#7 Toyota Fastest In Opening Prologue Session
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR010 HYBRIDs led the way in the first of four test sessions at the 2023 FIA WEC Prologue in Sebring, held in 30-degree heat trackside.
The highly-experienced Japanese factory team, which has the most tried and tested car in the new-look Hypercar class, set the pace and completed plenty of laps as the WEC’s class of 2023 shared a track for the first time.
Quickest from the Toyota camp with Jose Maria Lopez, who set a 1:48.208 in the #7, to go marginally faster than the sister #8, which also ended up in the 1:48.2s. Both cars completed plenty of laps, 70 and 64 laps respectively.
Behind, the fastest of the other cars in the Hypercar class was the Cadillac Racing V-Series.R. During the session the Caddy completed 44 laps, with Richard Westbrook setting its best time, a 1:49.253.
Completing the top five in the running order was the #5 Porsche 963 which set a 1:49.650 and the #51 Ferrari 499P which toured the airfield in 1:49.724. Both cars completed over 60 laps, an encouraging number.
Lower down the order, the pair of Peugeots both set times two seconds off the ultimate pace, while the Glickenhaus and Vanwall were – perhaps unsurprisingly – the slowest pair in the category, and were amongst the LMP2s on ultimate pace.
The Vanwall Vanderwell’s best time was a 1:52.410, four seconds off the pace. Notably, 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, in his first WEC session, with limited time spent in the Vanwall prior to this weekend, could only manage a 1:59.272, making him the slowest driver in the class, and only marginally quicker than the best GTE Am times.
In LMP2, United Autosports’ #22 ORECA made a fast start to the season. Phil Hanson set the best time in the all-ORECA field, a 1:51.722. Behind the only other car setting a time under the 1:52s was the #41 WRT ORECA.
HERTZ Team JOTA’s #48 example completed the top three, with a time good enough to finish higher up the order than the Glickenhaus and Vanwall.
GTE Am meanwhile saw the Iron Dames Porsche lead the way. Michelle Gatting emerged fastest, with a 1:59.913. The top three all managed times under two minutes. The sister Iron Lynx Porsche ended up second after Alessio Picariello’s best time. The fastest Ferrari completed the top three, thanks to a quick time from former AF Corse GTE Pro regular Davide Rigon.
Of the other two brands in the class, Corvette’s C8.R ended up fifth, and the three Aston Martin Vantage AMRs occupied the bottom three positions in the class.
Northwest AMR’s #98 Aston Martin was driven by Axel Jeffries in the session. The Zimbabwe driver is testing today for the team, as it evaluates whether he or Thomas Merrill will take the third seat alongside Paul Dalla Lana and Nicki Thiim. His best time was just a tenth of Thiim’s quickest lap. Merrill is set to drive the car tomorrow.
Merril wasn’t the only driver here for the Prologue who didn’t take part in the session. Five Hypercar drivers didn’t head out of the pit lane: Alex Lynn, Esteban Guerrieri, Michael Christensen, Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor.
Stefano Costantini also didn’t get behind the wheel of the #21 AF Corse Ferrari.
During the session, race control opted to trial a number of procedures, including a safety car period and red flag stoppage. Beyond a handful of minor offs, there were no major dramas reported.
The action continues this afternoon.
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