The ACO has confirmed that tire warmers are set to be re-introduced to the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month, under a single-race exemption. According to the ACO, this decision has been made to ensure that …
The ACO has confirmed that tire warmers are set to be re-introduced to the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month, under a single-race exemption.
According to the ACO, this decision has been made to ensure that “drivers of all experience levels will be able to compete in the safest possible environment regardless of track conditions and temperatures.”
It will also give “tire manufacturers, teams and drivers will gain valuable time to develop a better understanding of how to bring cold tires up to temperature ahead of the remainder of the 2023 FIA WEC season.”
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The return of tire warmers will apply to all three classes, with the warming ovens set to be powered by 100% sustainable fuel from the series’ exclusive supplier TotalEnergies.
This decision comes after several significant incidents impacted the 6 Hours of Spa weekend, caused by cars struggling on cold tires in the changeable conditions.
The new-for-2023 policy was originally introduced to reduce the FIA WEC’s environmental impact as part of a long-term tire “road map” after months of discussions with the series’ tire manufacturers, Michelin and Goodyear. However, the incidents for front-running Hypecars in Spa involving Brendon Hartley (Toyota) in qualifying at Raidillon and Antonio Fuoco (Ferrari) on the way down to Eau Rouge during the race, put the issue in the spotlight.
The reaction to the incidents included an openly critical statement after the race from Antonello Coletta, the head of Attiva Sportive GT.
“Starting from the assumption that the rules are the same for everyone and that we abide by them, I think we need to reflect on the ban on tire warmers,” he said. “It’s a common opinion in the paddock and among professionals, not to mention the drivers, that this situation has become dangerous. At Spa, there have been many accidents and extreme episodes due to cold temperatures and changeable weather, and it’s time to do some serious thinking on the matter because it has major ramifications for safety.
“We are on the eve of a decisive race like the 24 Hours of Le Mans where, overnight, temperatures are low and speeds very high. It’s not just an issue for us. The accidents involved different cars, from different classes, driven at the time by both professional and gentleman drivers, and this situation had already been predicted some time ago.”
RACER understands that Ferrari was the only manufacturer openly lobbying for this change.
Ferrari Attiva Sportive GT boss Antonello Coletta and Giuliano Salvi, the Ferrari GT & Sports Race Cars race and testing manager, have both spoken out on the FIA World Endurance Championship’s decision to ban tire warmers for this season, following …
Ferrari Attiva Sportive GT boss Antonello Coletta and Giuliano Salvi, the Ferrari GT & Sports Race Cars race and testing manager, have both spoken out on the FIA World Endurance Championship’s decision to ban tire warmers for this season, following the incident-packed race week at Spa.
The rule change, which was made to reduce the environmental impact the FIA WEC has during race meetings, has been a key topic of discussion since the first round of the season. However, throughout the meeting Spa, which was held in significantly colder temperatures than the events in Sebring and Portimao, the debate came more into focus as teams and drivers began to question whether or not it is a safety issue that needs further thought.
The track action in Belgium was heavily impacted by multiple incidents throughout the meeting, caused specifically by drivers struggling to heat up their stone-cold tires. This included two accidents for front-running Hypercar factory drivers, Toyota’s Brendon Hartley and Ferrari’s Antonio Fuoco, both of whom were passengers in their respective cars as they veered off the notoriously unforgiving Spa circuit.
For Hartley, the off at Raidillon in qualifying meant he and his teammates in the No. 8 GR010 HYBRID were forced to start at the very back of the grid. Not only did the team have to deal with the consequences of not setting a time, it further disrupted the team’s race strategy as it also lost a set of tyres that were needed for the race.
A day later, Fuoco’s accident in the No. 50 Ferrari 499P during the race was more damaging still. The Italian, driving in a straight line out of the pits, was sent careening into the guardrail on the run down to Eau Rouge after the car snapped sideways. The retirement for the No. 50 came after an earlier moment at in the race, when Miguel Molina suffered major understeer at pit out, narrowly avoiding the concrete divider between the pit lane and the exit of La Source. Thankfully the Spaniard missed it, but he was later penalised for crossing the pit exit white line.
“This (Fuoco’s) kind of incident comes from regulations without blankets. We saw the same with Toyota. We saw a lot of crashes. We said many times Spa could be tricky, but it’s the same for everybody. Fortunately, nobody was injured,” Salvi told the media in a post-race technical briefing.
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Coletta expanded on Salvi’s thoughts later in the evening with a post-race statement which was openly critical of the new regulation, describing it as “dangerous.”
“Starting from the assumption that the rules are the same for everyone and that we abide by them, I think we need to reflect on the ban on tire warmers,” he said. “It’s a common opinion in the paddock and among professionals, not to mention the drivers, that this situation has become dangerous. At Spa, there have been many accidents and extreme episodes due to cold temperatures and changeable weather, and it’s time to do some serious thinking on the matter because it has major ramifications for safety.
“We are on the eve of a decisive race like the 24 Hours of Le Mans where, overnight, temperatures are low and speeds very high. It’s not just an issue for us. The accidents involved different cars, from different classes, driven at the time by both professional and gentleman drivers, and this situation had already been predicted some time ago.”
Both Ferrarin and Toyota had issues on cold tires at Spa. Motorsport Images
It’s not just members of the Ferrari team that have been vocal on this issue since yesterday’s race. Toyota driver Mike Conway, who went on to win the 6 Hours of Spa in the No. 7 GR010 HYBRID, told RACER he would welcome the return of tire warmers.
“Yeah,” he said when asked directly if it was time for a change. “There are some people pushing for it. We saw Brendon yesterday in qualifying. When you leave the pits you are on ice and (just) surviving.”
However, Conway questions whether such a change in regulations would be smart, or even feasible ahead of Le Mans, which is just weeks away.
“I wouldn’t be against it, but I don’t know if they can do such a big change going into Le Mans,” he continued. “Does everyone have the capacity to do it?
“We also don’t know what effect it will have on the tires by warming them a bit quicker. Maybe something could be done? It could avoid these incidents. In colder temperatures, on a high-energy track like here, you’re forced into a situation where you have got to take a tire that’s a bit harder and harder to warm up.
“Yes,” he said when asked by RACER if he was worried about Le Mans. “Not so much at the exit of pit lane, but when you come down that hill (after the Dunlop Bridge), I know already what it’s going to feel like.”
While rule makers have repeatedly stated that there is no intention to change or even review this new policy, on-track incidents and now public reaction from key partners in the championship inevitably add pressure to look again at the initial problem, the chosen solution, and any available alternatives.
Toyota Gazoo Racing scored a head-turning 1-2 in the third race of the FIA World Endurance Championship season at Spa after a frenetic six hours of racing, which was packed with significant incidents in tricky conditions. Winning the race – easily …
Toyota Gazoo Racing scored a head-turning 1-2 in the third race of the FIA World Endurance Championship season at Spa after a frenetic six hours of racing, which was packed with significant incidents in tricky conditions.
Winning the race — easily the most entertaining of the season so far — held in front of packed grandstands was the No. 7 Toyota GR010 HYBRID of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez, which had a near-perfect run.
The win for the pole-sitting No. 7 crew was ultimately set up by a decision made before the race. The team gambled on tires, opting for slicks on a drying track while many runners in the field chose to start on wets.
After Conway slipped back to seventh on the opening lap, an early safety car and no further rain showers meant many cars — including both Ferrari AF Corse 499Ps — took early control but subsequently lost tons of time. They all struggled for grip and had to make a costly extra stop for slicks which split the field and dropped multiple cars off the lead lap.
From there, the No. 7 controlled the race and, despite being challenged late on in the race by the sister No. 8 which started dead last and briefly led in the final hour, crossed the line 16s clear of the pack.
“It was a crazy race with safety cars that kept eradicating our leads. But all my teammates did solid stints. It’s a great team result,” Conway said.
The No. 8’s runner-up place was a hugely impressive result for Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi in response to Hartley’s off at Raidillon on cold tires in qualifying.
“It is an amazing result for the whole team and a big recovery job from our car,” Hartley said after the race. “Sebastien made an amazing start in tricky conditions and got through the field cleanly after the team made the right call on tires. That was a big decision, but it was the right one.
“Car No. 7 deserved the victory because they had a little more pace than us today, particularly in the middle part of the race. We went in a different direction on set-up; I couldn’t challenge Kamui in the final stint. We were one set of tires down after what happened in qualifying so we can be very happy to finish second and take these points.”
Third was the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, earning a last-gasp podium after James Calado made a move on Fred Makowiecki around the outside at Les Combes on the final lap to deny Porsche a second podium finish in a row.
The top-three finish was a consolation prize for AF Corse. The car had the pace to win here, but the team’s tire gamble failed and No. 50 crashed out late in the race from third position. Antonio Fuoco lost control of the car on the run down the hill to Eau Rouge on cold tires and clouted the guardrail.
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The Italian was a passenger in the incident, which saw the car retire on the spot. It was another shunt that put the organiser’s decision to ban tire warmers for this season in the spotlight. Fuoco’s off in the race, Hartley’s off in qualifying and multiple offs for drivers on the formation lap provided evidence that even the best drivers on the grid are getting caught out in cold conditions with stone cold rubber. After the race, the paddock was rife with conversations about this rule change, which at its core has become a safety issue.
For Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 963, fourth was a fair result considering the ultimate pace of the Ferraris throughout, though the team will leave disappointed that it couldn’t hang on for a podium. More concerning, though, was an apparent electronics failure for the No. 6 — retiring at the Bus Stop after what Laurens Vanthoor described as a “total blackout.” The mechanical issue was one of many for the team this week and is leading to much head-scratching ahead of Le Mans.
Completing the top five in Hypercar was the No. 2 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R which, like the two Ferraris, also started on wets and spent the first half of the race trying to fight its way back into contention.
Cadillac is another brand leaving Spa wondering what could have been. It split the strategy of its V-Series.Rs at the start, which saw the No. 3 guest-entered, IMSA-crewed car start on slicks and emerge as a podium contender in the opening laps.
A violent impact for Renger van der Zande in the second hour at Eau Rouge saw the car retire from heavy damage. The Dutchman, who was running second at the time, was sent flying sideways into the tires, after what Sebastien Bourdais revealed was an electronic power steering failure.
Thankfully van der Zande was fine and was able to bow to the relieved crowd at the Raidillon grandstand before leaving the wreckage.
A shred of good news — RACER believes the tub isn’t damaged from the impact. Sourcing a replacement would have been an extremely tough ask with parts in short supply and Le Mans just around the corner.
Outside the top five was the HERTZ Team JOTA Porsche, having had a very encouraging maiden outing. The team finished one lap off the lead, stayed out of trouble and ran ahead of the factory Porsches for significant periods despite the crew’s conservative approach to the race — a highly encouraging start for the first Hypercar in customer hands. Mission accomplished for this young effort.
Fast as Team WRT was on track, it was their crew’s pit performance that gave them the winning edge. Motorsport Images
LMP2 was effectively a series of sprints set up by the four safety car periods, featuring dramatic battles and intrigue from a handful of cars that opted for varying strategies that kept everyone guessing until the final minutes.
Eventually winning the class was the No. 41 Team WRT ORECA of Rui Andrade, Robert Kubica and Louis Deletraz, which beat the pole-sitting No. 23 United Autosports ORECA in a battle on pit lane when both cars came in for a late splash while dicing for the lead.
United, and specifically Tom Blomqvist, will be frustrated by the second-place finish. The Briton was mercurial on the drying track at the start of the race and put the team in a comfortable position out front. For periods he was so fast he found himself amongst the leading Hypercar pack.
Unfortunately, the safety cars nullified the lead and dropped the No. 23 down the order, forcing the team to spend a lengthy portion of the race battling back to the front, only to miss out by 6s following the duel between its pit crew and WRT’s at the end.
“When you’re fighting and in the lead, it’s easy to be disappointed coming so close,” Blomqvist’s teammate Oliver Jarvis said. “But with the way the race went, P2 is an excellent result. We were unlucky to lose our 45s lead due to a safety car, but the team made a fantastic pit-stop call later in the race to jump back up the order. So we leave with good points.
“Our Portimão win and second place here is building nicely towards Le Mans. Credit to the team, they did a fantastic job.”
The No. 23’s misfortune should take nothing away from the No. 41’s result, though. This was a much better outing for WRT in every aspect in front of its home fans.
“After the first safety car we thought we were out of the race because we were so far back, more than a minute behind the leaders,” admitted Andrade, who took the start in the car on slicks. “I bottled the start, dropping to P8 before fighting back to P3, it was not the easiest set of conditions.
“So seeing the second safety car come out and bringing us back into the fight was amazing. Robert and Louis then did a great job to get us back.”
Inter Europol finished third after a lengthy battle in the final minutes between Albert Costa and Andrea Caldarelli in the No. 9 Prema Racing ORECA. Costa helped the Polish team score its first podium in the WEC with a bold move on Caldarelli at Les Combes with five minutes to go.
It capped off a cunning race-long strategy which saw the team save fuel and a fresh set of tires for the end. The team seemingly came out of nowhere after looking down and out early in the race when it was forced to pit under green flag conditions while its competition hit pit lane under full course yellow. Fabio Scherer again showed pace, all the more impressive when its strategy became clearer late in the race.
Behind the No. 9 Prema Racing ORECA was the No. 22 United Autosports ORECA which did well to recover from Phil Hanson’s spin into the barriers on the formation lap, costing the car speed early on and forcing the team to change its nose.
Prema’s sister car, meanwhile, was in contention throughout and led in the fifth hour during Mirko Bortolotti’s stint. A crushing three-minute stop-go penalty, handed to the team after it completed a routine stop under a safety car period when the pit lane was closed, cost the car two laps and dropped it to 10th.
Avoiding the errors of their rivals, the Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO conquered LMGTE Am. Motorsport Images
GTE Am was similar to LMP2, with countless battles and multiple cars building a lead and then losing it through either misfortune or errors.
Richard Mille AF Corse would emerge as the winning team. The No. 83 crew of Alessio Rovera, Lilou Wadoux and Luis Perez Companc didn’t put a foot wrong and quietly moved to the front as the race wore on.
With the victory, 19-year-old Wadoux notably becomes the first female driver to take an FIA WEC class win.
“It’s something I am really proud of,” reflected Wadoux, who received a round of applause from the drivers and media in the post-race press conference. “This is also really important for the points in the championship.”
Ultimately the No. 83 crew took control as the other contending cars struggled to find a rhythm, including the championship-leading No. 33 Corvette Racing C8.R which powered to the front during Ben Keating’s stint at the start before conditions improved and the Texan had to box for slicks, dropping the team out of the top five.
The ORT by TF Sport Aston Martin, which started from pole, and the D’Station Racing Vantage also lost time due to errors. The ORT Vantage received a penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit. D’Station meanwhile had its race, which started so well, ruined by a penalty for a dangerous moment from Tomonobu Fujii. The Japanese driver, who led in the opening hour, banged wheels with the Iron Dames Porsche and ran Sarah Bovy off the road on the exit of La Source on the run down the hill.
In the end, a mistake-free run from the winning trio made the difference and Rovera found himself in the No. 83 tasked simply with managing a lead of around 30s in his stint, which he did with relative ease.
Nicky Catsburg in the recovering Corvette was unable to chase down Rovera in the final stint but claimed an impressive second place for Corvette Racing after a titanic tussle with Charlie Eastwood in the ORT by TF Aston. The fight between Catsburg and Eastwood was thrilling and went all the way to the line, with Catsburg putting on another defensive master class to hold station.
Just off the podium, the No. 88 Proton Competition Porsche snatched fourth from the Iron Dames example at the very end of the race, when Harry Tincknell fought his way past Michelle Gatting amid the other battles podium places in the three classes with time-expiring.
Next up for the FIA WEC teams is the centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours, set to be held on June 10th and 11th.
Project 1 AO’s Porsche 911 RSR 19 has been withdrawn from the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, following PJ Hyett’s off at Raidillon in qualifying earlier today. The American lost the rear of the car while …
Project 1 AO’s Porsche 911 RSR 19 has been withdrawn from the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, following PJ Hyett’s off at Raidillon in qualifying earlier today.
The American lost the rear of the car while up the hill on a flying lap early in the session, which sent him into a spin and nose-first hard into the barriers. The impact damaged the car significantly, forcing the team to withdraw the car as it is unable to repair it in time for tomorrow’s race.
As for Hyett, he walked away but was taken to hospital for assessment. Thankfully, it was determined that Hyett suffered no severe injuries in the incident.
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“We were of course very concerned about PJ’s condition, the impact was quite severe,” said team boss Axel Funke. “We assume that he will be fit again for Le Mans; we know about his speed and that we are able to win with him, Gunnar (Jeanette), Matteo (Cairoli) and the team. I’m very happy that he’s already feeling better.”
The team will further assess the damage to the Porsche next week when it returns to its base in Lohne, Germany.
Toyota Gazoo Racing regained its position at the top of the timing screens in the third and final FIA World Endurance Championship practice session this morning at Spa on a drying track following morning showers, with the times tumbling at the end …
Toyota Gazoo Racing regained its position at the top of the timing screens in the third and final FIA World Endurance Championship practice session this morning at Spa on a drying track following morning showers, with the times tumbling at the end of the hour-long run.
The quickest lap came from Kamui Kobayashi at the very end of the session, a 2m08.702s, in the No. 7 GR010 HYBRID. It was a time seven-tenths faster than the rest of the Hypercar field, although it surely would have been eclipsed had there been any additional opportunities for flying laps from the other drivers. With each passing minute in the closing moments of the session, improvements were coming in thick and fast.
Kobayashi’s time came just after Earl Bamber put Cadillac Racing’s No. 2 V-Series.R to the top of the screens with a 2m09.436s.
Third overall was the fastest LMP2 runner, the No. 31 ORECA from Team WRT. Ferdinand Habsburg reeled off a rapid 2m10.268s to go better than Gabriel Aubry who also impressed with a late flyer to go second with Vector Sport.
Aubry’s late time was a 2m11.229s, which was good enough for fifth overall, just below the Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963, which enjoyed a very strong session. Will Stevens set the No. 38’s best time, a 2m10.434s.
It was a beneficial session for JOTA, which finally found pace and completed 22 laps with its brand-new car. It was also Antonio Felix da Costa’s first chance to get behind the wheel after missing Thursday’s action because of his Formula E simulator commitments with Porsche in Germany.
Sixth overall was the fourth-fastest Hypercar, the No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010, with a 2m11.344s from Ryo Hirakawa. The No. 3 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R, following its overnight engine change, completed the top five and ended the 60-minute session sixth overall. The team will be relieved to be up to speed so fast and to have completed 15 laps after missing most of Free Practice 2.
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In the GTE Am class, Iron Lynx’s No. 60 Porsche 911 RSR 19 set the pace with a 2m25.726s from Matteo Cressoni at the end of the session, the Italian improving on a previous class-topping lap from his teammate Alessio Picariello.
The No. 777 D’Station Aston Martin ended up second, with the No. 83 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari making it three manufacturers in the top three.
There were only two significant incidents in the session, beyond a couple of spins, in the tricky conditions.
The first was an error from Lilou Wadoux, who had an off at Jacky Ickx corner, spinning at slow speed and sliding backwards into the tires in the No. 83. The car did eventually return to the session after being extracted from the gravel. The car was not damaged significantly from the impact, which will have come as somewhat of a relief for the AF Corse team, following yesterday’s FP2 incidents.
Fred Makowiecki also a minor off into the tires, sideswiping the barriers after a trip to the gravel at the bottom of the circuit in the No. 5 Porsche 963. He was able to continue without outside assistance and return to the pits for a check-up.
UP NEXT: Qualifying will get underway at 5:00pm local time.
After long nights for both sets of mechanics, the two AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVOs and the No. 3 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R are back in action at Spa following yesterday’s incidents in Free Practice 2. At AF Corse, getting its pair of 488 GTE EVOs …
After long nights for both sets of mechanics, the two AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVOs and the No. 3 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R are back in action at Spa following yesterday’s incidents in Free Practice 2.
At AF Corse, getting its pair of 488 GTE EVOs that came together at Raidillon yesterday ready for track action today has been a colossal task.
The No. 21, which hit the rear of the No. 54 as it was exiting the endurance pits after an error from Diego Alessi, was damaged beyond repair in the incident. Thankfully, Ferrari confirmed to RACER last night that both drivers are OK. Alessi, however, has been handed a 30-second stop-and-go penalty to be served during this week’s race, or the next race he takes part in.
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Alessi was found by the stewards to have caused the FP2-ending collision with the No. 54, which was exiting the pits on cold tires and under the protection of white flags, and on the racing line, as instructed by the race director.
AF Corse has had to source a replacement car for the No. 21. Its No. 54 example, on the other hand, is almost ready to go after an overnight shift by the mechanics to repair the extensive damage to the car’s front and rear.
Meanwhile, at Cadillac Racing, the No. 3 IMSA-crewed V-Series.R is also now fully prepped for today’s track action.
Following the fire out on track, which the team admitted was caused by a “self-induced error,” an engine change was required. The team had to transport a spare engine to the circuit from Germany before fitting it overnight.
Le Mans Endurance Management [LMEM] has signed a contract extension with the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which will ensure the legendary Belgian circuit remains as a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series for a …
Le Mans Endurance Management [LMEM] has signed a contract extension with the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which will ensure the legendary Belgian circuit remains as a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series for a further five years.
The announcement was made during an official opening of the new Endurance Grandstand at the circuit this afternoon, ahead of the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa this Saturday.
“Stability across our championships is extremely important and to continue our relationship with Spa-Francorchamps is a great honor,” said Frederic Lequien, CEO of LMEM. “The circuit has been a regular fixture in both the WEC and ELMS calendars for many years and provides teams and fans with excellent racing and world-class facilities. There is no denying that it is one of the drivers’ favorite venues, and the track is truly unique which always provides thrilling action. We have witnessed some incredible races in WEC and ELMS over the years and thanks to the team at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, we can now look forward to many more to follow.”
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Spa has been a part of the FIA WEC’s calendar since the championship’s inaugural season in 2012, and the ELMS since 2016.
“I am delighted to extend the contract with LMEM which confirms the anchoring of the WEC and the ELMS in the circuit’s calendar,” added Amaury Bertholome, CEO of Le Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. “The 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps are, without a doubt, part of the important FIA world championship, now expanding with the addition of new constructors and an undeniable rebound in popularity.
“The special attention that LMEM brings to the quality of this championship and to the reception of its fans forms part of the reinforcement of the circuit’s status as an economic, sporting and tourism lung for the region. Finally, the constant desire of LMEM for innovation in motorsports and especially via its MissionH24 and its electric-hydrogen prototypes, with which the circuit has been associated from the beginning, is also of course a major actor in our sector for more sustainable major sporting event.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s No. 8 GR010 HYBRID set the benchmark time in the first practice session of the 6 Hours of Spa weekend. Sebastien Buemi topped the times with a 2m02.982s, a time just a fraction slower than last year’s pole lap from Glickenhaus, …
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s No. 8 GR010 HYBRID set the benchmark time in the first practice session of the 6 Hours of Spa weekend. Sebastien Buemi topped the times with a 2m02.982s, a time just a fraction slower than last year’s pole lap from Glickenhaus, a 2m02.771s.
Buemi’s flyer was 1.6 seconds faster than the other FIA WEC Hypercar class runners. The No. 50 Ferrari came closest, after a 2m04.632s from Antonio Fuoco, who was a tenth up on Jose Maria Lopez in the No. 7 Toyota that completed the top three.
The fastest of the LMDh cars in the class was the No. 6 Porsche Penske 963, following a 2m04.870s from Laurens Vanthoor. The Belgian would end the red flag-interrupted session fifth, below the No. 51 Ferrari that finished up fourth on the timing screens.
The No. 2 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R was sixth, while the brand-new No. 3 example, making a guest appearance this weekend, would set the ninth-fastest time, behind the quickest of the two Peugeot 9X8s — the No. 4.
The other new Hypercar in the field, the No. 38 Porsche 963 from Hertz Team JOTA, was 22nd overall in the times and completed 18 laps, the team using the session as an extended shakedown of its new car. The best time was six seconds off the pace set by Toyota, but this is very much early days and outright speed is not yet a priority.
In LMP2, the No. 22 United Autosports ORECA of Filipe Albuquerque ran just 0.043s faster than the No. 28 JOTA 07 Gibson to top the class with a 2m07.471s. The No. 23 United Autosports ORECA completed the top three.
It was a 1-2 for Ferrari 488 teams in GTE Am, with Kessel Racing’s No. 57 managing a 2m16.177s courtesy of Daniel Serra. The No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari from Ulysse De Pauw ended up second while the ORT by TF Aston Martin slotted in third with a 2m17.168s from Charlie Eastwood.
A pair of red flags interrupted the session, costing the teams almost 10 minutes of running. The first was for an incident at Les Combes for the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari, the second for contact between the D’Station Aston Martin and the Vanwall.
UP NEXT: Track action continues this afternoon with Free Practice 2 at 4:20 local time.
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR010 HYBRIDs blitzed FIA World Endurance Championship qualifying at Portimao this afternoon, locking out the front row with both its cars over a second quicker than the rest of the Hypercar runners. The best lap came from …
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR010 HYBRIDs blitzed FIA World Endurance Championship qualifying at Portimao this afternoon, locking out the front row with both its cars over a second quicker than the rest of the Hypercar runners.
The best lap came from Brendon Hartley, who set a 1m30.171s, bettering the previous FIA WEC pole lap record by two-tenths in the No. 8. His time was almost three-tenths quicker than the sister car of Kamui Kobayashi.
“It felt really good. We’ve put some effort into qualifying setup this time,” Hartley said. “Ferrari annoyed us by taking pole at Sebring. We expect Ferrari to be closer in the race, as they have focused on long runs. I knew the lap was good –I knew it would be hard against Kamui.
“We felt we would be playing catch-up as we hadn’t tested here before the season. We expect to be fighting the red cars tomorrow.”
The fastest time from the other teams came from Nicklas Nielsen in the No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P, which could only manage a 1m31.596s, 1.4 seconds off the pole time. James Calado completed the second row, though the Briton complained of the braking performance at the rear throughout the session, describing the brakes as “locking up everywhere” on the team radio.
Best of the rest was the No. 6 Penske Porsche, which was the first of a gaggle of Hypercars in the 1m32s. The No. 94 Peugeot ended up sixth, ahead of the No. 5 Porsche and No. 2 Cadillac. The No. 93 Peugeot and Glickenhaus completed the top 10.
Richard Westbrook, who qualified the Cadillac in the session, says the team is still finding its feet at the Portimao circuit.
“We’re not quite pleased with the starting position but the lap time is an improvement,” he said. “Every time out we’re learning and, of course, it is the first time at this track for the car and us in the car. We have a reliable car and like we showed at Sebring we’ll have good race pace. It’s a work in progress.”
Prema Racing’s No. 63 ORECA took pole in LMP2 with a last-gasp effort from Mirko Bortolotti, after his previous provisional pole time was deleted for a Turn 1 track limits violation. The Italian Lamborghini factory driver set a 1m34.303s to go to the top by a thousandth of a second with just a minute remaining, vaulting from 12th to pole.
This pushed Gabriel Aubry’s Vector Sport ORECA to second, after he spent most of the session atop the times, only briefly edged by Bortolotti before his initial time was deleted midway through the running.
“Mirko did an amazing job. He is very impressive. We really need to be proud of what we achieved today,” said Bortolotti’s teammate Doriane Pin after what was Prema’s first WEC pole.
There is an investigation ongoing, though, as the No. 63 had to be worked on in the fast lane of the pit lane when the session went green, which prevented cars from heading out on track. We await a decision from the stewards.
“I am in the pit lane, the engine goes off, I couldn’t restart it — I tried power cycles,” Bortolotti explained. “At that stage, my mechanics came to the rescue and they fired it up quickly so I could go out without losing much time. There was then another issue which was really weird, but luckily the guys fixed it quickly and we could actually qualify on our second set of tires without using the first set. It was undrivable so I had to stop straight away.”
Third in the times was Phil Hanson, who set a 1:34.451 in the No. 22 United ORECA. There were five teams in the top five, as Yifei Ye put the No. 48 JOTA ORECA fourth, while Albert Costa put Inter Europol fifth.
Ben Keating put the Corvette C8.R LMGTE on pole. Motorsport Images
In the GTE Am ranks, Corvette Racing will start from pole position after a stunning lap from Ben Keating late in the GTE session, which like at Sebring, was thrilling. The Texan, who topped the times early with a 1m44.557s, improved twice amid another shootout with Sarah Bovy in the Iron Dames Porsche.
The pair traded fast times, but eventually, Keating set a 1m41.362s to snatch pole, a time that Bovy was unable to better on her final flying lap, which was a 1m41.579s.
This performance from the Corvette (which is carrying the biggest success ballast penalty) and the Iron Dames Porsche came after Ferrari teams topped all three practice sessions in the build-up to qualifying. But when it counted, the fastest Ferrari could only take third on the grid. Diego Alessi in the No. 21 led an all-AF Corse second row, as Thomas Flour in the No. 54 ended up fourth. The fastest Aston Martin, the ORT by TF Vantage, ended up fifth after Ahmad Al Harthy’s 1m41.904s.
“I expected the Ferraris to be up front,” Keating admitted after scoring Corvette’s first WEC pole of the season. “In all the practice sessions they were the quickest car, and we weren’t quite sure what we were going to be able to do.
“I have to give so much credit to the Corvette team. The C8.R has never been to Portimão, and neither has the team. This is not a place where you show up and do well from the beginning. We’ve been making unbelievable, big improvements in the car every time we go out. I couldn’t believe how well the car was set up for qualifying.”
UP NEXT: Sunday’s six-hour race is set to start at 12:00pm local time.
