Free Practice 1 Report: WEC Barcelona-Catalunya
Barcelona, Spain – AF Corse’s #83 Ferrari 499P set the pace in the first competitive session of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, clocking a time of 1:31.891. Robert Kubica spearheaded the effort, utilizing a combination of soft and medium Michelin tires during a 10-lap run.
The Ferrari contingent was strong, with both factory 499Ps featuring prominently in the top four. The #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie, driven by Alex Riberas, clinched second with a time of 1:31.998, marking the only other Hypercar entry to break into the 31-second bracket.
Ferrari’s #51 and #50 entries secured third and fourth positions, respectively, while the #007 Aston Martin, piloted by Harry Tincknell, rounded out the top five with a time of 1:32.716 on medium tires.
In the LMGT3 class, the Vista AF Corse 296 LMGT3s finished first and second, with Alessio Rovera leading the charge for the #21 car with a lap of 1:41.480, outperforming the #51 by four-tenths of a second. The #34 Racing Team Turkey Corvette secured third, followed by the Garage 59 McLaren in fourth and Iron Lynx’s #61 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in fifth.
TF Sport’s #33 Corvette, featuring championship points leader Jonny Edgar, finished in tenth, while the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, weighed down by success ballast, brought up the rear with a time of 1:44.051.
The session remained largely uneventful, punctuated only by a brief five-minute full-course yellow.
Upcoming: Free Practice 2 is scheduled for 16:30 local time today.
