Two Ferraris will start ahead of everyone in the Qualifying race for the FIA GT World Cup, taking place on the Guia Circuit in Macau. Thanks to a sensational performance, Antonio Fuoco took pole position with the AF Corse 296 GT3, ahead of Yifei Ye, who will start in the Harmony Racing car. Yi Deng qualified fifteenth in the second Chinese team’s 296 GT3.

Q1. The first Qualifying session, interrupted by a red flag with 22’18” remaining, featured an enthralling duel at the top of the timesheets between Fuoco and Eriksson. The Italian ultimately set the second-fastest time, 1’16”11, just 184 thousandths behind the BMW. Yifei Ye took sixth, having spent much of the session in the top five with a time of 2’16”446. Yi Deng finished the thirty-minute qualifying session in fifteenth place, setting a time of 2’18”214, which meant he did not progress to the Super Pole.

Q2. The new Super Pole format, introduced for this edition, saw the drivers make two attempts to secure the top spot on the grid, with the benefit of one new set of tyres. This situation suited Antonio Fuoco perfectly, as he was clearly at home between the walls and guardrails of the circuit. After bringing his tyres up to temperature, the official Ferrari driver set a time of 2’15”535, allowing him to beat Yifei Ye by 274 thousandths of a second. The Chinese driver had set a best time of 2’15”809, provisionally holding the top spot before being overhauled by the AF Corse driver.

Driver comments. “It was quite a difficult qualifying also due to the darkness setting in,” said Antonio Fuoco at the end of the session. “I think we did an excellent job, both in qualifying and especially in the Super Pole, when we managed to put together all the sectors, and I believe I did one of my best laps since I started racing in Macao, despite taking big risks. I think I was very effective in the segment between the second and third sector where, even being on the limit, I think I made the difference. Starting at the front is very important for tomorrow’s qualifying race, even if we are aware that anything can happen. We will have to watch our rivals because on the long straights they seem to have a significant advantage. We will try to work as a team and defend our positions in the first laps of the race.”

Echoing him, Yifei Ye, always fast from the first free practice sessions, said: “It was a great qualifying session, I am happy with my performance and the team’s work. We improved in every session, and my lap was really good, earning me the front row. I am very happy also for the team and I hope tomorrow we can achieve an interesting result also with a view to Sunday’s race.”

Satisfaction for the result also emerges from the words of Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti, “We are very happy to have put two cars at the front of such a competitive field as Macau. The best drivers and manufacturers in the GT3 arena are here, so this result demonstrates the car's great competitiveness and the quality of the project. The weekend is still long, but we are pleased to have achieved this first important result”.