Italian Sport Prototypes Championship 2026: Verdi sets the pace in collective testing

CISP 2026: engines fire up at Misano, Verdi sets the pace in collective testing

The two-day official collective test for the 2026 Italian Sport Prototypes Championship, promoted by Wolf Racing Cars, has wrapped up at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

A total of 11 drivers took to the track, representing five nations – Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland and Ukraine – underlining the increasingly international profile of the series.

Topping the timesheets was Luca Verdi (Bad Wolves), who laid down a benchmark lap of 1:35.9, leading an Avelon Formula quartet headed by 2026 Steering Wheel Award winner Filippo Pola. Behind him were Andrea Dell’Edera, Iwo Beszterda and Alex Laghezza.

For Verdi, now in his second season in the championship and already a race winner at Mugello in 2025, the Misano test marks a clear statement of intent ahead of the new campaign. His upward trajectory is further confirmed by his recent induction into the Wolf Academy, the manufacturer’s driver development programme aimed at nurturing future talent.

However, internal competition will be fierce. The Academy drivers themselves – standout performers from the second edition of the Steering Wheel Award, the initiative created by Wolf to transition top karting talents into closed-wheel racing – are shaping up as direct rivals, backed by Avelon Formula’s technical programme.

Focus now shifts to the season opener, scheduled from 24 to 26 April at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. It will be the first of six rounds on the calendar, all featuring double-header race weekends.

Giovanni Bellarosa, COO of Wolf Racing Cars, commented on the weekend: “These tests confirmed the extremely competitive level of the championship and the quality of the young talents we are helping to develop. The Wolf Academy project and the Steering Wheel Award are already delivering tangible results, bringing well-prepared drivers to the track, ready to compete at a high level. The 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the most hard-fought ever, and we are proud to be a benchmark in this development pathway.”