First Free Practice at Fuji

The second round of Season 8 of the FIA WEC, held this weekend at the Fuji Speedway circuit, opened with the first 90 minutes of free practice. The session began with a track declared wet after rain overnight but tackled by drivers with slicks, as the asphalt was generally dry. It ended with the Ferraris behind the Porsches, which set the fastest times.

LMGTE Pro. The work programme ran smoothly, and important data was collected on tyre degradation at low asphalt temperatures and under different aerodynamic load configurations. At the end of the session, the 488 GTE no. 51 of Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado had covered 40 laps, recording a time of 1:38.825 that earned them fifth place. Over the 90 minutes, the team tried different setup solutions none of which fully satisfied the drivers. Davide Rigon and Miguel Molina, in the twin car no. 71, did better, completing 41 laps and finishing third with a best time of 1:38.707.

LMGTE Am. The Ferrari teams also did a lot of testing in this class, in which less than a second separated the top ten. The 488 GTE of MR Racing was the best of the Maranello cars, recording a time of 1:39.039, the second-fastest of the session, and with 42 laps completed. Seventh and eighth positions went to the AF Corse crews with Fisichella, Flohr, and Castellacci ahead of teammates Collard, Perrodo, and Nielsen, while Red River Sport no. 62 crewed by Grimes, Mowlem, and Hollings finished in eleventh.