Mercedes-AMG dominated today’s practice for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup round at Monza, with Jules Gounon leading both sessions for Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed.
Free Practice
Jules Gounon led a Mercedes-AMG top-five lockout in Free Practice at Monza for Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed.
Gounon set a 1:45.629 during the opening half of the two-hour session aboard the #17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
Maximilian Götz was second in the #9 Boutsen VDS AMG GT3 Evo, which missed the opening hour due to a sensor issue. Götz was one of several drivers who improved in the closing minutes of the session, with a 1:45.634.
Third overall, Kazuto Kotaka led the Gold Cup in the #611 Nordique Racing entry, ahead of the Bronze Cup-entered #81 Winward Racing car of Marvin Dienst. The #48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER entry of Lucas Auer completed the top five, just 0.058 seconds behind Gounon.
Alex Aka was fastest in the Silver Cup, ending the session sixth overall in the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II with a 1:45.739.
Seventh was Mirko Bortolotti in the #63 GRT – Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2, ahead of the #163 VSR Lamborghini of Sandy Mitchell.
Aurelien Panis in the #10 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG, and Arthur Rougier in the #111 CSA Racing McLaren GT3 Evo, completed the top 10.
The #52 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari 296 GT3 completed the most laps, 43. This was one more than the #23 Team RJN McLaren and the #91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3.R (992) managed.
Free Practice was interrupted by four red flags, all for single-car incidents, which made it difficult for teams to find a rhythm.
The most significant incident befell Antoine Potty in the #270 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo. The Belgian driver went off at Turn 10, and the car was not repaired in time to contest Pre-Qualifying.
Pre-Qualifying
Jules Gounon was again fastest at Monza in Pre-Qualifying, setting a 1:46.003 in the #17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo just after the halfway mark of the 60-minute session.
This was not an improvement on his 1:46.003 from Free Practice, or Maximilian Götz’s Friday Test topping 1:45.277.
Götz’s co-driver Maxime Martin was second fastest in Pre-Qualifying in the #9 Boutsen VDS AMG GT3 Evo, with a 1:46.047.
Jordan Pepper was third in the #63 GRT – Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2, ahead of the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER entry of Maro Engel and the #163 VSR Lamborghini of Franck Perera.
Tanart Sathienthirakul was sixth in the Silver Cup-leading #6 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, ahead of Marvin Kirchhöfer in the #59 Garage 59 McLaren GT3 Evo and the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo of Nicki Thiim.
Thierry Vermeulen was fastest in the Gold Cup, with a 1:46.369, good enough for 10th overall in the #33 Verstappen.Com Racing Aston Martin.
In the Bronze Cup, Miguel Ramos was quickest in the #188 Garage 59 McLaren. Ramos ended the session 11th overall with a 1:46.385.
The #27 QMMF by Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, #58 Garage 59 McLaren and #112 CSA Racing McLaren each completed 25 laps, the most of the 57 cars which took to the track.
Pre-Qualifying ended prematurely, after Arthur Leclerc went off on the exit of Parabolica in the #50 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari 296 GT3. It’s been a difficult day for the Prancing Horse, with none of its 296 GT3s troubling the top of the timesheets.
This was the second Red Flag of the session, with the first brought out following an off for Ivan Klymenko in the #26 Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. The #26 Audi has had a late change of driver for this weekend, with Reece Gold replacing Lucas Legeret.
The #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3.R (992) missed Pre-Qualifying after Alessio Picariello stopped at the pit exit on his out lap with a power steering issue.
Qualifying at Monza takes place at 09:50 CEST tomorrow, ahead of the three-hour race at 15:00 CEST.
Images courtesy of SRO/JEP
