The Toyota team achieved its 50th victory in the 100th WEC race.

      At the 6-hour race in Imola, which marked the start of the new WEC season, Toyota Racing prepared an upgraded hypercar TR010, and although the Ferrari crew won the qualifying yesterday, the Japanese team achieved its milestone victory on Sunday. Throughout the race, the crew of the sports prototype No. 8, consisting of Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa, and Sébastien Buemi, battled with Ferrari, but ultimately the Toyota drivers climbed to the top step of the podium for the 50th time. Moreover, this was the milestone, hundredth race of the factory team of the Japanese automotive giant in WEC. In terms of pace, Toyota and Ferrari were nearly equal, but victory went to those who applied a more effective and inventive strategy. At the start, Hartley lost a position but then regained it during the first pit stop, and during the second visit to the pits, Toyota decided to take a risk and only refueled without changing tires, allowing Hirakawa to return to the track ahead of Alessandro Pier Guidi. When the virtual safety car was deployed, crew No. 8 had the opportunity to change tires without losing the lead. Toyota structured the race in such a way that the second car held off Ferrari's attacks for many laps while Buemi gradually increased the advantage. When Antonio Giovinazzi, who set the best qualifying time, found himself on a clear track, he was able to speed up, but he couldn't catch up to Buemi, who crossed the finish line 13.382 seconds ahead of his rival. "We achieved our 50th victory in our hundredth race, and at Ferrari's home track – what a wonderful story! – commented the former Formula 1 driver and holder of championship titles in WEC and Formula E. – Moreover, this is the debut race of the TR010 Hybrid hypercar. This is largely thanks to the specialists in the team who work at the bases in Japan and Germany. They reacted very well to the difficulties we faced in 2025. Of course, this is just the first race, but I congratulate our entire team – they performed excellently today, and I am very proud of everyone!" The second Toyota crew finished in third place, while the Ferrari sports prototype No. 50 only reached the finish line in sixth place, as it received a penalty for a pit lane drive-through for violating yellow flag rules during the "6 Hours of Imola." The Alpine drivers, competing in car No. 35 – António Félix da Costa, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Charles Milesi – finished fourth. Rounding out the top five was the BMW M Team WRT crew consisting of René Rast, Robin Frijns, and Sheldon van der Linde.