Imola marked the competitive debut for Toyota’s TR010 – an update on the GR010 – under the Toyota Racing banner.
It was a steady start to the race. Ferrari controlled the opening hour with the #51 Ferrari 499P leading the sister #50.
RESULTS: 6 Hours of Imola
RESULTS: 6 Hours of Imola by class
A quick pit stop for Hartley put him back in second position before handing the #8 car over to teammate Hirakawa in the second hour.
The team elected not to change tyres, which allowed them to undercut the #51 and assume the lead of the race.
When Nick Cassidy beached his #93 Peugeot 9X8 in the gravel trap, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed and gave Toyota the free kick it needed to pit and take tyres.
Hirakawa eventually pitted to hand the reins to Buemi. Ferrari tried its best to undercut Toyota but couldn’t strategise their way into a win.
There was the late threat of rain, though it never eventuated and Buemi extended his advantage to win by 13 seconds over the #51 of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Allesandro Pier Guidi.
Peugeot #93 beaches in the gravel and causes VSC.
Nick Cassidy is now back on track!
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— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) April 19, 2026
Toyota bookended the podium with the sister #7 TR010 of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck De Vries in third.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Hartley.
“The TR010 Hybrid looked fast even before it turned a wheel, and now it wins on its debut.
“The team put in a lot of work over the last months to prepare for this first race.
“It was a real team effort today as well, and it’s not often you take a race victory with a feeling like that.
“There was an amazing crowd here at Imola and the podium was a beautiful moment.
“It feels like a special day.”
Earl Bamber finished eighth in the #38 Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R with Sebastien Bourdais.
Cassidy finished 16th in the 17-car class alongside Paul Di Resta and Stoffel Vandoorne.
It was a debut to forget after he lost control over the second kerb at the Tamburello chicane and spun into the gravel trap.
In the LMGT3 class, Yasser Shahin claimed third place in the #92 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 with Ricardo Pera and Richard Leitz.
The class win went to the #69 Team WRT BMW M4 of Parker Thompson, Dan Harper, and Anthony McIntosh.
Martin Berry failed to finish. The #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG he shared with Rui Andrade and Maxime Martin came up 45 minutes short of the finish.
The FIA World Endurance Championship returns on May 9 with the 6 Hours of Spa.
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