As the FIA World Endurance Championship 2025 season roared into action, all eyes were on Cadillac’s British driver, Will Stevens, who put on a show-stopping performance. Stevens, who was behind the wheel of the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R, dominated the second free practice session at the Qatar 1812km, setting an impressive pace with a timing of 1:42.228.
Stevens’ blistering speed was unmatched, leaving Ferrari’s Antonio Fuoco trailing in his wake. Fuoco, driving the #50 Ferrari 499P, clocked a time that was three tenths slower. The #20 BMW, helmed by Rene Rast, claimed the third spot, falling almost half a second short of Stevens’ record-setting lap.
Hot on their heels was Sebastien Bourdais in the #38 Cadillac, nailing the fourth spot, closely followed by Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari. The sixth position belonged to Brendon Hartley, driving the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, while Mick Schumacher slid into the seventh slot in the #36 Alpine A424.
The eighth position was claimed by Robert Kubica in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari, Charles Milesi in the #35 Alpine secured ninth, and rounding out the top ten was Raffaele Marciello in the #15 BMW.
Despite a few minor local yellows and one full course yellow for Maxime Martin’s stranded #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG GT3, the session ran smoothly. Martin quickly regained control, getting his car back on track and up to speed.
In a separate class, the LMGT3, Sean Gelael stole the spotlight. Gelael, driving the #95 United Autosports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, clocked in at 1:54.557 on the Lusail International Circuit. The Lexuses continued to impress, securing the second and third spots with Ben Barnicoat in the #78 ASP Lexus RC F GT3 and Jose Maria Lopez in the #87 car, respectively.
The fourth and fifth positions went to the two AF Corse Ferrari GT3s, with Simon Mann in the #21 car leading Davide Rigon.
The action continues tomorrow with FP3 scheduled to start at 12:00 local time, 9am UTC. Qualifying gets underway at 16:50 local time, 13:50 UTC. As the engines roar and the rubber burns, there’s no telling who will come out on top in this high-stakes endurance championship.