The long race of the Italian GT Championship at Imola ended with a fourth-place finish for Scuderia Baldini, who arrived determined to maintain their lead in the championship standings. After winning the first round at the Vallelunga circuit and experiencing a bittersweet weekend at Mugello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Arthur Leclerc, and Tommaso Mosca came close to the podium once again at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, despite aiming for victory.
The Imola circuit hosted what turned out to be one of the most challenging races of the season, marked by rain and wind that made racing nearly impossible. The Safety Car set the pace at the start, as usual, with Giancarlo Fisichella behind the wheel, skillfully defending his second position even during two subsequent restarts. Arthur Leclerc took over the car next but rejoined from the pit lane in fourth place. His stint was soon interrupted by a red flag, as the race director halted the race due to increasingly wet and treacherous track conditions.
After about an hour of suspension, the stewards decided to resume the race, and after a few laps, it was Tommaso Mosca's turn behind the wheel. The Brescia-born driver managed to recover a couple of positions during his brief stint, but he was stopped by a Full Course Yellow. Upon returning the car to the pits, Fisichella took over once again, but the time lost during the pit stop resulted in a fourth-place finish for the team. The race ended early under a red flag. Scuderia Baldini now sits second in the championship standings, just two points behind the leaders after the Imola round.
Here are the comments from the drivers after the race:
Tommaso Mosca
"It was a chaotic race in Imola, characterized by rain and difficulties. As a team, we could have done better, but it was also complicated to manage the situation due to the race direction interruptions, which issued red flags at two not exactly ideal moments. We hope to do better in Monza at the end of October."
Arthur Leclerc
"Unfortunately, Imola wasn’t a positive result. Our pace was good, but we struggled a lot during the pit stops. We need to understand what went wrong because we lost a lot of precious time. We need to fix this ahead of the final round at Monza. Now, it’s time to work and bounce back because we think we deserve better than fourth place and we’re here to win."
Fabio Baldini, team principal:
"Unfortunately, the result at Imola wasn’t what we expected, especially starting from the front row. We made some mistakes during the pit stops, and we will work hard for the final race at Monza. The drivers still gave their best, showing unity even during tough moments, of which there were plenty in today's race."
The final round of the Italian GT Endurance Championship will take place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza during the weekend of October 26/27.
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