Fuoco takes Ferrari to pole at Monza for WEC round
The Italian driver claimed a fifth career pole position for Ferrari's 499P at the World Endurance Championship round on home soil, with the Lexus RC F securing LMGT3 pole in its final series appearance.
Ferrari claimed pole position for Sunday’s 6 Hours of Monza through a driver who topped a wet qualifying session and prevailed in the Hyperpole shootout. The Ferrari 499P’s pace was quick enough to edge out Genesis’ Mathieu Jaminet by 0.096 seconds, according to the FIA WEC’s official announcement.
The pole marked the driver’s fifth outright pole position in the FIA WEC and his first in 18 months. For Ferrari, it represented the 499P’s 11th pole in the series and its fourth consecutive pole position at Monza, having claimed the top starting spot at the circuit for three seasons in succession at Imola.
Wet-weather advantage
All practice sessions took place in wet conditions, leaving drivers with no dry-weather running to prepare for qualifying. The leading driver handled the tricky circumstances decisively in the opening phase of the two-stage session and maintained his advantage through the high-pressure Hyperpole round, where competitors had ten minutes to set their fastest lap. “It was quite tricky because with practice having all been wet, we didn’t have chance to do any prior dry-weather running, but I really like these conditions when you just have to go and send it and try to put everything together,” the pole-sitter said.
Ferrari’s title defence
The #50 Ferrari entry will carry drivers Nielsen and Miguel Molina alongside the pole-sitter on Sunday. The three will aim to convert pole position into a race victory; the 499P claimed a previous win this season, and Ferrari’s overall campaign has been described as challenging by the series. Théo Pourchaire rounded out the top five in the Peugeot 9X8, which is contesting its final event in its current form.
Toyota struggles, Lexus bows out on pole
The championship-contending Toyota TR010 Hybrid entries both failed to reach the top ten, with drivers Ryō Hirakawa and Kamui Kobayashi qualifying 15th and 16th respectively. In the LMGT3 category, Hadrien David secured pole position for Lexus in the RC F, which is making its final FIA WEC appearance. David claimed the grid’s top spot by a margin of just 0.014 seconds in the mixed conditions, marking his second career pole in the series. He will share the #78 car with Tom Van Rompuy and Esteban Masson on Sunday. The Lexus has been a leading contender in the production-based class over two seasons, though Akkodis ASP Team’s 2026 campaign has been marked by ill-fortune, with only second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans to show for their efforts so far.
The 6 Hours of Monza begins at 11:00 CET on Sunday, November 8.
This article was compiled by the CityLifeBytes editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.
