CoTA WEC Hyperpole Results: Ferrari and Ford Dominate
In a challenging Hyperpole session at Circuit of the Americas (CoTA) for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Ferrari achieved a significant milestone with Robert Kubica securing pole position. The Polish driver clocked a time of 1:57.655 amidst light rain, narrowly outpacing teammate Antonio Giovinazzi, who finished just 0.096 seconds behind. This marks Ferrari’s fourth pole of the season and the #83 crew’s first.
Kubica expressed satisfaction with the performance, stating, “We executed well… that was enough for P1. We are happy, but tomorrow is complicated with six hours.” His team, including Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson, earned an additional championship point, narrowing the gap to the #51 Ferrari in the standings.
Jean-Eric Vergne’s #93 Peugeot secured third, while the #6 Porsche and #50 Ferrari rounded out the top five. Notably, both Cadillacs and the #7 Toyota opted for wet tires, resulting in disappointing placements of 16th, 17th, and 18th. Cadillac’s team principal, Dieter Gass, noted, “Horrible session for us… Not our day.”
LMGT3: Ford’s Double Pole
In the LMGT3 category, Ford achieved a remarkable feat, with both #88 and #77 Proton Competition Mustangs locking out the front row. Giammarco Levorato took pole with a time of 2:07.645, closely followed by teammate Ben Tuck at 2:07.663. This marked Ford’s first pole position in LMGT3, enhanced by a post-qualifying penalty for the #87 Lexus, allowing the #88 Mustang to advance to Hyperpole.
Ben Barker, driver of the #77 Ford, praised the team effort, stating, “The Mustang GT3 has been working really well… it sets us up for tomorrow.” The #95 United Autosports McLaren led the rest of the field, followed by the #46 WRT BMW and the #33 TF Sport Corvette, which rounded out the top five.
Qualifying conditions were tough, with slick track surfaces challenging many drivers. Notably, the #81 Corvette failed to progress, while the #85 Iron Dames Porsche struggled, finishing last in the class.
The race, the Lone Star Le Mans, is set to start tomorrow at 13:00 local time.
