Toyota immediately in command
The 2023 season for the Toyota reigning world champion, immediately protagonist in Prologue 1 from the 1000 Miles of Sebring. On the US circuit, the two GR010 Hybrids literally dominated the session, which ended with a one-two finish for the Gazoo Racing team. To have set the best time was Jose Maria Lopez, a member of the pilot trio completed by Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi. In fact, the Argentine stopped the clock on the1:48.208just 85 thousandths ahead of Ryo Hirakawa.
All chasing, Ferrari fifth
The Japanese, who entered the driver’s roll of honor last season in the company of Brendon Hartley and former F1 driver Sebastien Buemi (with whom he shares car number 8), thus came close to setting the best lap set by the South American at 44 ° of the total 70 laps completed, with all the other Hypercars taking to the track which were therefore unable to keep up with the pace of the first two classified. A nuanced enterprise first of all from Richard Westbrookwho closed the tests in third position at the wheel of his Cadillacs. The Briton, despite being on the virtual podium, was just over a second late compared to Lopez, but can nonetheless console himself for the gap generated on his direct pursuers, starting with the one created on Frederic Makowiecki. In fact, the Frenchman finished almost four tenths behind with the new one Porsche Penskeand with a very slim edge over another debutante like Ferrari AF Corsewho completes the top-5 with the best time of Alessandro Pier Guidi, author of the fastest lap for the Prancing Horse in 1:49.724. Second back Red di Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen, seventh, while the adventure of the Peugeot 9X8 gets off on the wrong foot, eighth and ninth in the field of hybrids and respectively with a delay of 2.5 and 3 seconds from the top. The Vanwall closes the Hypercar standings, 17th in the general standings, which counts the 1997 F1 world champion among its drivers Jacques Villeneuve.
Well Kubica, women lay down the law
On the other hand, United Autosport did very well in the LMP2leading the ranking of this class with Phil Hanson. The Briton thus finished in front of everyone, but only 30 thousandths ahead of another former Formula 1 driver like Robert Kubica. Finally, the Iron Dames team also starts off positively LM GTE AM, also here with decidedly reduced gaps. In fact, the all-female team finished 22 thousandths ahead of Alessio Picariello’s Porsche Iron Linx, and 24 ahead of another Italian’s AF Corse, Davide Rigon. Author of the best time the Danish Michelle Gatting.
The next appointments
The other three Prologue sessions will take place between today’s Italian evening and tomorrow, before the start of free practice scheduled between Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 March. Finally, Friday 17 will be the turn of qualifying and the eagerly awaited race, which will kick off the 2023 WEC season starting at 18:00.
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