Alpine takes turn at the front in third Interlagos WEC practice

After Aston Martin and Genesis set the pace in the first two WEC practice sessions at Interlagos yesterday, it was Alpine's turn this morning to lead the way in the final hour-long blast before qualifying.

There was a lot of shuffling early in the session, with BMW's No. 15 M Hybrid V8 and the No. 007 Aston Martin both sitting atop the timing screens initially, before Victor Martins went quickest in the No. 36 A424, posting a 1m24.038s, the fastest time of the meeting so far, which would stand until the end. That was 0.165s faster than anyone else during the run, a time set on a full set of new medium compound Michelins.

There was a little bit of experimentation with the hard from Toyota and Peugeot yesterday, but this morning, the entire field spent all 60 minutes on mediums. It's not been hot enough for the hards to be effective, and forecasts suggest they won't be needed for tomorrow's race either.

The No. 19 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001, which was the quickest car in FP2, ended up second with a 1m24.203s from Mathieu Jaminet. The No. 007 fell to third with Harry Tincknell's 1m24.220s. The No. 17 Genesis was fourth, with the fastest Ferrari, the No. 50, fifth, just two tenths off.

Elsewhere in the class, it was a messy session for Peugeot. The No. 93 9X8 was turned into a spin by the No. 32 WRT BMW, and the No. 94 sister car completed just 18 laps after spending much of the session in its pit box having a rear-left sensor repaired.

LMGT3 saw Iron Lynx's No. 61 Mercedes-AMG GT3 claim the top spot when Rui Andrade reeled off at 1m34.283s.

There was plenty of movement at the top of the category during the hour, with several teams using the time to complete qualifying simulations. The No. 87 AKKODIS ASP was quick again, with a 1m34.283s to go second. Francesco Castellacci went top briefly before dropping to third in the championship-chasing No. 21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari with a 1m34.416s.

The No. 88 Proton Ford Mustang was fourth with a strong 1m34.781s from Giammarco Levorato. The No. 69 WRT BMW completed the top five.

Qualifying is up next; it is set to get underway at 2:30pm local time.

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