The third free practice session at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve ended with the no. 51 Ferrari 499P in second position, while the Maranello Hypercar with the no. 50 on its livery, registered the seventh fastest time in the 60 minutes against the clock. The session took place mid-morning in dry track conditions and with air temperatures of over 23°C, higher than those of the two Friday sessions.
For the crew of the no. 51 499P, the top time of 1’31”984 came courtesy of James Calado, the first driver into the cockpit. The session then saw Alessandro Pier Guidi complete 12 laps, ahead of the turn of Antonio Giovinazzi, during whose stint the session was interrupted for 12 minutes for a red flag. In total, the crew turned out 25 laps, with a 0’189 gap from the no. 8 Toyota.
Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen finished seventh, with the quickest time of 1’32”980 set by the Italian driver – having already taken pole position in the first round at Sebring – opening the session with a 15-lap stint, before handing over to his Danish teammate, then to the Spanish driver who continued the task completing 6 and 5 laps respectively.
The programme at the Portuguese track will continue on Saturday afternoon with the qualifying session dedicated to the Hypercars, starting at 4.20 p.m., which will determine the starting positions for the 6 Hours of Portimão that gets underway on Sunday at 12 p.m. (all times are local).