Yas Marina Circuit: Inter Europol Competition Leads Free Practice 1 Ahead of Asian Le Mans Series Finale
In a strong display during Free Practice 1 at Yas Marina Circuit, Nolan Siegel of Inter Europol Competition set the fastest lap with a time of 1:40.966 in the #43 ORECA 07 – Gibson. This marks a significant lead heading into the season finale of the Asian Le Mans Series.
Siegel’s lap narrowly edged out Malthe Jakobsen of CrowdStrike Racing by APR, who clocked 1:41.094 seconds in the #4 ORECA, securing second place. Close behind, Charles Milesi in Cetilar Racing’s #47 ORECA finished third with a time of 1:41.161, reinforcing the competitive dynamics among championship contenders.
Mikkel Jensen in the #5 United Autosports ORECA posted the fourth-fastest time, while the #44 ARC Bratislava and #22 Proton Competition cars completed the top six.
In the LMP3 class, Vic Stevens set a quick 1:50.478 in the #8 Team Virage Ligier JS P325 – Toyota, maintaining his lead throughout the session. Matteo Quintarelli in the #23 23Events Racing Ligier finished second, just 0.343 seconds off the pace. Pierre-Alexandre Provost was third in the #85 R-ACE GP Duqueine D09.
The GT category saw Wayne Bold of United Autosports lead with a time of 1:53.420 in the #59 McLaren GT3 Evo. He narrowly defeated Charlie Eastwood in the #34 Racing Team Turkey Corvette, who came in second. The #56 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn Aston Martin secured third, with championship leader Kessel Racing’s Dennis Marschall in fourth.
Two red flags interrupted the session; the first, lasting 26 minutes, was due to an issue in the final sector, and the second, for 13 minutes, arose from an incident at Turn 5. Notably, the #99 JMR Corvette was withdrawn from the event following an accident during the preceding Private Test session.
All 45 cars participated in FP1 as preparations continue for Free Practice 2 scheduled later today at 19:45 GST, occurring entirely under floodlights.
Results Summary:
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LMP2 Top Results:
- Nolan Siegel (#43 Inter Europol Competition) – 1:40.966
- Malthe Jakobsen (#4 CrowdStrike Racing) – 1:41.094
- Charles Milesi (#47 Cetilar Racing) – 1:41.161
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LMP3 Top Results:
- Vic Stevens (#8 Team Virage) – 1:50.478
- Matteo Quintarelli (#23 23Events Racing) – 1:50.821
- Pierre-Alexandre Provost (#85 R-ACE GP) – 1:50.929
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GT Top Results:
- Wayne Bold (#59 United Autosports) – 1:53.420
- Charlie Eastwood (#34 Racing Team Turkey) – 1:53.463
- Kobe Pauwels (#56 Ecurie Ecosse) – 1:53.482
Further developments will unfold as the event proceeds, maintaining interest among teams and fans alike in the competitive landscape of the Asian Le Mans Series.
