’s first win of the season.
Reflecting on the win, Fuoco shared, “First of all, a huge thanks to the team for their incredible work over the winter. We prepared so well, and even though we faced some challenges during the race, it all paid off in the end. The triple stint on the left-side tyres was pretty intense, but I managed the pace and the tyres well, and we secured a historic P1, P2, and P3 for Ferrari. Now, we’ll keep pushing for the next race!”
Despite relentless pressure from Pier Guidi on fresher tyres, Kubica held his ground to secure second place for the #51 team, just three-tenths ahead of Pier Guidi and barely two seconds behind the winner. After a series of penalties, the #51 car had one final chance to close the gap thanks to a late safety car, ultimately finishing third and locking out the top three for Ferrari – a feat not seen since the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona.
BMW M Team WRT, despite early setbacks including a pit speed limiter issue and a clash with an LMGT3 car, fought back to finish fourth with the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Dries Vanthoor, Raffaele Marciello, and Kevin Magnussen.
Toyota, the defending Manufacturers’ Champion, claimed fifth and sixth places with its GR010 Hybrids, with the #8 car crossing the line ahead of its sister car, which had started from the back row.
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA had a bitter end to what could have been a strong race. Earl Bamber made an incredible recovery from 17th to third, only for a dramatic clash between teammates Alex Lynn and Jenson Button at a safety car restart to wreck their chances.
Alpine Endurance Team looked promising in the opening stages, with the #35 car running third in the hands of Ferdinand Habsburg before slipping down the ranks. Last year’s Qatar winner, Porsche, could only manage tenth with the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry, as the 963 struggled for speed throughout.
Corvette’s Thrilling Victory in LMGT3
In LMGT3, fans were treated to an exhilarating battle between Daniel Juncadella in TF Sport’s #33 Corvette and Grégoire Saucy in United Autosports’ McLaren. With just half a second separating them in the final hour, Juncadella fended off a fierce challenge to claim victory, despite the Corvette starting from a lowly 13th on the grid.
“It wasn’t looking good for us early on, but we never gave up,” Juncadella said with a grin. “Looking at my heart rate, I was definitely working harder in the final stint! We came into the race hoping for a top-five finish, but to win is just incredible – it feels amazing!”
Behind Saucy, Sébastien Baud and James Cottingham finished in third for The Bend Team WRT, with Timur Boguslavskiy holding off a pack of factory drivers in the closing laps. The top three were separated by just 0.343 seconds as they crossed the finish line.
The second round of the 2025 FIA WEC season, the 6 Hours of Imola, will take place from April 18-20 in Italy.
