In a thrilling opening to the FIA World Endurance Championship pre-season testing session at Qatar, racing star Robert Kubica clinched the top spot. The event, aptly named ‘The Prologue,’ saw Kubica setting a record lap time of 1:41.673. He demonstrated remarkable prowess at the wheel of the strikingly yellow #83 AF Corse Ferrari, which was the fastest in the session.
Kubica’s performance was notably superior, nearly three-tenths of a second faster than his nearest competitor, Will Stevens of JOTA Cadillac, who was in the #12 car. The Cadillac factory team left a strong impression, at one point securing both first and second positions, with their second car finishing in sixth place.
James Calado driving the #51 Ferrari 499P, the first of the factory Ferraris, earned the third spot. However, he was over half a second slower than Kubica. Following closely in fourth place was Dries Vanthoor in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, a mere 0.007 seconds behind Calado. The fifth position was claimed by Nicklas Nielsen, driving the sister factory Ferrari, the #50, who finished a tenth off D. Vanthoor.
The three-hour session was not without its share of drama. Four red flag incidents interrupted the event, with over 35 minutes lost to these stoppages. The #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 driven by Francois Heriau, the #60 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Claudio Schiavoni at the wheel, Laurens Vanthoor in the #6 Porsche 963, and finally the #77 Proton Ford Mustang GT3 driven by Ben Luck, were all implicated in these interruptions.
Particularly noteworthy was the issue with the #6 Porsche. A representative from Porsche revealed to Motorsport Week that the car suffered from a suspected fuel system issue. As a result, a change in the car’s internal combustion engine was necessitated.
In the LMGT3 category, Ben Barnicoat took the lead in the #78 ASP Lexus RC F GT3, recording a lap time of 1:55.862. He was closely followed by Daniel Juncadella in the #33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R, who was just over a tenth of a second slower than Barnicoat. Davide Rigon, driving the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, secured the third position.
The next Prologue session is eagerly awaited and is scheduled to start at 18:00 local time, or 15:00 UTC. This initial session has set the stage for an electrifying season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, with fans already on the edge of their seats.
