Ferrari Claims Front Row at Spa-Francorchamps for FIA WEC Season Opener
Ferrari continues its impressive form in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, securing the top three positions in the Hypercar Hyperpole session at Spa-Francorchamps. Antonio Fuoco achieved pole position for the No. 50 AF Corse 499P with a record-breaking lap time of 1:59.617, eclipsing previous pole records in the Hypercar era at this circuit, thanks to recent resurfacing efforts.
Fuoco reflected on the session, stating, “Overall, I think it’s been a positive weekend so far after a difficult one for us in Imola. We are just really happy, and the focus is now on the job tomorrow in the race.”
He was joined on the front row by teammate Robert Kubica, who clocked a time of 1:59.964, while Antonio Giovinazzi secured third in the championship-leading No. 51 car.
Peugeot’s Stoffel Vandoorne was the next closest contender, finishing fourth with a time of 2:00.218, followed by Alex Lynn in fifth for Cadillac, who expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress: “We dreamt of more as we always do, but P5 is a solid place to start tomorrow.”
The remainder of the top ten featured the No. 36 Alpine, No. 93 Peugeot, No. 20 BMW, No. 35 Alpine, and No. 38 Cadillac.
In a surprising turn, both Toyota and Porsche struggled, with neither manufacturer achieving a spot in Hyperpole. The Toyota entries will start 15th and 16th, with Kamui Kobayashi acknowledging the team’s challenges: “We did our best — both cars with the same lap time.” Porsche’s 963s, managed by Penske, will begin from 12th and 13th after encountering difficulties during the session.
In the LMGT3 category, Finn Gehrsitz of Akkodis ASP claimed the first pole position for Lexus at 2:17.732, finishing 0.276 seconds ahead of Eduardo Barrichello’s Aston Martin. The session was tightly contested, with last-minute changes to the grid positioning.
Ben Keating’s No. 33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R failed to make an impact, landing 17th in class after a challenging qualifying session. His co-driver, Daniel Juncadella, noted the team’s struggles: “We are missing a little bit of pace… If it’s a very clean race, I feel we will struggle to score points.”
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is set to commence tomorrow at 2:00 PM local time.
