Formula 1@lemmy.worldbywoelkchen@lemmy.world
2 months

It's race week! 2026 IMSA Daytona 24h

English

Apple and Sony Hayes taught us: Daytona is basically the F1 season opener, so definitively not off topic!

Session schedule (converts to your local time zone)

Stream without ad breaks but also no replays and time shift: https://imsaradio.com/index.php/live-video/ (audio-only streams also available)

Live telemetry: https://www.imsa.com/gtp-telemetry/

These are all official streams. They are geo blocked in a few countries (USA, Nordics,…). Support series such as Mazda MX-5 Cup are available globally.

More info: https://www.imsa.com/events/2026-rolex-24-at-daytona/

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    • woelkchen@lemmy.world
      2 months

      Qualifying results

      https://imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com/Results/26_2026/03_Daytona International Speedway/01_IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship/202601221410_Qualifying/03_Results_Qualifying.PDF

      As this is endurance racing, each car has several drivers. The driver who qualified is printed in italics.

      IMSA/Daytona 24h is also multi-class racing, so there are four pole positions overall (and there will be four winning cars on Sunday).

      The classes are:

      • GTP - The P stands for Prototype. It’s the same as hypercar in WEC. The fastest and most prestigious class. Unlike WEC there are no Ferraris or Toyotas but Honda’s Acura brand is present.

      • LMP2 - Second fastest class. All privateer teams. Mix of professional and amateur drivers. The most likely cause of yellow flags. The “gentlemen” amateur drivers pay for their seats and are a pillar to keep the teams afloat in the first place.

      • GTD Pro and GTD - Both GT3 based classes in the slowest cars. The Pro class is all pro racers, the non-pro class is a mix of pros and amateurs. GTD Pro is as professional as GTP, the cars are just different.

      Who to look out for?

      Let’s start with the F1 drivers:

      Former George Russell replacement driver at Williams, Jack Aitken, put his Cadillac on GTP pole.

      Kevin Magnussen is a BMW driver these days. His team mate put the car on #10. The BMWs will likely have a hard time. Team WRT took over duties for BMW and this is their first IMSA season.

      Romain Grosjean moved to Ford’s GT3 squad after Lamborghini ended their hypercar/GTP program. Of the GT3 series I follow, the Fords have yet to become truly competitive. I’ve heard somewhere that they are especially difficult to set up.

      Pual “The Devil Himself” Di Resta drives for Zac Brown’s United Autosports in the LMP2 class. He’ll likely do decent.

      Ben Keating, the first non-F1 driver in my list to look out for. At the tender age of 54, he’s proof that you’re never to old to have a banger motorsports career. He actually started racing at an age others retire at and won Le Mans in 2023.

      Unless I missed someone, Lilou Wadoux is the sole female driver this year and a proven race winner in WEC at the 2023 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. A Ferrari works driver with a recent contract extension, she competes for AF Corse in GTD. I think she has a decent chance to climb the podium this year.

      Porsche Penske Motorsport have their eyes on the hattrick after winning the last two years as well. Expect some magic from Kevin Estre and Julien Andlauer.