Photo: Andrea Lorenzina/DPPI
Robert Kubica paced the opening practice session of the new FIA World Endurance Championship season at Imola on Friday morning, leading an all-Ferrari top three.
At the wheel of the satellite No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, ex-Formula 1 driver Kubica posted a best lap of 1:31.739 to narrowly eclipse the best of the Italian marque’s works cars, the No. 50 car of Antonio Fuoco, by a slender margin of 0.023 seconds.
Antonio Giovinazzi was third aboard the title-defending No. 51 Ferrari on a 1:31.982, replicating the Prancing Horse’s lockout of the top times in the official Prologue test earlier in the week.
Emerging as best of the rest behind the Ferraris in a relatively clean session held held in fair weather was the No. 12 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R in which Will Stevens set the best time of 1:32.183.
Locking out fifth and sixth places were the two Peugeot 9X8s as Malthe Jakobsen in the No. 94 car set a 1:32.351 effort to lead the sister No. 93 machine of Stoffel Vandoorne.
Toyota’s new-look TR010 Hybrid finished its first official practice session seventh courtesy of a 1:32.573 from Sebastien Buemi, a little over eight tenths off the pace.
The best of the Alpine A424s, the No. 35 car of Charles Milesi, and the two BMW M Hybrid V8s, the No. 15 ahead of the No. 20, completed the top ten.
Genesis Magma Racing concluded its first WEC practice session with its pair of new GMR-001 cars in 15th and 17th, with a best lap of 1:33.227 putting the Korean brand a shade under 1.5 seconds off the pace.
In the LMGT3 class, Charlie Eastwood set the time to beat aboard the No. 34 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
Eastwood posted a best lap of 1:42.678 to top the session ahead of the No. 58 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo in which Finn Gehrsitz made a late surge up the order, ending up 0.170 seconds behind.
Mattia Drudi put the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo third followed by the best of the AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evos, the No. 21 car in which Alessio Rovera briefly led the way before Eastwood set his best time.
The second of the Garage 59 McLarens, the No. 10 car, caused the first of two full-course yellows during the session as Antares Au suffered an off at Tamburello, putting gravel on the track, although the car ultimately set the fifth-best time in class.
Causing the second interruption was a loose bollard at the Variante Alta chicane.
Second practice for the 6 Hours of Imola is set for 3:15 p.m. local time (11:15 a.m. EST).
RESULTS: Free Practice 1
Jamie Klein is Sportscar365’s Asian editor. Japan-based Klein, who previously worked for Motorsport Network on the Motorsport.cоm and Autosport titles, covers the FIA World Endurance Championship and SUPER GT, among other series.
