TOYOTA GAZOO Racing emerged from today’s traditional 24 Hours of Le Mans Test Day with initial bragging rights, as Brendon Hartley put the #8 GR010 Hybrid Hypercar at the head of the pecking-order.
After Robert Kubica set the morning pace behind the wheel of AF Corse’s #83 Ferrari 499P Hypercar, Hartley – who jointly holds the record for the most FIA World Endurance Championship titles with team-mate Sébastien Buemi – lowered the benchmark by three-quarters-of-a-second to stop the clocks at a time of 3m26.246s in the afternoon.
The New Zealander’s effort was 0.661s faster than the quickest lap at the test 12 months ago – posted by Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Kévin Estre – and he professed himself pleased with the work completed over the course of the day.
“It was very nice to be back in the GR010 around Le Mans,” enthused Hartley, who was second in the opening session. “Clearly the competition is fierce, but we had no major dramas and we’ve come away from the day with a good feeling.
“On long runs, I wouldn’t say we were the quickest car so we’ve still got a bit of work to do, but I feel like we’re in the fight. Hopefully now we’ll get some good sleep over the next few nights to recharge and prepare for the big job that’s coming next week.”
James Calado hauled the championship-leading #51 Ferrari up to second by the end of the day, just over half-a-second shy of Hartley’s best, with Kubica improving his time slightly in the afternoon to secure third overall.
Mick Schumacher showed encouraging form for Alpine Endurance Team in fourth, as the French outfit bids to banish the memories of a desperately disappointing home race 12 months ago – when both A424s retired due to turbo failure before the end of the sixth hour. Last year’s pole-sitter Estre made it five FIA WEC regulars at the sharp end in the #6 Porsche 963, with six different manufacturers winding up inside the final top ten.
The only major issue amongst the Hypercar ranks was a stoppage on-track for Sheldon van der Linde in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 due to a mechanical problem, bringing out the red flag.
In LMGT3, Akkodis ASP Team continued its impressive recent form by outpacing all of its rivals with its Lexus RC F GT3. José María López – who won Le Mans outright in 2021 with Toyota – ended up more than a second-and-a-half quicker than his nearest pursuer, as five of his six stablemates joined him in the top ten, including all three members of the #78 crew.
Alessio Rovera ran the Argentine closest for Vista AF Corse, while Finn Gehrsitz and Davide Rigon ensured both Lexuses and both Ferraris concluded the day within the top five.
The track action continues with FP1 at 14:00 CET on Wednesday, 11 June.
Watch FIA WEC live or on-demand via the official FIA WEC TV app – your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don’t miss a moment. For further information, check out the app.
Hypercar
1. Brendon Hartley TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 3m26.246s
2. James Calado Ferrari AF Corse +0.531s
3. Robert Kubica AF Corse +0.656s
4. Mick Schumacher Alpine Endurance Team +1.067s
5. Kévin Estre Porsche Penske Motorsport +1.110s
6. Nick Tandy Porsche Penske Motorsport +1.243s
7. Miguel Molina Ferrari AF Corse +1.270s
8. Robin Frijns BMW M Team WRT +1.308s
9. Alex Lynn Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA +1.374s
10. Charles Milesi Alpine Endurance Team +1.508s
LMGT3
1. José María López Akkodis ASP Team 3m55.276s
2. Alessio Rovera Vista AF Corse +1.559s
3. Casper Stevenson Kessel Racing +1.717s
4. Finn Gehrsitz Akkodis ASP Team +1.951s
5. Davide Rigon Vista AF Corse +2.390s
6. Klaus Bachler Manthey +2.493s
7. Augusto Farfus The Bend Team WRT +2.764s
8. Lilou Wadoux Richard Mille AF Corse +2.780s
9. Riccardo Pera Manthey 1st Phorm +2.893s
10. Valentino Rossi Team WRT +3.018s
