LMGT3’s debut season in the FIA WEC has been dominated by Porsche, with Manthey’s pair of 911 LMGT3 R 992s winning four of the six races so far. The German marque has been in crushing form since the WEC cars rolled out of the pitlane in Qatar back in February and while WRT and Heart of Racing have mounted challenges, both the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles look destined to go either Pure Rxcing or EMA’s way.
But that doesn’t mean that the category is devoid of storylines with the campaign coming to a close.
Collectively, the teams that haven’t yet won a race or reached the podium now realize that with two races remaining, time is running out to claim silverware. And how they are responding to that revelation has been engrossing to watch.
One of the teams in question is Vista AF Corse. 12 months on from the claiming Ferrari 488 GTE’s final win in the FIA WEC at the same venue in Japan, the Italian-flagged team appears primed for its first strong result of the season after Francois Heriau stormed to pole for the first time this afternoon.
The fact that a Ferrari hasn’t found a way onto the podium this season in the WEC is one of the most unbelievable statistics through the first three quarters of the campaign.
The Ferrari-AF Corse combination has been a part of the WEC since its inaugural season in 2012, and has often set the bar in the GT categories, claiming wins and titles by the bucket load. With the 296 LMGT3 though, AF still lacks its first stand-out performance.
The team’s factory drivers, Alessio Rovera and Davide Rigon, acknowledge there are a number of factors behind Ferrari’s challenging season in the GT ranks. The natural ebb and flow of Balance of Performance, the introduction of torque sensors, the challenges that come with learning how to get the most out of Goodyear’s 2024 tires and of course, mistakes and misfortunes, have all played a part.
However, above all else they feel the gap in experience and speed between the top and bottom of the Bronze and Silver driver hierarchy is primarily to blame.
“Some races we’ve had good balance, good BoP and a good car, some races not. That is expected. And we are happy with the 296, the main problem has been the class,” Rigon explains.
“The line-ups in the championship are a bit unbalanced, we feel you have to respect the rules, the Silver must be a Silver, the Bronze must be the Bronze. We feel we have fair line-ups.
“Because we don’t see many safety cars in WEC the differences between the Bronzes are more visible than in other series. It would be nice to see a few more to close the gaps! There are fewer battles at the end of a race because the field is spread out after they have done their time. It’s been difficult.”
Rovera shares the same assessment. “In some races we’ve had the chance to finish in the top three, which was always our target before the season, but we’ve had too many penalties or bad luck. And like Davide says, there are fake Silvers and fake Bronzes, and it’s always difficult to fight because of this.”
LMGT3 is a Pro/Am formula, meaning the Bronze-graded drivers in particular are forced to do the heavy lifting. The teams generally live and die on their pace during Qualifying and at the start of each race.
At Vista AF Corse, Thomas Flohr and Francois Heriau are taking on the challenges that come with this role. And while they’ve had to navigate choppy waters throughout the season, there are signs that they are beginning to find their feet under the tutelage of Rigon and Rovera.
Flohr, who was part of the winning GTE Am line-up at Fuji last year, has spent much of the campaign getting up to speed with the nuances of a GT3 car, which, unlike the GTE models he knew and loved in years past, requires a different style of driving.
“In the No. 54 we started with a good result in Qatar,” Rigon tells RACER. “But since that fifth-place finish, it’s been difficult.
“It’s important to point out though that Thomas has improved a lot. Every race his skill is getting better and I have to highlight that he keeps making it into Hyperpole and ends up in the top five or top eight in Qualifying. He is finding the limit, which means you can make mistakes. But we appreciate his effort in the transition.
“You can think it’s easier to drive a GT3,” he continues, “and from a lap time point of view, he’s closer to me than he was in GTE, but in the race, he would prefer the confidential Michelin tyres. He needs more experience with the Goodyears and ABS to take the next step. ABS helps you, but it’s a different style of braking because you need to use, not abuse it.”
Heriau too is new to GT3 racing and has been learning on the job with Rovera and Simon Mann in the No. 55. The Frenchman’s racing career to this point centered around prototype machinery, competing in the FIA WEC, ELMS, Asian Le Mans Series and Le Mans Cup in LMP2 and LMP3. The step to a World Championship level in the new LM GT3 class has therefore been a big one.
“Before this season he had zero experience in a GT car,” Rovera points out. “To adapt to a car that is heavier and doesn’t have the same downforce is difficult, but during the season he has changed completely. Early on he struggled, but he has worked hard. He is really good at managing tires, so on tracks where that is an issue he is really good, that’s his strength.”
This weekend though, things are looking up. The VistaJet-liveried Ferraris were quick throughout practice, finished up FP3 1-2 in the times and will start tomorrow’s race from P1 and P9.
Will this form translate in tomorrow’s race? That’s the big question. The fight for points and podiums has been fierce throughout the season, but Rovera and Rigon certainly feel a breakthrough will be possible.
And with next season now in the back of everyone’s collective minds, a strong result now would certainly go a long way in boosting morale ahead of what looks set to be a crucial winter.
“Here we have a good opportunity to score a result because the car behavior is good and suits this circuit,” Rovera says.
“We really like this track as a group with the 296,” adds Rigon. “It’s been positive. The first target is victory of course, but the way this season is going, to reach the podium would also feel like one.”