The Ferraris dominated the qualifying practice of the 91e edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans ahead of the Toyotas, favorites in the premier category of Hypercars.
SourceAFP
© DAMIEN SAULNIER / Damien Saulnier / DPPI via AFP
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Ia Ferrari N.50, driven by the Italian Antonio Fuoco, the Spaniard Miguel Molina and the Dane Nicklas Nielsen, took the best time with 3 min 25 sec 213/1000 achieved by the Italian. It is ahead of the other Scuderia car entered in Hypercar, the N.51, second on the time sheet. Both Toyotas rank 3e and 4e on the eve of the Hyperpole, which will determine Thursday from 8 p.m. (6 p.m. GMT) the first places on the starting grid of the Le Mans classic.
At the end of these qualifying sessions, the eight fastest cars in each of the three categories (Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGTE Am) qualified for the Hyperpole. In this game, the two Peugeot 9X8s failed to take their ticket, finishing 10e and 11e. In addition to Ferrari and Toyota, two of the four Porsches entered in Hypercar as well as the two Cadillacs present in the premier category will compete for pole position in the most famous endurance race. Earlier in the day, the first free practice had placed Toyota in the lead, the N.8 ahead of the N.7, far ahead of the Ferraris, only 8e and 12e.
A second free practice session – the first at night – will be held on Wednesday between 10 p.m. and midnight (8 p.m. and 10 p.m. GMT). In recent editions, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has often turned into a duel at the top between the two cars of the Japanese brand. The competition has greatly expanded this year with the arrival of Cadillac, Peugeot, Porsche and above all Ferrari, back in the premier category after 50 years of absence.
The classification of qualifying practice:
1. Antonio Fuoco – Miguel Molina – Nicklas Nielsen (ITA-ESP-DEN/Ferrari 499P N.50/Hypercar)
2. Alessandro Pier Guidi – James Calado – Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA-GBR-ITA/Ferrari 499P N.51/Hypercar)
3. Mike Conway – Kamui Kobayashi – Jose Maria Lopez (GBR-JPN-ARG/Toyota GR010 – Hybrid N.7/Hypercar)
4. Sebastien Buemi – Ryo Hirakawa – Brendon Hartley (SUI-JPN-NZL/Toyota GR010 – Hybrid N.8/Hypercar)
5. Dane Cameron – Michael Christensen – Frédéric Makowiecki (USA-DEN-FRA/Porsche 963 N.5/Hypercar)
6. Sebastien Bourdais – Renger Van Der Zande – Scott Dixon (FRA-NED-NZL/Cadillac V-Series. R N.3/Hypercar)
7. Earl Bamber – Alex Lynn – Richard Westbrook (NZL-GBR-GBR/Cadillac V-Series.R N.2/Hypercar)
8. Felipe Nasr – Mathieu Jaminet – Nicholas Tandy (BRA-FRA-GBR/Porsche 963 N.75/Hypercar)
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16. David Heinemeier-Hansson – Oliver Rasmussen – Pietro Fittipaldi (DEN-DEN-BRA / Jota N.28 / 1st in LMP2)
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39. Lilou Wadoux – Alessio Rovera – Luis Perez Companc (FRA-ITA-ARG / Ferrari 488 GTE EVO N.83 / 1st in LMGTE AM)
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