6 Heures d’Imola – H+2: Ferrari’s healthy ride continues
Despite a safety car closing the gaps, Ferrari kept its two cars in the lead. A major accident between a BMW and an Aston Martin in GT3 disrupted the race.
A pause for the Ferrari #50 in its wild comeback. The Scuderia stopped its hypercar earlier to try an undercut on the BMW #20. This strategy did not work as the WRT car was still ahead of the Italian one after its pit stop.
The defense of the BMW was even heroic. Despite several attacks from Nicklas Nielsen, René Rast managed to keep the prancing horse car behind him. The Ferrari engineers urged their driver to be more aggressive. A message that was well received as the #50 managed to pass the BMW after more than 20 minutes of attempts.
Read also: 6 Hours of Imola – H+1: Ferrari already outpaces the competition
Peugeot encountered an initial setback. The #94 was penalized 10 seconds for contact with the #38 Cadillac. The French car pushed the American off track in a bold overtaking maneuver at Acque Mineralli.
The other Peugeot, the #93, was slightly hit from the rear by Earl Bamber, from the Cadillac #38. The American car gained a place, but not in the fairest way. The French car lost a lot of time and positions. It dropped to 14th place after this incident. The Cadillac received a drive through penalty.
Peugeot Vs. Cadillac Round TWO 😳
#93 spins and causes a brief yellow flag.
Watch LIVE on https://t.co/IPZa0nvsLu 🎥#WEC #6HImola pic.twitter.com/ENRaTvuOPN
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) April 20, 2025
First safety car
In the final moments of her stint, Célia Martin began to pick up a very interesting pace. The Iron Dames driver put pressure on the #54 Ferrari before overtaking it. Ben Keating in his #33 Corvette had to fend off a very persistent Porsche.
Big disappointment for the Aston Martin of Heart of Racing. The #27 was sent into the wall by the BMW #31 in the last sector, at the same spot where the Cadillac crashed during the last free practice session. The impact was violent. The safety car was deployed immediately. The race interruption was not long.
The team gave reassuring news about their driver. Ian James was able to get out of the Aston Martin himself and is doing well.
Most importantly, Ian was able to climb out of the car on his own.
Unfortunately the No. 27 team’s day is done after contact sent Ian into the wall.
Over four hours remain in the #6HImola for the No. 007 (P18) and No. 009 (P17). #WEC | #HeartofRacingTeam | #AstonMartin pic.twitter.com/2bMy4lvEBN
— The Heart of Racing (@Heart_Of_Racing) April 20, 2025
Immediately, the Ferrari #51 picked up a strong pace to widen the gap at the front. In GT3, Célia Martin overtook the Corvette #33. The Tricolore had a strong end to the stint. Very discreet, the Mercedes found performance during the race. They have climbed well up the hierarchy.
A scare for Alpine
At the end of this second hour of racing, the Ferrari #50 has more than caught up with the exhaust of the two Toyotas. The battle for fourth place is expected to be intense in the upcoming laps.
At the same time, Ferdinand Habsburg had a big scare. At Tamburello, he went straight into the gravel while trying to avoid the #38 Cadillac returning to its path. The Austrian didn’t hit the wall, but it was close.
The BMW #20 lost large pieces of carbon. While trying to overtake some GT3 cars, it cut the last chicane of the circuit. Upon returning to the track, there was contact with the Toyota #7. A full course yellow was triggered to remove the debris.
