ELMS: Lilou Wadoux navigates tricky Imola weekend to eighth place finish
- RACERS
- 8 hours ago
- 5 min read
Lilou Wadoux and the Richard Mille by AF Corse team finished eighth in the 4 Hours of Imola after starting from the back of the grid, in a race ultimately hampered by strategic setbacks and changing weather, yet they still scored valuable points in the LMGT3 class.
Lilou Wadoux and her Richard Mille by AF Corse teammates finished eighth in the 4 Hours of Imola, the third round of the European Le Mans Series, after a remarkable recovery in the first hour of racing. However, their race took a turn midway through when changeable weather and a difficult strategy saw the #50 Ferrari drop down the order. Wadoux took over for the final segment while already two laps down.
The team – coming off a victory at the previous round in Le Castellet – nevertheless secured eighth place in LMGT3, banking valuable points. At the halfway mark of the ELMS season, the Richard Mille by AF Corse crew now sits fifth in the championship standings.
Wadoux, who made history in the FIA World Endurance Championship as the first woman to win at the highest level of endurance racing, continued to shine in 2024 with standout performances across multiple platforms. She claimed victory in LMP2 at the Six Hours of the Glen in IMSA and stood on the Super GT podium, before making her debut in the European Le Mans Series in 2025. It took her only two rounds to claim a maiden ELMS win – a dominant drive on home soil at Circuit Paul Ricard.
She then returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a promising line-up, but early setbacks resulted in a finish just outside the top ten. Shortly after, she was back behind the wheel at Watkins Glen in IMSA, where she delivered a superb final stint to finish sixth – in another impressive display of talent.
Returning to ELMS for the Imola round, Wadoux aimed to carry momentum in the #50 Richard Mille by AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. The trio showed strong pace throughout practice, with Wadoux only a few tenths off teammate Riccardo Agostini in FP1. In the Bronze Test, Custodio Toledo was eighth fastest, and the team again placed eighth in FP2 – with Agostini setting a 1:43.290 and Wadoux a 1:43.600.
Later in the day, as dark clouds loomed over Imola just as qualifying began, the session got underway with Bronze-rated Custodio Toledo behind the wheel of the #50 Ferrari. Toledo immediately went fourth fastest on his first flying lap and was improving again when he went off into the gravel at Piratella, bringing out a red flag.
Due to causing the red flag, Toledo was not permitted to rejoin the session. Although the car had provisionally held P5, it was penalized and demoted to P13 – the back of the LMGT3 field – meaning the Richard Mille Ferrari would start from last in class.
Sunday's 4 Hours of Imola began under dry but cloudy conditions on Sunday at noon. Riccardo Agostini – the only Gold-rated driver starting in the LMGT3 field – took the start for the #50 team, determined to recover from their unlucky qualifying.
While LMP3 cars immediately got involved in incidents, both LMP2 and LMGT3 classes had a cleaner starts; Agostini wasted no time slicing through the field and was up to P3 within five minutes. He attempted a move into Variante Alta for second but made contact with the Iron Dames Porsche of Célia Martin, spinning her around and dropping her to sixth.
Despite this, Agostini continued on a charge, setting a 1:43.830 – the fastest lap in class and nearly two seconds quicker than any LMGT3 competitor. He took the lead by lap 6 but was under investigation for the earlier incident with Martin.
As the race unfolded, Charles Samani went off in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari but rejoined. Soon after, the #23 McLaren of Michael Birch ended up in the gravel at Rivazza, triggering the first Full Course Yellow of the race just 15 minutes in.
Following the restart, Agostini looked to extend his lead over the Bronze drivers; thirty minutes into the race, however, a major multi-car crash occurred: Wainwright's GR Racing Ferrari collected Berry's Iron Lynx Mercedes and Kimura's Kessel Racing Ferrari before the #28 IDEC Sport LMP2 car of Paul Lafargue plowed into the wreckage at speed. The accident brought out the Safety Car and then a red flag to clear debris and damaged cars.
When the race resumed behind the Safety Car with 3 hours and 16 minutes remaining, the pit lane opened and the #50 Ferrari stopped for bronze-rated Custodio Toledo to take over. He rejoined in third but would have to serve a 10-second penalty at the next stop due to Agostini's earlier contact with the #85 Porsche.
Toledo initially held on to third and had a margin over the #60 Proton Porsche. He settled into a strong rhythm, holding position while chipping away at the 16-second gap to the second-placed #82 TF Sport Corvette.
Rain however began to fall on parts of the circuit. As conditions worsened, Célia Martin spun into the gravel, and the #85 Iron Dames Porsche triggered a second FCY.
Toledo had just pitted before the caution and resumed in sixth. He would pit again on lap 54 in a change of strategy as the team tried to anticipate the correct tyre for the weather - but the then had to pit again on lap 57. These pit sequences, unfortunately, proved too costly.
Struggling in the mixed conditions, Toledo lost significant time and went two laps down. He eventually pitted on lap 67, handing over to Lilou Wadoux from P9 in class.
Wadoux immediately showed her pace, setting purple sectors and lapping strongly. She recorded a 1:43.720 – the fastest lap of the race for her team – and began closing the 50-second gap to the car ahead.
With an hour to go, the #68 M Racing LMP3 Ligier of Quentin Antonel suffered a tyre blowout, scattering debris and triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Wadoux pitted under the VSC, retaining ninth.
The VSC was then upgraded to a full Safety Car, neutralizing gaps and bringing Wadoux closer to Michelle Gatting for P8. She moved into eighth as the #59 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin pitted.
In the final 30 minutes, the Aston Martin – now with Gold-rated driver Hasse Clot and fresher tyres – passed Wadoux, dropping her to ninth. However, she kept close to Hasse Clot, maintaining the gap.
The final 15 minutes saw a flurry of incidents in LMP2 and LMP3, with more cautions. Wadoux kept her pace and crossed the line in P9 but was promoted to P8 post-race, securing more points for the team.
Despite an eventful and unlucky race that included the qualifying setback, strategic challenges in mixed conditions, and unpredictable weather, the #50 Richard Mille by AF Corse Ferrari salvaged a solid eighth-place finish.
The crew now sits fifth in the LMGT3 championship with 31 points – just one behind the #51 AF Corse Ferrari and two points behind the Iron Dames Porsche.
The next round of the European Le Mans Series will take place at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on 23–24 August.