WEC News: Porsche leads Peugeot in third Qatar Prologue session
Frederic Makowiecki turned a lap of 1m41.223s in the #6 Porsche Penske 963 LMDh to top Tuesday’s third WEC Prologue test in Qatar.
Makowiecki knocked Peugeot driver Stoffel Vandoorne off the top of the times by just 0.037 seconds at Lusail International Circuit.
However, this was around seven tenths of a second off the pace set by Callum Ilott in the No. 12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche during Monday night’s second Qatar session.
Vandoorne in the No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 and Jean-Eric Vergne in the No. 93 car established a one-two for the French manufacturer early on, Vandoorne setting a 1:41.260 and Vergne going second on a 1:41.622 in the early running.
Best of the rest behind Porsche and Peugeot was the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R in which Sebastien Bourdais set the best time of 1:41.652s.
Next was the best of the Toyota GR010 Hybrids, the No. 7 machine in which Nyck de Vries posted a 1:41.789, while the No. 12 JOTA Porsche was seventh on this occasion with Ilott at the wheel.
Ferrari’s top representative was the No. 51 AF Corse 499P in eighth place courtesy of James Calado’s best lap, while Robert Kubica put the customer No. 83 Ferrari ninth.
BMW rounded out the top 10 with the best of its M Hybrid V8s, the No. 20 car whose best lap was set by Sheldon van der Linde.
Alpine’s No. 35 car suffered a reported engine failure a little beyond halfway through the session, not long before the second of the red flags, while Charles Milesi was on board the Mecachrome-powered A424.
Prologue Yesterday Results by Manufacturer:
Porsche – 1’40.541″
Ferrari +0.132″
Cadillac +0.655″
Peugeot +1.046″
BMW +1.430″
Toyota +1.911″
Lamborghini +2.086″
Alpine +2.525″
Isotta Fraschini +3.728″
Aston ahead in LMGT3 in Qatar
In the LMGT3 class, the times were topped by the No. 777 D’station Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo of Marco Sorensen, who set a best time of 1:54.791.
That was enough to beat Davide Rigon in the No. 54 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 by 0.153 seconds, while Daniel Juncadella was third-fastest in the No. 82 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.