A Qualifying of firsts
Today’s Hyperpole sessions produced a number of milestone results.
In Hypercar it was the first WEC pole for AF Corse’s Antonio Giovinazzi and the first pole in the top class for the #51 Ferrari.
LMGT3 meanwhile saw Aston Martin take pole for the first time this season, and the Vantage AMR LMGT3 Evo and Heart of Racing score their first-ever WEC class poles.
This result also meant that five of the nine full-season GT3 brands now have a pole positions. Prior to today, Corvette, Porsche Lamborghini and McLaren produced pole times at the previous races in 2024. Notably, McLaren’s pole – at Le Mans – was with a guest-entered car run by Inception Racing.
Giovinazzi “already focused on tomorrow” after taking pole
Pole sitter Antonio Giovinazzi shared his thoughts after raising the #51 Ferrari 499P to the top spot on the grid.
“I want to thank Ferrari and my teammates,” he said, “We were able to have a fast car as soon as FP1. This morning, I was also able to put in a great lap event though I may have exceeded track limits. I also had two really good laps in Qualifying and during Hyperpole. Of course, today is a good day and we need to celebrate but I am already focused on tomorrow – I want to do well.
“Our biggest step change on track was from yesterday to today. In FP1, the grip was very low but this morning we found good grip in the corners. It was a better track overall.
“We were testing here in July and the track was quite bumpy. Now, it’s quite enjoyable to drive. You can really feel good with the Ferrari, especially in the first sector.”
Giovinazzi says he is taking a relaxed approach to the race because the #83 Ferrari will start alongside him on the front row.
“Having Robert (Kubica) beside me is good for Ferrari. We can manage and use this to our advantage for the race. The #50 isn’t far either… (In the end), let’s be smart on strategy, let’s manage the weather and let’s make sure we finish the job tomorrow.”
Milesi: “It will be hard to stay in the top five” tomorrow
Charles Milesi stood out in Qualifying today, sticking the #35 Alpine Endurance Team A424 on the second row of the grid. It’s an encouraging performance for the team, though according to the Frenchman, his expectations for tomorrow’s race are limited.
“Unlike many other teams, we did not test on this track, so we were quite happy with our performance in Qualifying,” said the Frenchman.
“We have raised our game throughout the weekend. It’s a great result for the team. It happened after a race in São Paulo where we were behind the competition. We got here without knowing much about this track so it’s a surprise to perform that well.
“Let’s be honest though, we won’t be able to keep this pace. We should be competitive in race configuration, yet it will be hard to remain in the top five.”
Milesi confirmed that Alpine has also focused on the A424’s engine reliability over the summer: “We have a new evolution of the engine this weekend. We can expect to perform better while being more reliable. We’ll keep on developing it over the coming months.”
Nato pleased with first Qualifying run
The #12 HERTZ Team JOTA Porsche will start tomorrow’s race in 10th position with a time from Norman Nato that was a second slower than the pole-sitting car.
“There is no way we could get near the Ferraris today,” admitted Nato. “But let’s look at the bright side of things. Only two out of five Porsches made it to the Hyperpole session, and our car was one of them. That’s a real satisfaction. I think that in any case, this might not be the easiest track for the car. It’s a surprise as we came here to test.
“The track has improved with its resurfacing, yet it is still bumpy, and the 963 has a hard time with its configuration. Let’s not forget that it was the first time that I qualified the car this season. I’m happy with the job I did.”
The Frenchman also shared a few thoughts with DSC on the future partnership between JOTA and Cadillac: “It’s great for the team. They deserve it. They’ve worked so hard for so many years, first in LMP2 and now in Hypercar with Porsche. They are impressive.
“I have missed a few WEC seasons while competing in Formula E. I want to stay in this competition next year. Nothing is confirmed yet as driver line-ups are still being discussed by the team. I just hope that I can be a part of this new adventure given the good quality and quantity of work that I have produced this season.”
Estre: #6 crew will “have to take some risks” in tomorrow’s race
#6 Porsche Penske driver Kevin Estre’s early exit from Qualifying was a surprise, as the co-leader in the Hypercar Drivers’ World Championship wound up only 14th-fastest and behind his team’s two big rivals in the title race.
“I didn’t put it all together, and in the lap I was improving I had a track limit (infringement), so I backed off because I felt it straight away,” admitted Estre.
What will it take for him and his co-drivers to move up the field in tomorrow’s race?
“Bit of luck, good strategy, of course – and a bit more risk than what we probably would like to take as a championship leader. We’ll have to take some risks just to grab some positions.
“I think it’s still a very open race, with some weather which can come in the race – thunderstorms, I think, are still a chance.
“Difficult to overtake here, but it’s very hot – tyre deg is going to be a thing.
“We need to keep the nose clean, without any contact, and then fight with our pace and strategy.”
Seventh and eighth the “maximum” BMW could achieve
Robin Frijns didn’t seem particularly surprised to qualify seventh ahead of his BMW M Team WRT teammate Dries Vanthoor in Hypercar Hyperpole.
“P7 and P8 was, I think, the maximum we could achieve. I made a mistake in quali, but I went through, which was good enough,” remarked Frijns.
“We have pretty okay race pace, by the looks of it.
“But overtaking is going to be very difficult because obviously, we don’t have any DRS to use. So the race start is going to be important, to keep our position and carry on with the train, and hopefully do something with the strategy.
“Obviously, the goal is to move forward even more – as a top-five finish will definitely be a victory for us.”
Lynn: Cadillac wants “to nail a good result on the table tomorrow”
Today’s Hyperpole session saw another strong performance from Cadillac, with the #2 V-Series.R qualifying in the top four for a fourth race in a row.
Alex Lynn spoke to DSC in the post-session Mixed Zone and made it clear that the team is as motivated as ever to score a breakthrough result after a challenging second season in the top class for the Ganassi-run programme.
“I said in the debrief to the team, ‘We’re good at having a good Saturday, well done, we’ve done it again, but let’s focus on banking a result tomorrow.’ That’s all we want, we want to nail a result on the table tomorrow night that we can be happy with, whether that’s P5, P6, a podium or a win,” he said.
“We need to execute tomorrow because so far this season we haven’t done that, we need a result we deserve on home turf.”
Legends recognised in Corvette Hall Of Fame ceremony
Amongst the inductees at the Corvette Hall of Fame ceremony tonight in Bowling Green are longtime team photographer Richard Prince and driving legends Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin.
Whilst Richard and Oliver were present at the ceremony for the Labor Day weekend celebration, which included a gathering of 5,000 road-going Corvettes, Magnussen was unable to attend. The Dane is on-site in COTA, perhaps ironically, at the helm of MDK Motorsports’ Ford Mustang Challenge effort.
Schwantz among circuit comms team
Alongside the regular WEC TV commentary crew, COTA is fielding its own trackside commentary squad, featuring Jonathan Green, Ryan Myrehn and local legend Kevin Schwantz.
The 1993 500CC motorcycle World Champion was also seen during the day in the WRT garage in conversation with fellow two-wheel legend Valentino Rossi.
Schwantz isn’t the only notable face spotted in the paddock this weekend, as former Peugeot factory driver Gustavo Menezes has also been in the paddock working on securing a potential drive in the WEC for 2025.
IMSA President John Doonan has also been on site overseeing the two IMSA-sanctioned support races in action this weekend.
Featured image courtesy of DPPI
