6 HOURS OF MONZA: CADILLAC FINISHES STRONG

Cavalieri Garage Magazine

1 hour ago

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Cadillac returned to the top step of the FIA World Endurance Championship podium, winning the 6 Hours of Monza with Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken, and Sébastien Bourdais. The No. 38 V-Series.R claimed victory in the final round of the 2026 season, finishing ahead of the No. 36 Alpine driven by Victor Martins and Jules Gounon and the No. 51 Ferrari 499P of Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and James Calado.

The American manufacturer's triumph marked its second overall victory in the World Endurance Championship, following its breakthrough win at São Paulo in 2025. It came at the end of a closely contested race featuring several incidents and a classification that remained uncertain until the closing stages.

Monza also delivered the season's final championship decisions: Ryo Hirakawa, Brendon Hartley, and Sébastien Buemi secured the Hypercar Drivers' World Championship in the No. 8 Toyota, while Jonny Edgar claimed the LMGT3 title with TF Sport's No. 33 Corvette.

Cadillac and Alpine battled for victory throughout much of the race, confirming the competitiveness both manufacturers had demonstrated over the weekend.

However, the French manufacturer lost one of its entries with approximately two and a half hours remaining when Charles Milesi crashed the No. 35 Alpine A424 into the barriers at Parabolica, bringing the crew's race to a premature end.

At the front, Earl Bamber continued to set the pace in the No. 38 Cadillac, while Victor Martins in the No. 36 Alpine, Sheldon van der Linde in the No. 20 BMW, and Antonio Giovinazzi aboard the No. 51 Ferrari fought for the leading positions.

The factory Ferrari gradually gained ground, also benefiting from problems affecting its rivals. An electronic issue on the No. 20 BMW allowed both the No. 51 and No. 50 Ferraris to move up the order, with Antonio Fuoco subsequently attempting to close the gap to Malthe Jakobsen's No. 94 Peugeot.

During the final stages, Bamber managed the advantage he had established, maintaining control of the race without giving his closest challengers an opportunity to attack.

The No. 38 Cadillac secured the second FIA WEC victory in the manufacturer's history, giving Bamber, Aitken, and Bourdais a prestigious win at the legendary Italian circuit. The result was particularly meaningful for Bourdais, who is expected to conclude his involvement with General Motors at the end of the season.

Behind the American prototype, the No. 36 Alpine of Martins and Gounon secured second place, while the final podium position went to the No. 51 Ferrari.

Giovinazzi, Pier Guidi, and Calado had initially lost third place to the No. 007 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble during the closing minutes.

However, a penalty imposed on the British crew for exceeding the permitted energy allowance during the final stint handed the podium back to Ferrari.

The closing stages of the 6 Hours of Monza produced further drama, particularly in the battle for positions immediately behind the podium.

Malthe Jakobsen's No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 became involved in an intense fight with Alex Lynn's No. 12 Cadillac. Their battle ended in contact, sending the British driver into the barriers before the first Lesmo corner.

Despite the damaged Cadillac remaining stranded beside the track, race control allowed the final two laps to continue without stopping the race.

The No. 94 Peugeot is provisionally classified fifth, pending confirmation of the final results and any further decisions by the stewards.

The classification behind the leading finishers therefore remains subject to review after a race repeatedly affected by yellow flags, technical problems, and incidents.

While Cadillac celebrated the race victory, Toyota left Monza with the Drivers' World Championship, completing a championship double after already securing the Manufacturers' title.

Ryo Hirakawa, Brendon Hartley, and Sébastien Buemi claimed the Drivers' crown in the No. 8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, defeating their teammates in the No. 7 car despite enduring a particularly difficult race.

The championship-winning crew spent the entire 6 Hours of Monza outside the top 10, unable to join the battle for the leading positions.

Nevertheless, their result was enough to protect the advantage accumulated throughout the season and settle the championship fight against the other factory Toyota entry.

The title rewards the consistency of the No. 8 crew, whose season culminated in the Drivers' World Championship and a decisive contribution to Toyota's Manufacturers' title.

The LMGT3 category also delivered a meaningful season finale, with Porsche claiming the race victory while Corvette secured the championship.

Riccardo Pera, Richard Lietz, and Yasser Shahin won the race in Manthey's No. 92 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO, producing a particularly strong performance during the second half of the event.

The German team capitalized on mistakes and difficulties affecting the Ford Mustang GT3 EVO entries, which had led the race at various stages with the No. 88 and No. 77 cars.

The No. 92 Porsche eventually took control, maintaining a competitive pace all the way to the checkered flag.

The No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin of Gary Newell, Jonny Adam, and Dudu Barrichello finished second.

Third place went to TF Sport's No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, driven by Jonny Edgar, Ben Keating, and Nicky Catsburg.

That podium finish was enough for Jonny Edgar to mathematically secure the LMGT3 World Championship, meaning Manthey's victory could not overturn the title standings.

WRT's No. 69 BMW and Akkodis ASP's No. 78 Lexus finished behind the leading contenders, while Iron Lynx's No. 61 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO failed to benefit from an alternative strategy.

Maxime Martin eventually finished seventh, unable to turn the team's strategic gamble into a stronger result.

The 6 Hours of Monza brought the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship to a close with three major winners: Cadillac as the overall race victor, Toyota as Hypercar World Champion, and Corvette as the LMGT3 title winner.

For Cadillac, the victory confirmed the continued development of its endurance racing program. For Toyota, it completed a season crowned by both World Championships. For Jonny Edgar and TF Sport, it rewarded a campaign built on consistent results.

Ferrari, meanwhile, celebrated a podium finish on home soil with the No. 51 499P after making the most of opportunities created by its rivals' difficulties, even though the Scuderia lacked the pace required to challenge Cadillac for the overall victory.

Monza therefore brought a highly competitive season to an end, deciding the remaining world titles and underlining the strength of competition throughout the World Endurance Championship.