Fuoco Keeps Ferrari On Top in Second Practice

Antonio Fuoco kept Ferrari atop the timesheets for this weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship round at Imola by setting the pace in Friday’s second practice session.

Fuoco recorded a best lap of 1:30.957 in the No. 50 Ferrari 499P a little over 20 minutes into the 90-minute session, becoming the first driver of the weekend to break the 1:31 barrier and conclude the day with an advantage of 0.342 seconds over the field.

However, unlike in FP1, Porsche ensured Ferrari would not end the day with a stranglehold on the top two positions, as Kevin Estre set a 1:31.299 in the Qatar-winning No. 6 Penske Porsche 963 to go second-fastest.

A late improvement from Robert Shwartzman in the third-string No. 83 Ferrari that topped FP1 up to third, 0.374 second behind Fuoco.

Completing the top five were the best of the Toyota GR010 Hybrids, the No. 8 car of Brendon Hartley, and the No. 12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche of Callum Ilott.

Peugeot’s pair of revised 9X8 2024s were sixth- and eighth-fastest, with Stoffel Vandoorne setting the quickest time for the French marque in the No. 94 car, split by the best of the Alpine A424s, the No. 36 car of Mick Schumacher.

James Calado was ninth-fastest in the remaining Ferrari, the No. 51 car, while Rene Rast snuck into the top 10 with his final flying lap in the quicker of the BMW M Hybrid V8s.

Lamborghini couldn’t match the pace it showed in FP1 with the new SC63, which was only 15th-fastest with a 1:32.863 effort from Mirko Bortolotti.

In LMGT3, TF Sport continued its strong form from FP1 as Charlie Eastwood set the pace in the No. 81 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

Eastwood posted a 1:41.986 to knock his opposite number in the sister No. 82 Corvette, Daniel Juncadella, off the top spot by 0.266 seconds, before Alessio Rovera put the No. 55 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 second, 0.187 seconds off the top spot.

Next up were the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo of Alex Riberas and the No. 54 AF Corse Ferrari of Davide Rigon.

The only disruption to the session came when Takeshi Kimura suffered an off at Tosa aboard the No. 87 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3 a little before the halfway point, which triggered a brief full-course yellow.

Track action continues on Saturday morning with the final practice session at 11:10 a.m. local time (5:10 a.m. EDT).

RESULTS: Free Practice 2