By Carlo Platella
The first day of testing in Imola ends with Ferrari ahead of everyone, a prelude to a race that promises to be hard-fought and uncertain. Self in the morning the Reds had dictated the law, with the best times in all sectors, in the afternoon the competition began to apply pressure. The factory Penske Porsche is second, while Toyota is seven tenths of a second behind. Putting together the best times of the day, a picture emerges with five manufacturers within just over a second, thanks to the surprises Peugeot and Lamborghini.
Ferrari queen of Fridays
AND Antonio Fuoco the fastest driver of the day, the only one to break the 1'31'' barrier, printing a 1'30''957'' which earned Ferrari the Friday titles. Showing off behind is again the yellow #83 of AF Corse, third in the afternoon after being first in the morning. The official #51, however, did not repeat the times of the first free practices and was only ninth in the evening.
After a subdued start, Porsche flexes its muscles in free practice 2. Kevin Estre in the official #6 is second, 3 and a half tenths behind the Ferrari di Fuoco, improving the time of the best Porsche in the morning by almost a second. Jota #12 also raises its voice, with Callum Ilott fifth fastest. It is equally remarkable Toyota's leap, which shaves eight tenths in the afternoon. Car #8 was fourth at the end of the day with Brendon Hartley, just under eight tenths from the virtual 'pole' of the 499P. World champions absolutely not to be underestimated in Imola, so much so that they were indicated by Miguel Molina as Cavallino's most feared opponent on the banks of the Santerno.
Great balance
Looking at the ranking of the second free practice session, one thing can be seen great mix of different manufacturerssuggesting a hard-fought and balanced weekend. Alpine is seventh with Schumacher, strengthening the excellent impressions of Qatar, while BMW closes the top ten. However, the one who deserves special attention most of all is Peugeot. The new 9X8 immediately proved effective, with Vergne praising the improved stability on the curbs, which were particularly high and plentiful in Imola.
The French Hypercars were sixth and eighth in the afternoon in Imola, however running at higher times than in the morning. In fact, in the first free practice session Peugeot was just over a second slower than Antonio Fuoco's end-of-day record. Finally, there is great curiosity about the performance of Lamborghinis, fifteenth in the evening. In the morning Mirko Bortolotti set the fourth best time, also in this case one second slower than the absolute reference of the Ferrari #50. The potential to do well on the flying lap is there, on a track that is difficult for overtaking where qualifying will be decisive.
LMGT3: Ferrari undermines Corvette
Just like in the morning, Corvette and TF Sport impose themselves also in the second free practice session. The fastest is Charlie Eastwood in car #81, who stops the clock at 1'41''986''. The #55 AF Corse Ferrari is just a breath away, with Alessio Rovera lapping less than two tenths behind Eastwood, separating the two Corvettes. In fact, Daniel Juncadela is third, three tenths behind the other TF Sport. The two Aston Martins follow in fourth and sixth place, with the #27 ahead of the #777, separated by the other Ferrari #54 of AF Corse. Valentino Rossi instead he is the fastest of the BMW #46 crew, without however going beyond thirteenth position. The third and final free practice session will begin at 11.10am on Saturday morning.
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