At the end of a very closely matched qualifying session with reduced gaps, the #71 Iron Lynx 488 GT3 Evo 2020 came away with the third best overall time, while the #51 sister car posted eighth at the session. In the Silver Cup, the Rinaldi Racing Ferrari will head out from fifth row, while the best of the Maranello machinery in the Pro-Am class was AF Corse in fifth.
Q1. The backdrop for the start of the qualifying session played out amid grey skies and temperatures lower than those recorded yesterday. Antonio Fuoco, in the Iron Lynx 488 GT3 Evo 2020, finished his turn with the second quickest time – 1’47”114 – while team-mate Alessandro Pier Guidi notched up the eighth best overall time on his final attempt. There were very reduced gaps between the Silver class drivers, meaning Benjamin Hites had to settle for tenth position in spite of a 1’48”663 lap. The Ferraris in Pro-Am class fared better, with Froggatt fifth in the Sky Tempesta Racing car, producing a 1’48”685 lap, to pip Tim Kohmann in the Kessel Racing colours by just less than three tenths-of-a-second. Two positions behind was Lorenzo Bontempelli aboard the AF Corse Ferrari.
Q2. Callum Ilott got to grips with his first GT World Challenge Europe qualification in the best possible manner, topping the timesheet with 1’46”972, leaving Breukers' Mercedes trailing by 154 milliseconds. #51 Nicklas Nielsen was the twelfth fastest time despite some good partial times. Benjamin Hites, once again behind the wheel in the session, made little progress both in terms of times - 1’48”360 - and position, taking ninth in Silver class. In Pro-Am, AF Corse leapt forward with Louis Machiels achieving a 1’48”605 lap, the best performance of the Ferraris, in fifth. Things were slightly tougher for Stefan Görig and Francesco Zollo in eleventh and twelfth respectively.
Q3. With track and tyre temperatures gradually increasing, performance level significantly increased too, leading to a significant drop in times. Once again the #71 was the fastest of the two Iron Lynx 488 GT3 Evo 2020s, posting eighth. Côme Ledogar stopped the clock on 1’47”045 despite not completely bonding with the car, while Davide Rigon, bogged down in traffic, saw his best lap annulled for non-compliance with the track limits, taking fourteenth place. In the Silver Cup, Patrick Kujala wrapped up the session in eighth place - 1’47”719 - while in Pro-Am, Eddie Cheever III, aboard the Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari, scored the second fastest time, clocking up a 1’47”358 lap. Fifth was veteran Andrea Bertolini courtesy of AF Corse, while Giorgio Roda was tenth for Kessel Racing.
Combined times. The starting grid for the race that kicks off at 15:00 is determined by the average of the best times recorded by each driver during the sessions. In the Pro class, with 1’47”102, the #71 Iron Lynx Ferrari featuring Davide Rigon, Antonio Fuoco and Callum Ilott will set off from the second row, while the #51, crewed by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Nicklas Nielsen and Côme Ledogar, will start from fourth place. The reigning champion crew were just 387 milliseconds shy of the pole position, which went to the #63 Lamborghini. In the Silver Cup, Benjamin Hites and Patrick Kujala completed the session tenth with 1'48”247, while in Pro-Am, with a time of 1’48”422, was the AF Corse 488 GT3 Evo 2020, the fastest of the Ferraris in this class. Ninth position went to the #93 of Sky Tempesta Racing, while the crew of Kessel Racing will start twelfth on their return.