Ferrari Tops Opening Qatar WEC Practice as Calado Sets Early Pace
Ferrari AF Corse dominated the opening Free Practice session of the FIA World Endurance Championship season in Qatar, with James Calado's No. 51 499P setting a fastest time of 1m42.123s.
The session showed strong potential for Ferrari, though faster times are anticipated as the track gains grip. The Prologue test last week saw sub-1m40s laps, suggesting even quicker times during tomorrow's Hyperpole session.
Top 3 Results:
- 1st: No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse (Calado) - 1m42.123s
- 2nd: No. 38 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac (Bourdais) - 1m42.355s
- 3rd: No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse - within 0.1s of 2nd
Ferrari F1 car on racetrack
Notable Incidents:
- Red flag after Alex Riberas' No. 009 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie stopped at Turn 1 (suspected battery issue)
- Both Aston Martin Hypercars finished 17th and 18th, 2.2-2.7 seconds off pace
LMGT3 Class Highlights:
- AKKODIS ASP's No. 78 Lexus led with 1m55.801s (Barnicoat)
- TF Sport Corvettes secured 2nd and 3rd
- Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMGs missed session due to fuel docking software issues
- Racing Spirit of Leman and Proton Competition successfully repaired damaged cars
WEC driver championship standings
The second Free Practice session is scheduled for 4:50pm local time in Qatar.
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