LM24 FP1: Incredible 0.087s margin separate top three in Hypercars
Jose-Maria Lopez set the fastest time in the first free practice session in the 89th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, round four of FIA WEC, this afternoon.
The No.7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar lapped just 0.086s faster than the Alpine Elf Matmut car in which Andre Negrao set the quickest time
Ferrari led the way in LMGTE Pro with the No.52 machine, while United Autosports USA headed LMP2.
Team Project ensured it was Porsche leading the bumper 23 car LMGTE Am class with Matteo Cairoli setting the fastest ever class lap at Le Mans.
Below are the main headlines.
Hypercar
• No.7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid Hypercar of Jose-Maria Lopez, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway topped the times as Argentinian, Lopez, peaks with a best lap of 3m29.309s
• That was 0.2s off the test day best set by the No.708 Glickenhaus Hypercar
• Alpine ELF Matmut place second with Andre Negrao just 0.086s off Lopez’s fastest lap
• Remarkably the No.8 Toyota driven by Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Kazuki Nakajima is just 0.001s away from the Alpine, meaning that 0.087s covers the top three!
• Glickenhaus place fourth and fifth as the No.709 car laps 0.109s faster than No.708 machine as new Hypercar manufacturer continues to impress on La Sarthe debut
Up close and personal at Tertre Rouge! 🤳#LeMans24 #GoHyper #ToyotaGAZOORacing @FIAWEC @24hoursoflemans pic.twitter.com/6wFgJkpZRX
— TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WEC (@TGR_WEC) August 18, 2021
LMGTE Pro
• Daniel Serra claimed the best LMGTE Pro lap in the No.52 AF Corse Ferrari with a rapid lap of 3m50.123s in closing minutes of the session
• His teammate, the returning Sam Bird, had starred in LMGTE Pro as AF Corse Ferrari and set the fastest lap of 3m50.614s for much of the session as he steps in to replace injured Davide Rigon
• Nick Tandy took a last gasp second in class with a 3m50.163s lap in the No.64 Corvette Racing entry he shares with Alexander Sims and Tommy Milner
• Gimmi Bruni also leaves it late in the No.91 Porsche 911 RSR as he delivers a 3m50.488s lap
• The No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo of Come Ledogar places fourth on a 3m50.611s lap as just 0.5s covers the top four
LMP2
• United Autosports USA continue strong WEC form as Phil Hanson’s time of 3m29.441s is benchmark for vast majority of session
• Hanson’s excellent lap is also good enough for fourth best time overall
• G-Drive Racing claim second in LMP2 as team set fastest lap in Aurus 01-Gibson, nearly a second adrift of Hanson’s flyer
• No.28 JOTA car of Tom Blomqvist takes third on final lap as British driver sets a 3m30.629s best
• No.41 WRT entry is fourth as Louis Deletraz peaks with a 3m30.724s
• The DragonSpeed USA car takes fourth fastest lap but loses track time after stopping with Juan-Pablo Montoya aboard at Dunlop Chicane
• Second red flag of the session is caused after a collision at Tertre Rouge involving the No.38 JOTA car driven by Antonio Felix da Costa and the No.47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 488 Evo of Antonio Fuoco
LMGTE Am
• No.56 Team Project 1 Porsche driven by Matteo Cairoli sets searing pace in LMGTE Am with a 3m50.193s lap
• Italian ace laps a staggering 1.2s faster than direct opposition which is led by GR Racing Porsche as Ben Barker sets late session lap
• No.88 Dempsey Proton Racing car makes it a Porsche 1-2-3 clean sweep as Julien Andlauer sets a 3m 51.519s best
• Takuma Aoki completes a 3m34.510s lap in the SRT41 special entry he will share with Nigel Bailly and Francois Heriau
Timing can be found HERE.
