FIA WEC: Opening victory for the BMW M4 GT3 EVO at Imola – Strong performance by the BMW M Hybrid V8.

Imola. BMW M Motorsport celebrated a fantastic start to the season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). At the “6 Hours of Imola,” Dan Harper (GBR), Parker Thompson (CAN), and Anthony McIntosh (USA) claimed victory in the LMGT3 class with the #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Team WRT – and did so in their debut race in the FIA WEC. It was the second LMGT3 triumph for Team WRT after their one-two finish in 2024, also at Imola. The two BMW M Hybrid V8s also gave strong performances in the Hypercar class in front of a record crowd of 92,175 spectators, finishing fifth and seventh.

The BMW M Hybrid V8s started the race from ninth and tenth positions, having both qualified for Hyperpole on Saturday. René Rast (GER) and Robin Frijns (NED) made a strong start in the #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, but then dropped back due to a drive-through penalty. Over the course of the race, however, the duo fought their way forward again, and Rast crossed the finish line in fifth place after a nerve-wracking performance in the final stage. Kevin Magnussen (DEN) and Raffaele Marciello (SUI) finished seventh in the sister car #15.

The #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO started from fourth place in the LMGT3 class and, thanks to a strong performance by McIntosh, quickly moved to the front and took the lead. Against strong competition, the car consistently stayed in the top three and claimed victory when the McLaren ahead suffered a technical failure. Harper brought home the first win. The #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO with Augusto Farfus (BRA), Sean Gelael (INA), and Darren Leung (GBR) also performed strongly. The trio started from fifth place and, despite a five-second penalty for an unsafe release, finished in the same position.

Quotes after the 6 Hours of Imola:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “A spectacular start to the FIA WEC season! Especially the battles for fourth place in the Hypercar class during the final phase were gigantic. Although we didn’t make it onto the podium, we had a car here that was competitive and able to fight for top positions. That’s positive. The victory in the LMGT3 class is, of course, incredible! Huge congratulations to the drivers Dan Harper, Parker Thompson, and Anthony McIntosh, and to Team WRT! Overall, it’s a great start to the season, one we can be proud of and build upon.”

Vincent Vosse (Team Principal BMW M Team WRT): “Fifth and seventh place with our two Hypercars are strong results. Of course, we would have preferred to be on the podium, but it is still a good start to the season that brings us important points. The drivers did an excellent and flawless job. Unfortunately, car #20 received a drive-through penalty due to a mistake during a yellow phase. We need to avoid such things in the future. First victory in the first race of the season – an excellent result for our #69 crew. I am absolutely delighted for our LMGT3 team about the win and also the top result for car #32. That is truly exceptional. I would like to take this opportunity to dedicate this victory to Juha Miettinen, who passed away at the Nürburgring while pursuing his passion.”

René Rast (BMW M Team WRT, #20 Shell BMW M Hybrid V8, 5th place): “With fifth place, we achieved a good result and important points for the championship in the end. Unfortunately, we had to serve a drive-through penalty during the race. At that point, we were ahead of the Toyota that ended up on the podium, so without that penalty more would certainly have been possible. But to do that, you have to do a perfect job, and unfortunately, we didn’t quite manage that today. We need to improve, eliminate mistakes, and add a bit more pace. But generally, it was the first race of the season, with a new crew. We still need to get used to each other, but we certainly learned a lot.”

Raffaele Marciello (BMW M Team WRT, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, 7th place): “It was a long race with two drivers, but we got almost the maximum out of our races with both cars. I think we made a small mistake with tyre choice during my stint; otherwise, fourth place would have been possible. That’s a bit of a shame. With fifth and seventh place, we can still be satisfied, but of course, we want to move further forward. We need to keep working and improve.”

Dan Harper (Team WRT, #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 1st place LMGT3): “After our joint test races, I already had a good feeling that with this crew we could achieve podium finishes and eventually a victory, but for it to happen in the very first race is incredible. Many thanks to Team WRT for the fantastic strategy! The BMW M4 GT3 has always been strong at Imola, so we were optimistic. Anthony put us on course for the podium with his opening stints. After that, it was a tough battle against extremely strong competition. I feel a bit for the McLaren crew, as they were really super fast. I had already settled for second place, but then the car in front of me suddenly slowed down.”

Parker Thompson (Team WRT, #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 1st place LMGT3): “Victory on my debut with Team WRT and the BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the FIA WEC. This is an incredible day! I thought it would take us the whole season to achieve this goal, but now we’ve cleared this hurdle on our very first attempt. My stints were good, I did what I had to do: After Anthony put us in a fantastic position, I handed over to Dan so he could do what he does best – bring the race home. We had a bit of luck, and I feel for the McLaren crew. I know what it feels like to retire while leading, and it’s not nice. For us, this victory still feels fantastic.”

Anthony McIntosh (Team WRT, #69 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 1st place LMGT3): “I can’t really say much. The team, my fellow drivers – everyone was simply legendary this weekend. For me, the car felt very calm, and so I was able to pull off some good overtaking manoeuvres.”

Augusto Farfus (Team WRT, #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 5th place LMGT3): “This fifth place feels better to me than it looks. We had technical problems with the car before the race which set us back in preparation. The team did a great job getting us back on track, but we were still missing a bit of fine-tuning. We lost a lot of ground during a phase in the middle of the race. That was impossible to make up. We need to look into why that happened. Congratulations to the sister car on the victory. That shows the potential we have. Still, fifth place means important points, and in this championship, it’s all about consistently collecting points.”