Ferrari on the podium at the Paul Ricard 1000 Kilometres

The Paul Ricard 1000 Kms ended with AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors team’s Ferrari 296 GT3s in fifth and seventh place with the crews of Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon and Antonio Fuoco; and Robert Shwartzman, Nicklas Nielsen and Alessio Rovera. The second round of the GT World Challenge Europe - Endurance Cup also finished with podiums for the AF Corse-run 488 GT3 Evo 2020 in the Bronze class, driven in the final stages by Andrea Bertolini, and for ST Racing with Rinaldi in Pro-Am.

The event, held on French soil, confirms the potential of the new 296 GT3, which produced a well-rounded, steady overall performance, positive indications ahead of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, scheduled at the end of June, the season’s blue riband event.

Pro Class. The start, taking place in dry track conditions, saw Shwartzman start third in the number 51 296 GT3, two grid places ahead of Serra in the 71. In the frantic early stages, the AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors entries attempted to avoid any collisions, dropping several positions in the process. The Maranello manufacturer’s official drivers held positions just shy of the podium over the opening two hours of the race.

Mid-race, the controls were handed over to Rigon and Nielsen, who came back out on-track in sixth and seventh. Having to deal with the lapped cars proved to be a tricky task for the Italian and the Dane, although the pair still managed to close in on the top three. 

The fourth pit-stop brought the turn of Fuoco in the number 71 296 GT3, with Rovera aboard the sister car. Over the final stages, the team switched strategy, extending Fuoco’s final stint – at that moment ahead in the standings – who pitted for a tyre change and refuelling 45 minutes from the finish. Returning to the track in P5, Fuoco defended his position, to take the chequered flag 26 seconds adrift of the winning number 88 Mercedes.

Other classes. In the Bronze category, Louis Machiels got the race underway from fourth and made a fine start in the 488 GT3 Evo 2020, before handing the car over to his son Jef, who continued as the sun set on the Le Castellet track with cooler temperatures allowing faster lap times. The AF Corse car’s ambitions were bolstered over the two final hours when Andrea Bertolini entered the cockpit. The Prancing Horse official driver - who set a best lap time of 1:55.667 - took advantage of a struggling number 188 McLaren in the closing stages to take runner-up spot and celebrate his first podium finish of the season.

In Pro-Am, Ferrari also finished the 1000 Kilometres with a podium place courtesy of Isaac Tutumlu Lopez, Samantha Tan and Jon Miller, producing a flawless race in the number 38 car throughout the entire six hours, highlighted by their runner-up spot at the end of the race.