Porsche Quickest on Friday at Paul Ricard

Photo: Vision Sport Agency

Porsche has topped the time charts in the opening day of testing at the Prologue, with the German manufacturer showing the upper hand in all three sessions at Paul Ricard.

Neel Jani ended as quickest of the day, thanks to the Swiss driver’s 1:37.487 lap set in Friday’s two-hour night session.

Jani’s time was 0.860 seconds quicker than the No. 5 Toyota TS050 Hybrid, which was second quickest overall on the time sheets, and also second in the twilight.

Audi continued its struggles with its new R18, as Andre Lotterer stopped on track midway through the session before returning to the pits under his own power. The car did not turn any additional laps.

It came after the No. 7 car missed the majority of the afternoon session due to a “small mechanical issue.” Audi has not disclosed the exact problems of its diesel-powered contender.

American Gustavo Menezes led the way in LMP2 in the night session, thanks to a 1:47.782 lap set in the No. 36 Signatech Alpine A460 Nissan.

However, it was the No. 42 Strakka Racing Gibson 015S Nissan of Jonny Kane that was the fastest in LMP2 on the day, in a time set in the second. daytime session.

Gianmaria Bruni (AF Corse) and Paul Dalla Lana (Aston Martin Racing) led the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am categories, respectively, in the night.

Only 19 of the 29 cars completed laps in the session, with no other major issues reported beyond the Audi.

Two additional test sessions are on tap for tomorrow to wrap up the Prologue test.

RESULTS: Test Session 3

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John