The best of the Ferraris finished fourth in the first FIA WEC free practice session on Thursday at Spa-Francorchamps. The session, held with a track temperature of 40°C and air temperature of 28°C, offered the LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am class drivers a chance to familiarise themselves with the cars and the challenging Belgian circuit.
LMGTE Pro. Alessandro Pier Guidi began with a best time of 2:16.779, completing 12 laps before handing over to James Calado. The British driver continued the team’s work programme, covering a further 19 laps before the chequered flag. At the end of the session, the 488 GTE no. 51 of AF Corse was fourth, 722 milliseconds behind the Porsche no. 92 which clocked the fastest lap time. Davide Rigon, at the wheel of the 488 GTE no. 71, took to the track to try out some race set-up solutions. He set a time of 2:17.122, completing nine laps of the circuit. The Italian driver handed over to Miguel Molina almost forty minutes into the session. AF Corse's car did 27 laps, finishing three-tenths of a second down on its teammates.
LMGTE Am. The LMGTE Am class leaders, Perrodo-Collard-Nielsen, in the 488 GTE no. 83 of AF Corse were the fastest in the ninety-minute session with a time of 2:17.853, completing 29 laps. The twin, car no. 54 crewed by Fisichella-Flohr-Castellacci, finished sixth, lapping the 7km-plus track in a best time of 2:18.533. The third and last Ferrari in the class, the 488 GTE from Red River Sport, with Hollings-Grimes-Mowlem ended the free practice session in ninth with a time of 2:19.711.