The pre-season testing for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) saw Kevin Estre take the lead in the extended third session of the ‘Prologue’. The session was prolonged due to an unexpected red flag triggered by a severe crash involving Derek Deboer of Racing Spirit of LeMan. Deboer’s #10 Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 EVO met with the unfortunate incident between Turns 4 and 5, merely 15 minutes into the third session. Despite the dramatic start, Deboer’s wellbeing was confirmed, and the red flag facilitated the repair of the guard rail barrier for the next 90 minutes.
The session resumed at 1:22 pm local or 10:22 am GMT, with an additional hour tacked onto the original three-hour session, leaving 2 hours and 36 minutes on the clock. However, Proton Competition announced that their #77 Ford Mustang LMGT3 wouldn’t participate in the final two sessions of the Prologue due to a fire incident the previous day. They plan to rejoin the action at the outset of Free Practice 1 for the Qatar 1812 km season-opener on the upcoming Wednesday, 26th February.
Once the track action got back on track, teams exhibited their determination to make the most out of the remaining session time, focusing on accruing mileage and planning longer runs for the Hypercar and LMGT3 competitors. However, the session was not without incidents. Celia Martin’s #85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 LMGT3.R and Francois Heriau’s #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 experienced a collision, prompting a full-course-yellow period.
The third WEC Prologue test concluded with the reigning WEC Hypercar champion, Kevin Estre, registering the fastest lap time of 1:40.428 in the #6 Porsche 963 Hypercar. Robert Kubica, driving the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, claimed the second spot with a lap time of 1:40.777. Meanwhile, last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours winning-Hypercar came in third.
The LMGT3 category was led by TF Sport, with Daniel Juncadella setting a time of 1:55.241 in the #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R. AF Corse’s #54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 followed, thanks to Davide Rigon’s 1:55.382 lap time. The WEC debutant, Finn Gehrsitz, clocked a 1:55.414 time in his #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3, outpacing the other TF Sport Corvette, the #81.
The fourth session of the 2025 WEC Prologue is set to wrap up from 5-9pm local time in Qatar or 2-6pm GMT. As the WEC Prologue moves forward, the motorsport world eagerly anticipates the upcoming season and the thrilling races to come.