At the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar – scene of the first round of the FIA World Endurance Championship season – Vista AF Corse's Ferrari 296 LMGT3s secured third and tenth positions on the grid. Both crews made the cut for the Hyperpole, the session involving the ten best cars in qualifying.
The number 54 crew led by Thomas Flohr, with Francesco Castellacci and Maranello’s official driver Davide Rigon, took third place with a time of 1:55.182, set by the Swiss driver on the third lap, with air temperatures in that moment measuring 21°C, and 32°C on the track.
The number 55 car meanwhile was taken on track by François Heriau, alongside crew members Simon Mann and Ferrari official driver Alessio Rovera, who stopped the clock on 1:56.596, after having seen his 1:56:363 lap time cancelled for exceeding the track limits, which would have put him into seventh spot on the grid. With a promising outlook for the race, entering the Hyperpole stage sets a positive tone for the upcoming 1812 Km race, scheduled for Saturday, March 2 at 11 a.m. (local time).
Thomas Flohr, Vista AF Corse #54: "I really got a good feeling with this Ferrari 296 LMGT3. The team did a great job and we managed to transfer everything we did during the Prologue and free practice into these two official sessions. We missed out on second place by just three milliseconds, but we are pleased with what we brought home today."
François Heriau, Vista AF Corse #55: "The main objective today was to get into the Hyperpole and we are really happy to have achieved that. I didn't want to make any mistakes, trying to improve from session to session. The race will be a long one and we have all the right cards to do well."