This weekend sees the FIA World Endurance Championship hold its second round of 2025 for the 6 Hours of Imola. With plenty to look out for throughout Saturday's race, here are the best ways to watch the event live and for free, along with all the information you'll need.
After a month and a half away from the race track since its opening round at the Qatar 1812km in late February, the FIA World Endurance Championship makes its return to the big screen this weekend for the Imola 6 Hours.
With BoP changes, car development, a new track to contend with and momentum to gain in the lead-up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June, there is a lot to track at this first European race of the year. Here's all you need to know going into the race, and the best ways to track the event on race day.
Can the Ferrari 499P continue its run of success? Image credit: Ferrari Media Centre
The question now will be whether the Prancing Horse can continue that impressive run of form at Imola, and when you look at the team's form there last year, chances are relatively high. Before the chaos ensued of a mid-race shower at last year's event, the Italian manufacturer was also looking incredibly strong at the old San Marino GP venue, but poor strategic decisions took a first non-Le Mans WEC win away. So the car clearly performs well there, and with a year's worth of experience, that minor faux pas in the pit lane is history.
Then again, the Hypercar class is different from any other World Championship in that Balance of Performance rules car form with an iron fist. With the numbers out for this weekend's event, it looks like a number of other teams will have something to say about another Ferrari-dominated event.
The balance of performance appears to be on Alpine's side going into Imola. Image credit: Alpine Media
Namely among them is Alpine, who's A424 gains power, loses weight and is allotted more energy to use across a stint. Meanwhile, the Ferrari 499P and its only real competitor at Qatar, the Cadillac V-Series.R both suffer significant weight increases.
One team that will be desperate to do well in the Hypercar class is Peugeot, arriving in Imola one year on from the debut of its overhauled 9X8. Apart from a podium in Bahrain, the French LMH has yet to show true speed in the WEC, so this will be an important race for them to show to sponsors and the wider Stellantis Group that the program still has merit.
In a similar position are the pair of Porsche LMGT3 cars from the Iron Dames and Manthey 1st Phorm, following a disastrous showing in Qatar, finishing last and second-to-last, respectively, among the runners. Though following a win in the first ELMS round, the Porsche-running Iron Dames may well have momentum on their side this weekend.
The Iron Dames' move to Porsche has been unsuccessful in WEC so far this year. Image credit: Porsche Press Site
Where the 911 GT3 R showed a shocking loss of pace between 2024 and the first race of 2025, Lexus and its RC F GT3 showed the opposite and will hope to continue that run of competitiveness through the European rounds leading up to Le Mans.
Finally, as we touched on prior to the season opener at Qatar, there are two new teams and cars taking part in this year's World Endurance Championship: the two Mercedes AMG GT3S of Iron Lynx and the Heart of Racing's pair of Aston Martin Valkyries. As expected, neither managed to make much of an impression in February's duel in the desert, but as we get further into the year, these outfits are bound to creep up the grid. How they fare in Imola, we will have to wait and see.
As such, a pair of Free Practice sessions on Friday, 18 April, lead into an FP3 session on Saturday morning, with Qualifying taking place soon after. The race will kick off at 1 pm local time on Sunday, 20 April - just in time for Easter lunch.
Well, like every WEC race, the whole 6 Hours plus qualifying are available to watch live on the WEC.tv app. Access does require a subscription. While some territories have TV broadcasters, these are typically only available to subscribers as well.
For a free taste of the coverage, the third Free Practice session is available to watch live on Saturday morning on YouTube as the cars get ready for qualifying. But if you are looking to get free access to the goings on during the actual race, we might be able to help.
Will you be tuning into the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship Imola 6 Hours? Who are you rooting for?
After a month and a half away from the race track since its opening round at the Qatar 1812km in late February, the FIA World Endurance Championship makes its return to the big screen this weekend for the Imola 6 Hours.
With BoP changes, car development, a new track to contend with and momentum to gain in the lead-up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June, there is a lot to track at this first European race of the year. Here's all you need to know going into the race, and the best ways to track the event on race day.
Everything You Need to Know About the 2025 6 Hours of Imola
Going into the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship - a round taking place in Italy - there is one story above all else that is still grabbing the headlines. That would be Ferrari's imperious march on not only the win at the season's first round in Qatar, but the entire podium, the 499P claiming a 1-2-3 finish to kick off the year.Can the Ferrari 499P continue its run of success? Image credit: Ferrari Media Centre
The question now will be whether the Prancing Horse can continue that impressive run of form at Imola, and when you look at the team's form there last year, chances are relatively high. Before the chaos ensued of a mid-race shower at last year's event, the Italian manufacturer was also looking incredibly strong at the old San Marino GP venue, but poor strategic decisions took a first non-Le Mans WEC win away. So the car clearly performs well there, and with a year's worth of experience, that minor faux pas in the pit lane is history.
Then again, the Hypercar class is different from any other World Championship in that Balance of Performance rules car form with an iron fist. With the numbers out for this weekend's event, it looks like a number of other teams will have something to say about another Ferrari-dominated event.
The balance of performance appears to be on Alpine's side going into Imola. Image credit: Alpine Media
Namely among them is Alpine, who's A424 gains power, loses weight and is allotted more energy to use across a stint. Meanwhile, the Ferrari 499P and its only real competitor at Qatar, the Cadillac V-Series.R both suffer significant weight increases.
One team that will be desperate to do well in the Hypercar class is Peugeot, arriving in Imola one year on from the debut of its overhauled 9X8. Apart from a podium in Bahrain, the French LMH has yet to show true speed in the WEC, so this will be an important race for them to show to sponsors and the wider Stellantis Group that the program still has merit.
In a similar position are the pair of Porsche LMGT3 cars from the Iron Dames and Manthey 1st Phorm, following a disastrous showing in Qatar, finishing last and second-to-last, respectively, among the runners. Though following a win in the first ELMS round, the Porsche-running Iron Dames may well have momentum on their side this weekend.
The Iron Dames' move to Porsche has been unsuccessful in WEC so far this year. Image credit: Porsche Press Site
Where the 911 GT3 R showed a shocking loss of pace between 2024 and the first race of 2025, Lexus and its RC F GT3 showed the opposite and will hope to continue that run of competitiveness through the European rounds leading up to Le Mans.
Finally, as we touched on prior to the season opener at Qatar, there are two new teams and cars taking part in this year's World Endurance Championship: the two Mercedes AMG GT3S of Iron Lynx and the Heart of Racing's pair of Aston Martin Valkyries. As expected, neither managed to make much of an impression in February's duel in the desert, but as we get further into the year, these outfits are bound to creep up the grid. How they fare in Imola, we will have to wait and see.
When is the Imola 6 Hours Start Time?
But when will wee see how proceedings play out? Well, thankfully, the Imola 6 Hours does not follow the trend of the Qatar opener with its Friday race, instead falling in line with a traditional European race weekend schedule.As such, a pair of Free Practice sessions on Friday, 18 April, lead into an FP3 session on Saturday morning, with Qualifying taking place soon after. The race will kick off at 1 pm local time on Sunday, 20 April - just in time for Easter lunch.
| Day | Session | Time |
| Friday | Free Practice 1 | 11:15 CEST / 10:15 BST / 5:15 ET |
| Friday | Free Practice 2 | 16:00 CEST / 15:00 BST / 10:00 ET |
| Saturday | Free Practice 3 | 10:40 CEST / 09:40 BST / 4:40 ET |
| Saturday | Qualifying | 14:30 CEST / 13:30 BST / 8:30 ET |
| Sunday | 6 Hours of Imola | 13:00 CEST / 12:00 BST / 7:00 ET |
How to Watch the 2025 FIA WEC Imola 6 Hours
So, you know what is going on, you know who to look out for and you know when to open your phone or jump on the sofa. But how does one watch the FIA World Endurance Championship and more precisely the 6 Hours of Imola?Well, like every WEC race, the whole 6 Hours plus qualifying are available to watch live on the WEC.tv app. Access does require a subscription. While some territories have TV broadcasters, these are typically only available to subscribers as well.
For a free taste of the coverage, the third Free Practice session is available to watch live on Saturday morning on YouTube as the cars get ready for qualifying. But if you are looking to get free access to the goings on during the actual race, we might be able to help.
Free Live Streams
Throughout the year, teams competing in the World Endurance Championship typically host onboard live streams from their cars on YouTube, all of which are available to watch for free. Able to track the progress of the majority of the Hypercar field, plus several LMGT3 cars, this is the perfect accompaniment to the event's live timing services, also available to check for free.Will you be tuning into the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship Imola 6 Hours? Who are you rooting for?
