Motorsport Data & AI · 6 Hours of Imola 2024 · Season 2024

6 Hours of Imola 2024 — AI Data Analysis

Toyota wins the 6 Hours of Imola 2024 with the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid. Pace order, reliability by class, lead changes and the closing phase in a data check.

#7Winner · Toyota
205Laps led
37Cars total
6 hanalyzed

Winning crew · #7 Toyota Gazoo RacingMike Conway · Kamui Kobayashi · Nyck de Vries

Toyota won the 6 Hours of Imola 2024 at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid of Toyota Gazoo Racing covered 205 laps over 6 hours, a race distance of 1,006 km. The winning crew: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries. The margin to second place was 7.1 s, close enough to keep the result open late. The quickest manufacturer over one lap was Ferrari — but the win went to Toyota. Pace and result do not always match.

How the Lead Was Won

Across the race we counted 5 lead changes among 5 different cars in the HYPERCAR class. At the closest point, first and second were only 2.2 s apart. For 5 of 6 measured hours the gap stayed under 30 seconds.

That is a real head-to-head fight, not a comfortable lead.

Gap between first and second in the HYPERCAR class, hour by hour. Peaks mark pit stops, safety cars and incidents.
Figure 1 — Gap between first and second in the HYPERCAR class, hour by hour. Peaks mark pit stops, safety cars and incidents.

Figure 1 shows how that gap moved over the distance.

Manufacturer Pace

We rank pace by the average of each manufacturer’s fastest lap. That measures real speed over the distance instead of one lucky lap. The order at the top: Ferrari (191.4 km/h), Toyota (190.7 km/h), Cadillac (190.4 km/h).

Between the fastest and the slowest manufacturer in the HYPERCAR class lie 3.8 km/h. That is a wide spread. At this track, the concept differences show clearly.

Average fastest lap speed per manufacturer in the HYPERCAR class. Higher is faster.
Figure 2 — Average fastest lap speed per manufacturer in the HYPERCAR class. Higher is faster.

Figure 2 sets the pace order side by side.

Reliability by Class

4 of 37 cars did not make the finish — an overall retirement rate of 11%. The losses were spread evenly: every class lost roughly the same share of its field.

Over this distance, reliability is a result in itself. A car that stops scores nothing, no matter how fast it was.

Retirement rate per class, with the number of entries behind each bar.
Figure 3 — Retirement rate per class, with the number of entries behind each bar.

Figure 3 compares the classes directly.

Efficiency Over the Distance

Our efficiency score multiplies average lap speed by laps completed and compares that to the class average. It rewards cars that were fast and stayed out of trouble. A value of 1.000 is exactly class average.

The top score goes to #50 Ferrari with 1.046. The winner, #7, is not on top here. Track position and strategy turned into a result that raw efficiency alone does not explain.

Efficiency score per car: average lap speed times laps, normalized to the class average.
Figure 4 — Efficiency score per car: average lap speed times laps, normalized to the class average.

Figure 4 ranks the cars by that score.

The Closing Phase

In the final hour, 65% of the field held position within ±1 place (n = 37). The closing hour stayed busy, with position changes across the field. The biggest single move came from #99 Porsche, 21 places back.

Share of cars that changed position by no more than one place in the final hour.
Figure 5 — Share of cars that changed position by no more than one place in the final hour.

Figure 5 shows how settled the finish really was.

Fastest Lap and Class Gaps

The fastest single lap of the race belongs to #50 Ferrari (Ferrari AF Corse): 1:31.794 at 192.5 km/h. Crew: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen.

Between HYPERCAR and LMGT3 sits a pace gap of 10.2 s per lap. That number decides how much traffic the leaders have to work through.

Class winners — HYPERCAR: #7 Toyota (Toyota Gazoo Racing), LMGT3: #31 BMW (Team WRT).

Putting the Race in Context

The winner averaged 167.4 km/h across 1,006 km. On a 4.909 km lap, that is the pace the whole strategy had to sustain.

We calculate the same metrics for every race in the archive: pace order, reliability by class, lead changes, winning margin, closing stability and efficiency. That makes this race directly comparable with every other round of the 2024 season — and with the seasons before it.

All figures are derived from the full classification of every race hour and are recalculated with each build.

Overall result HYPERCAR

Full final classification of the top class after 6 hours — car, driver crew, laps, gap, fastest race lap and average pace.

Overall result
PosNoManufacturer / CarTeam & DriversLapsGapFastest lapØ FL km/h
1#7ToyotaToyotaToyota GR010 HybridToyota Gazoo RacingMike Conway · Kamui Kobayashi · Nyck de Vries2051:32.601190.8
2#6PorschePorschePorsche 963Porsche Penske MotorsportKévin Estre · André Lotterer · Laurens Vanthoor205+7.0811:32.759190.5
3#5PorschePorschePorsche 963Porsche Penske MotorsportMatt Campbell · Michael Christensen · Frédéric Makowiecki205+25.6261:32.590190.9
4#50FerrariFerrariFerrari 499PFerrari AF CorseAntonio Fuoco · Miguel Molina · Nicklas Nielsen205+31.4691:31.794192.5
5#8ToyotaToyotaToyota GR010 HybridToyota Gazoo RacingSébastien Buemi · Brendon Hartley · Ryo Hirakawa205+33.7771:32.790190.5
6#20BMWBMWBMW M Hybrid V8BMW M Team WRTSheldon van der Linde · Robin Frijns · René Rast204+1 Laps1:32.891190.2
7#51FerrariFerrariFerrari 499PFerrari AF CorseAlessandro Pier Guidi · James Calado · Antonio Giovinazzi204+1 Laps1:32.515191
8#83FerrariFerrariFerrari 499PFerrari AF CorseRobert Kubica · Robert Shwartzman · Yifei Ye204+1 Laps1:32.698190.6
9#93PeugeotPeugeotPeugeot 9X8Peugeot TotalEnergiesMikkel Jensen · Nico Müller · Jean-Eric Vergne203+2 Laps1:32.798190.4
10#2CadillacCadillacCadillac V-Series.RCadillac RacingEarl Bamber · Alex Lynn203+2 Laps1:32.795190.4
11#38PorschePorschePorsche 963Hertz Team JOTAJenson Button · Philip Hanson · Oliver Rasmussen203+2 Laps1:33.359189.3
12#63LamborghiniLamborghiniLamborghini SC63Lamborghini Iron LynxMirko Bortolotti · Edoardo Mortara · Daniil Kvyat203+2 Laps1:33.086189.9
13#35AlpineAlpineAlpine A424Alpine Endurance TeamPaul-Loup Chatin · Jules Gounon · Charles Milesi201+4 Laps1:33.281189.5
14#12PorschePorschePorsche 963Hertz Team JOTAWill Stevens · Callum Ilott · Norman Nato200+5 Laps1:32.987190.1
15#94PeugeotPeugeotPeugeot 9X8Peugeot TotalEnergiesPaul di Resta · Loïc Duval · Stoffel Vandoorne199+6 Laps1:33.208189.6
16#36AlpineAlpineAlpine A424Alpine Endurance TeamNicolas Lapierre · Mick Schumacher · Matthieu Vaxiviere199+6 Laps1:33.036190
17#11Isotta FraschiniIsotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-CIsotta FraschiniAntonio Serravalle · Carl Wattana Bennett · Jean-Karl Vernay191+14 Laps1:34.191187.6
34#99PorschePorschePorsche 963Proton CompetitionHarry Tincknell · Neel Jani · Julien Andlauer167+38 Laps Not classified1:32.742190.6
37#15BMWBMWBMW M Hybrid V8BMW M Team WRTDries Vanthoor · Raffaele Marciello · Marco Wittmann163+42 Laps Disqualified1:33.256189.5

Season context: the full 2024 WEC season in data · all-time WEC records

Class winners in detail

The winners of each class with overall position, car, crew and fastest lap.

Class winners in detail
ClassOverallNoManufacturer / CarTeam & DriversLapsFastest lap
HYPERCARP1#7ToyotaToyotaToyota GR010 HybridToyota Gazoo RacingMike Conway · Kamui Kobayashi · Nyck de Vries2051:32.601
LMGT3P18#31BMWBMWBMW M4 LMGT3Team WRTDarren Leung · Sean Gelael · Augusto Farfus1871:42.700

Manufacturer pace

Average of the fastest lap speed per manufacturer. It measures real pace over the distance, not a single outlier.

Ferrari
191.37
Toyota
190.65
Cadillac
190.4
Porsche
190.28
BMW
189.85
Alpine
189.75

Reliability by class

Retirement rate per class — the toughest filter of a long-distance race.

HYPERCAR
10.5% · n19
LMGT3
11.1% · n18

Lap efficiency score

(avg FL km/h × laps) normalized to the class mean. It combines pace, distance and durability in one number — 1.000 = class mean.

#50 Ferrari
1.046
#7 Toyota
1.037
#5 Porsche
1.037
#6 Porsche
1.035
#8 Toyota
1.035
#51 Ferrari
1.033
#83 Ferrari
1.030
#20 BMW
1.028

Position stability, final hour

Share of cars that held their position within ±1 in the final hour (n=37).

65%

A lively closing phase with numerous late position changes.

Race dynamics compared

The same metrics for every race — so Le Mans is directly comparable with Daytona, and year with year.

5Lead changes (5 leaders)
7.081Winning margin over P2
10.2 sPace delta HYPERCAR → LMGT3
HYPERCARtop class analyzed
2.2 sClosest lead gap
5/6Hours inside 30 s
1,006 kmWinning distance
167.4Average speed km/h
312Position changes total
110Drivers in the field

Fastest race lap

The quickest single lap of the whole race — peak pace, not race pace.

1:31.794 · 192.5 km/h — #50 Ferrari, Ferrari AF Corse (HYPERCAR)
Antonio Fuoco · Miguel Molina · Nicklas Nielsen

Steadiest cars

Laps per hour and their spread. A low spread means few stops, few incidents, a clean rhythm.

NoManufacturerLaps/hSpread
#36Alpine33.2±2.71
#93Peugeot33.6±2.87
#35Alpine33.4±3.01
#20BMW33.8±3.06
#2Cadillac33.8±3.06
#6Porsche34±3.1

WEC record at this circuit

The World Endurance Championship has raced here 3 times in the seasons we analyze, and Toyota has won most often (2). Every entry links to the full data analysis of that race.

Fastest lap on record
1:31.794 · 192.5 km/h
#50 Ferrari, Ferrari AF Corse (2024)
Highest race average
174.2 km/h
Toyota (2026)
Seasons
2024, 2025, 2026
WEC races at this circuit
YearRaceWinnerDistanceCars
20266 Hours of Imola#8 Toyota
Toyota Gazoo Racing
1,046 km35
20256 Hours of Imola#51 Ferrari
Ferrari AF Corse
1,041 km36
20246 Hours of Imola#7 Toyota
Toyota Gazoo Racing
1,006 km37

All-time WEC records · every WEC season in data