Audi Quickest in FP1 at Silverstone

Audi led the way in the first FIA World Endurance Championship practice session of the season at Silverstone Friday.

The No. 8 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Lucas Di Grassi finished the 90-minute session on top of the time charts with a fastest lap of 1:42.121.

Di Grassi’s time was six tenths faster than last year’s pole position and almost three seconds quicker than the times set in the opening practice in 2014.

The No. 17 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid of Mark Webber was 0.144 seconds slower, while the second Audi finished the session at 0.239 seconds adrift in third.

Porsche’s Neel Jani put the No. 18 Porsche 919 Hybrid in fourth, 0.336 seconds behind the pace setting Audi, despite running a limited number of laps, while the two Toyota TS040 completed the top six.

In LMP2, G-Drive Racing locked out the first two positions, with Gustavo Yacaman setting the pace in the No. 28 Ligier JS P2 Nissan. The Colombian’s fastest time of 1:50.213, was just 0.051 seconds fast than teammate Sam Bird’s time.

Six GTE-Pro cars were separated by just over four tenths of a second in the first session at Silverstone.

Nicki Thiim, driving the No. 95 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE, was the fastest driver. The Dane set a 2:01.393, almost three-tenths quicker than AF Corse’s Gianmaria Bruni. Darren Turner was the third fastest driver.

Klaus Bachler put the No. 88 Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing Porsche on top in GTE-Am, the Austrian edging out SMP Racing’s Andrea Bertolini by just 0.077 seconds. Larbre Competition’s Corvette was third fastest.

RESULTS: Free Practice 1