Second row for the 296 LMGT3 in Bahrain

The two Ferrari 296 LMGT3 cars from Vista AF Corse will start from the second and fourth rows at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship season. François Heriau placed the number 55 car, which he shares with Simon Mann and official driver Alessio Rovera, in third position at the end of the Hyperpole session, while Thomas Flohr qualified seventh in the number 54, which he shares with Francesco Castellacci and official driver Davide Rigon, following their success in the previous round at Fuji. The eight-hour Bahrain race will start on Saturday, 2 November at 2 p.m. local time.

The two Bronze-licensed drivers took to the track in the first qualifying session, held on Friday afternoon, 1 November, in dry conditions and with moderate heat, the air at 28°C and the track at 32°C. Heriau secured second place, just 0.147 seconds off the fastest time, while Flohr finished fourth, just under four-tenths behind: both advanced to the following Hyperpole session reserved for the ten fastest cars.

In the decisive pole position session, François Heriau again showed form following his pole at Fuji, recording the third-best time at 2'02.367, 0.166 seconds from first place set by the number 95 McLaren.

Thomas Flohr, however, was unable to improve on his lap time, finishing seventh with a lap of 2'03.033, 0.832 seconds from the top, in a session where the ten cars were separated by just over a second.

The 8 Hours of Bahrain, the closing round of the FIA WEC season, will get underway on Saturday, 2 November at 2 p.m. (local time).