Following Yifei Ye’s hot lap in the privateer 499P top Free Practice 1 earlier today, Antonio Fuoco continued Ferrari’s fast start to the weekend on home soil with a 1:30.957 in the #50 factory car during FP2.
With that lap, Fuoco became the first driver to dip into the 1:30s this weekend, and with Qualifying on the horizon, the team will surely be confident that the 499Ps can challenge for Pole at this stage.
Kevin Estre came closest, with a 1:31.299 in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, splitting the fastest Ferraris. The FP1-topping #83 ended up three-tenths off and third with a 1:31.331.
It was a better session for Toyota, with its #8 GR010 HYBRID ending the day with a best time of 1:31.729 to go fourth, half a second up on the #12 HERTZ Team JOTA Porsche 963 that rounded out the top five.
After producing a head-turning lap to go fourth fastest in FP1, the Lamborghini Iron Lynx SC63 could only manage the 15th fastest time in the second 90-minute session, lapping fractionally quicker than the Cadillac.
There’s been a lot of head-scratching for the Ganassi crew thus far, the team struggling to find a set-up that works despite having reportedly tested in similar conditions here last year.
The #5 Porsche also failed to show outright pace, ending up 18th and two seconds off the benchmark time.
In LMGT3 TF Sport once again took the headlines with Charlie Eastwood setting a 1:41.986 in the #81 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R. It would be the only time under 1:42 in the class.
This time though it was not a 1-2 for the GM brand, as the #55 Vista AF Corse 488 LMGT3 ended up second, lapping faster than the #82 TF Sport Corvette which slotted in third.
Heart of Racing was fourth, with the #54 AF Corse Ferrari fifth.
Elsewhere, there was trouble for United Autosports. Its #59 McLaren GT3 EVO would finish the day at the bottom of the times after suffering an oil leak which limited the car to just eight laps in the session.
Track action continues for the WEC teams tomorrow morning with Free Practice 3 at 11:10 local time.
Image courtesy of Ferrari
