Ferrari fastest in final Imola practice

Ferrari’s factory 499Ps set the pace in the final FIA WEC practice session at Imola this morning ahead of qualifying, which was greeted by warmer temperatures.

The best time came from Antonio Giovinazzi in the FP2-topping No. 51, a 1m30.272s, which is the quickest time of the weekend so far, while Antonio Fuoco put the No. 50 second with a 1m30.335.

The Italian marque looks to be in the best shape to fight for pole for its home race, as the two 499Ps were the only cars to dip into the 1:30s ahead of Qualifying and finished more than a second clear of the field.

Peugeot’s No. 94 ended up a surprise third, with Stoffel Vandoorne reeling off a 1m31.670s. The No. 38 JOTA Cadillac also ran fast, with Sebastien Bourdais putting the V-Series.R fourth. Toyota’s No. 8 GR010 completed the top five.

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In LMGT3, AKKODIS ASP’s No. 78 continued the French team’s fine form, with Esteban Masson, who is substituting for Ben Barnicoat this weekend, setting the RC F LMGT3’s best time, a 1m42.852s.

That flyer pushed the two Vista AF Corse 296 LMGT3s to second and third, with times two and three-tenths off. The No. 31 Bend WRT BMW slotted in fourth.

The session was red-flagged five minutes in when Alex Lynn had an off at Rivazza. The Briton lost the rear of the No. 12 JOTA Cadillac coming down the hill, sending him off track, hitting the barriers on the right-hand side and then head-on. Thankfully, he was able to climb out the V-Series.R unscathed. The car though, suffered substantial front-end damage.

Once the session returned green, a little over 10 minutes later, there were a pair of further incidents. The first was the Iron Dames Porsche spinning with Celia Martin at the wheel, just as the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari of Robert Kubica suddenly stopped at Turn 11 in the gravel with flames licking the rear bodywork.

“The gearbox has gone, completely on a downshift -- I had to stop,” Kubica reported on the team radio as the second red flag came out.

The AF Corse team has been left with a lot of work to complete to prep the car in time for qualifying later today, following the chassis' return to the pit lane at the end of the session. The team is opting to “change engine as a precaution.” The smoke was believed to be caused by engine oil on a hot exhaust, not gearbox-related, as Kubica reported on the radio.

The action resumed with 30 minutes to go, when the other JOTA Cadillac had an off shortly after. This time it was Bourdais, causing a Full-Course Yellow after losing the rear of the No. 38 at the Tamburello Chicane. Fortunately, he avoided major damage.

Qualifying is next up, at 2:30pm local time.

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