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AF Corse Ferrari has topped both practice sessions ahead of this weekend’s 100th anniversary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Antonio Giovinazzi posted a 3:29.504 lap in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P Hypercar to top the time sheet in the second practice session of the test day, while the sister #50 Ferrari driven by Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, was fastest in opening practice with a lap of 3:30.686.
Sixty-two cars took to Circuit de la Sarthe Sunday for two three-hour practice sessions ahead of next week’s 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary event.
Ultimate lap times were not teams’ the priority, as race simulations were the focus.
Toyota Gazoo Racing, last year’s overall winner, had a difficult start. Mike Conway, driving the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, went off course at the Forest Esses at the end of the session, with only the fourth fastest time.
The first red flag came out when the #93 Peugeot 9X8 came to a stop on the Mulsanne Straight due to mechanical issues, and the #88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR-19 caught fire.
Race control had an opportunity to implement the new 2023 Safety Car procedures after the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo suffered a puncture. The new procedures were designed to limit excessive gaps in the track when a Safety Car is deployed.
The #45 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca 07-Gibson and the #39 Graff Racing Oreca 07-Gibson had offs during the opening session.
With 35 laps, the #28 Oreca 07-Gibson from Jota completed the most laps.
In the second session, Penske Motorsport’s #6 and #75 Porsche 963s, and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid joined the prancing horses in eclipsing the 3:30 mark around the 13.626 km circuit.
In the LMP2 class, the JOTA #28 ORECA 07-Gibson driven by Pietro Fittipaldi led the field of 24 with a 3:35.472 lap.
The top ten cars in the LMP2 class were separated by two seconds.
The Ferrari 488 GTE EVO of JMW Motorsports led the GTE AM class with a time of 3:56.623. The top 18 cars were within the top time of the Ferrari.
The Garage 56 entry, the #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 of Hendrick Motorsports improved three seconds in the second session with a 3:53.761
All 24 cars will take to the track again on Wednesday June 7 at 14:00 local time/22:00 AEST for the first free practice.
2023 Le Mans 24 Hour Test – Sunday June 4
1. #51 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse – Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi – 03:29.504
2. #6 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport – Kevin Estre/Andre Lotterer/Laurens Vanthoor – 03:29.648
3. #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing – Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi/José Maria Lopez – 03:29.827
4. #50 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse – Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen – 03:29.856
5. #75 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport – Felipe Nasr/Mathieu Jaminet/Nicholas Tandy – 03:29.905
Fastest times in other classes:
- LMP2 | #28 ORECA 07-Gibson | JOTA – David Heinemeier Hansson/Oliver Rasmussen/Pietro Fittipaldi – 03:35.872
- LMGTE Am | #66 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | JMW Motorsport – Thomas Neubauer/Louis Prette/Giacomo Petrobelli – 03:56.088
- Innovative Car | #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 | Hendrick Motorsports – Jimmie Johnson/Mike Rockenfeller/Jenson Button – 03:53.761
