Ferrari’s Antonio Giovinazzi clinched pole position at Imola after a dramatic Hyperpole shootout. The reigning world champion secured the top spot, but faced stiff competition in what was described as the tightest Hyperpole shootout in history.
Ferrari’s Strong Showing and Intense Competition
Ferrari had dominated four of the five testing and practice sessions leading up to qualifying. However, their rivals brought serious pressure during the FIA World Endurance Championship curtain-raiser qualifying. Giovinazzi and Antonio Fuoco initially traded fastest laps in the top ten Hyperpole showdown for Ferrari. Toyota and Peugeot also proved to be strong contenders.
Malthe Jakobsen delivered a stellar performance for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies. Ryō Hirakawa then stormed to the top of the standings in Toyota Racing’s updated #8 TR010 Hybrid. Giovinazzi responded on the very last lap, snatching pole position by 0.011 seconds.
A Record-Breakingly Tight Qualifying Session
The top four were covered by the tiniest gap in the series’ 102 events to-date. A mere 0.674secs from first to tenth marked a record in the Hyperpole era. The race promises intriguing stories up and down the 17-strong field.
- Giovinazzi secured his fourth career pole in FIA WEC competition.
- The top four cars were separated by just 0.073 seconds.
- It is Toyota’s 100th FIA WEC start.
Toyota and Peugeot Aim for Victory
Toyota will be hoping history repeats itself. The Japanese car maker’s #8 entry lined up on the front row for the marque’s 50th outing in the championship, and also for its 75th. On both occasions, it went on to triumph. Tomorrow, Toyota makes its 100th FIA WEC start.
Peugeot will similarly fancy its chances of success after coming the closest it has ever done to pole. Norman Nato grabbed fifth spot in the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA contender, after the race-winning V-Series.R had struggled throughout free practice and the opening phase of qu.
“That was a lot more difficult than last year!” Giovinazzi said. “I was on an even quicker lap earlier in the session until I made a mistake, so I’m really happy that in the end I was able to do enough because we know how important track position is here, but it was certainly intense and it will make for a fun race to watch tomorrow, that’s for sure!”