WEC: Kubica tops wet Day 1 of WEC Sebring testing

The first day of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Prologue testing at Sebring International Raceway in Florida has ended with the new LMP2 entry of Prema Orlen at the top of the timing screens. The team’s Oreca 07 – Gibson, shared by drivers Robert Kubica, Louis Deletraz and Lorenzo Colombo, recorded a best time of 1m 49.084s around the 6019 km circuit.

The morning session was interrupted by a storm that combined high winds, driving rain and the threat of lightning strikes, but the inclement weather rapidly passed and the teams could continue their programs in cool but sunny conditions.

Among the senior Hypercar entries, the Alpine A480 shared by Andre Nagrão, Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxivierre was fastest in second overall, recording a time 0.126s shy of Prema Orlen. The American-flagged Glickenhaus 007 LMH shared by Olivier Pla, Romain Dumas and Ryan Briscoe was a further 0.126s behind in fifth place overall.

In total 11 cars among the 36-strong entry for next week’s 1000 Miles of Sebring race were within one second of the fastest time after the first day of testing. The pair of Toyota GR010 Hybrids ending the sessions in seventh place for defending WEC champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María Lopez with the sister car of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa in tenth.

The fastest of the LMGTE Pro contenders were the two Porsche 911 RSR – 19 entries from the Porsche GT Team in 20th and 21st overall. Just 0.02s behind them was the works Corvette C8.R in which Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy will contest the American brand’s first full WEC season.

In the LMGTE Am category it was the Iron Lynx-run Ferrari 488 GTE Evo which set the best time in 25th place overall just 0.014s faster than the Porsche of Team Project 1 and the all-female crew of Iron Dames third in their Ferrari.

The Prologue continues into its final day tomorrow (March 13). The 1000 Miles of Sebring, Round 1 of the 2022 FIA WEC season, takes place on Friday, March 18.

Test Results

Pos No. Class Team Drivers Laps Time Behind Gap
1 9 LMP2 Prema Orlen Team Kubica R. Deletraz L. Colombo L. 68 1:49.084
2 36 HYPERCAR Alpine Elf Team Negrão A. Lapierre N. Vaxiviere M. 71 1:49.210 +0.126 +0.126
3 1 LMP2 Richard Mille Racing Team Wadoux L. Ogier S. Milesi C. 68 1:49.407 +0.323 +0.197
4 83 LMP2 AF Corse Perrodo F. Nielsen N. Rovera A. 67 1:49.435 +0.351 +0.028
5 708 HYPERCAR Glickenhaus Racing Pla O. Dumas R. Briscoe R. 29 1:49.436 +0.352 +0.001
6 31 LMP2 WRT Gelael S. Frijns R. Ra R. 73 1:49.488 +0.404 +0.052
7 7 HYPERCAR Toyota Gazoo Racing Conway M. Kobayashi K. Lopez J. 85 1:49.624 +0.540 +0.136
8 22 LMP2 United Autosports USA Hanson P. Albuquerque F. Owen W. 75 1:49.747 +0.663 +0.123
9 5 LMP2 Team Penske Cameron D. Colla E. Nasr F. 58 1:49.992 +0.908 +0.245
10 8 HYPERCAR Toyota Gazoo Racing Buemi S. Hartley B. Hirakawa R. 84 1:50.027 +0.943 +0.035
11 23 LMP2 United Autosports USA Di Rea P. Jarvis O. Pierson J. 77 1:50.037 +0.953 +0.010
12 38 LMP2 JOTA Gonzalez R. Felix Da Coa A. evens W. 52 1:50.199 +1.115 +0.162
13 34 LMP2 Inter Europol Competition Smiechowski J. Brule A. Gutierrez E. 73 1:50.251 +1.167 +0.052
14 28 LMP2 JOTA Rasmussen O. Jones E. Abeein J. 58 1:50.254 +1.170 +0.003
15 44 Lmp2 Arc Bratislava Konopka M. Beche M. Van Der Helm T. 71 1:50.539 +1.455 +0.285
16 41 LMP2 Realteam By Wrt Arade R. Habsburg F. Nato N. 72 1:50.545 +1.461 +0.006
17 45 LMP2 Algarve Pro Racing omas S. Allen J. Bier R. 71 1:50.678 +1.594 +0.133
18 35 LMP2 Ultimate Lahaye J. Lahaye M. Heriau F. 78 1:51.171 +2.087 +0.493
19 10 LMP2 Vector Sport Müller N. Cullen R. Rockenfeller M. 33 1:52.071 +2.987 +0.900
20 92 LMGTE Pro Porsche Gt Team Chriensen M. Ere K. 55 1:56.494 +7.410 +4.423
21 91 LMGTE Pro Porsche Gt Team Bruni G. Lietz R. 58 1:57.009 +7.925 +0.515
22 64 LMGTE Pro Corvette Racing Milner T. Tay N. 58 1:57.029 +7.945 +0.020
23 51 LMGTE Pro AF Corse Pier Guidi A. Calado J. 69 1:57.643 +8.559 +0.614
24 52 LMGTE Pro AF Corse Molina M. Fuoco A. 66 1:57.663 +8.579 +0.020
25 60 LMGTE Am Iron Lynx Schiavoni C. Cressoni M. Fisichella G. 72 1:58.227 +9.143 +0.564
26 56 LMGTE Am Team Project 1 Iribe B. Millroy O. Barnicoat B. 56 1:58.241 +9.157 +0.014
27 85 LMGTE Am Iron Dames Frey R. Gatting M. Bovy S. 79 1:58.393 +9.309 +0.152
28 88 LMGTE Am Dempsey – Proton Racing Pooad F. Lisey P. Alauer J. Heylen J. 70 1:58.529 +9.445 +0.136
29 77 LMGTE Am Dempsey – Proton Racing Ried C. Priaulx S. Tincknell H. Gidley M. 71 1:58.592 +9.508 +0.063
30 46 LMGTE Am Team Project 1 Cairoli M. Pedersen M. Leutwiler N. 55 1:58.756 +9.672 +0.164
31 21 LMGTE Am AF Corse Mann S. Ulrich C. Vilaer T. 57 1:58.863 +9.779 +0.107
32 71 LMGTE Am Spirit Of Race Dezoteux F. Ragues P. Aubry G. 52 1:58.899 +9.815 +0.036
33 98 LMGTE Am Northwest Amr Dalla Lana P. Pitta D. iim N. Chaves H. 62 1:59.146 +10.062 +0.247
34 777 LMGTE Am D’Station Racing Hoshino S. Fujii T. Fagg C. 69 1:59.234 +10.150 +0.088
35 54 LMGTE Am AF Corse Flohr T. Caellacci F. Cassidy N. 50 1:59.407 +10.323 +0.173
36 33 LMGTE Am Tf Sport Keating B. Latorre F. Sørensen M. 27 1:59.797 +10.713 +0.390