The two Ferrari 488 GTEs entered in the LMGTE Pro class at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, will start from second and fourth on the grid. The number 52 car, driven by Antonio Fuoco, was 276 thousandths off the fastest qualifying time. In the LMGTE Am, the 488 GTE took pole position with Sarah Bovy. The race starts at 2pm on Saturday, 12 November.
LMGTE Pro. Qualifying took place at dusk on the Sakhir circuit in dry track conditions with an air temperature of 32°C and an asphalt temperature of 35°. Fuoco’s best time of 1’56’’419 at the wheel of AF Corse’s 488 GTE number 52, recorded on the second of five laps, yielded second place behind Gianmaria Bruni in the number 91 Porsche. The Piacenza-based team’s other car, the number 51 Ferrari of reigning world champions Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, came fourth, with the Italian driver 329 thousandths off pole.
Antonio Fuoco: “We had a good qualifying, setting the second fastest time, which is an excellent starting point for the race. We are in a good position for the race, which will be long and involve considerable pressure. We will do our best”.
Alessandro Pier Guidi: “We couldn’t express our full potential in qualifying, but the competition is tight. I think we could do better in the race over the long distance also in terms of managing tyre degradation. The temperature on this track changes significantly during the race. This will be a factor to consider. Now we are looking ahead and will give our all in the race”.
LMGTE Am. In the class for crews that include gentlemen drivers, who took part in the session, Sara Bovy took top spot in the Iron Dames’ 488 GTE number 85, with a time of 1’59’’186. The number 54 Ferrari of AF Corse, with Thomas Flohr, came fifth 1.303 behind, while Christoph Ulrich finished seventh in the number 21 car of the same team. Franck Dezoteux finished the ten-minute qualifying session in eighth place in the 488 GTE of Spirit of Race, while Claudio Schiavoni recorded the tenth-best time at the wheel of Iron Lynx’s yellow-liveried Ferrari.
Programme. The event at the Bahrain International Circuit is the sixth and final round of the 2022 season. The eight-hour race starts on Saturday, 12 November, at 2pm local time.