WEC. 6 Hours of Imola – Free Practice 3: BMW follows Ferrari, Aston Martin emerges

The results of this 3rd and last free practice session are surprising: in first place, the factory Ferrari no 50 (Nielsen/Fuoco/Molina) holds its position well. But what about BMW!

The Bavarian manufacturer managed to put two M Hybrid V8s in 2nd and 3rd, with the number 15 (D. Vanthoor/Marciello/Wittmann) coming within 34 thousandths of the best time! This impressive increase in speed can indicate the location of the Hyperpole during the day.

The Top 10 takes place in good seconds: the Porsche starts to accelerate somewhat, even if the top performance is set for qualifying. The No. 5 Penske ranks 5th, ten-fourths behind the No. 5 Ferraris.

This seems to be the best for the Toyota, which grabs a bit of speed while remaining discreet. The world number 8 (Hartley/Buemi/Hirakawa) followed the official Ferrari 2, with 7th place in this final free session. Number 7 is also in the top 10, at number 9.

Lamborghini’s light on the pot was back down: only the SC63 (Bortolotti/Mortara/Kvyat) was behind, with just 18 laps run and the 16th fastest time.

Among the French, there is still a lack of rhythm. Indeed, the new 9X8s (93 and 94) were heavier compared to the other LMHs, which no doubt explains the 11 and 12 rows. Friday’s run was not ridiculous at all! And the number 94, driven by Paul Di Resta, hit Rivazza directly, ending the session with a red flag.

Alpine is left out of the Top 10, but Jules Gounon seems to be gaining ground with the A424 No. 35. The Blues made the group shot, with Mick Schumacher’s number 36 following in 14th place.

LMGT3 : Aston Martin to emulate the Corvette

TF Sport and its two Corvettes welcomed everyone on Friday during the first two free sessions. American cars were not good and Aston Martin took advantage of that!

D’Station Racing (No. 777) was ahead of Racing Heart, at number 27, making it a double for the English manufacturer. The Porsches, especially the Manthey PureX winners at Losail, remain discreet.

The Iron Dames, in the No. 85 Lamborghini, entered the Top 10, thanks to the very successful Doriane Pin, who took 8th place, along with Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting.

The French Akkodis team is still reporting many problems: No. 78 failed to reach the Top 10, while No. 87 brought it back again.

*Results table coming soon.