Rovera: Ferrari “Struggling” Ahead of LMGT3 Title Decider

Photo: Charly Lopez/DPPI

Alessio Rovera says the Vista AF Corse Ferrari squad is “really struggling” after opening practice of the FIA World Endurance Championship title decider in Bahrain, which has left him less optimistic about securing the LMGT3 title.

The No. 21 Ferrari 296 GT3 that Rovera shares with Francois Heriau and Simon Mann currently trails the No. 92 Manthey Porsche crew by 11 points but the Ferrari was slowest of the 18 LMGT3 runners in the hot conditions of FP1.

Rovera therefore said urgent setup tweaks would be made ahead of the second session to try to boost the squad’s fortunes.

It comes amid this weekend’s Balance of Performance and success handicap in LMGT3, that has placed the No. 21 Ferrari as the heaviest car in class.

“I was a bit more optimistic before FP1!” Rovera told Sportscar365 about his title chances. “Honestly, we are really struggling here – we slide quite a lot and have really poor grip. Goodyear have brought the hard compound, which is really bad for us.

“We have to find a solution in FP2, we will try a different setup because we’re really struggling. It’s the first time I feel like this in the car.”

Despite the pace struggles, Rovera said the race could still present an opportunity for the Ferrari to overturn its points deficit.

“In an eight-hour race, everything can change – especially I think managing the tyres for the right stint will be crucial at the end of the race to have as much new tires as possible,” he added. “We have to be really good with strategy, managing really well, and maybe with a bit of luck we can win!”

Heriau, meanwhile, cautioned that the FP1 conditions were not truly representative and says the team is focused on race pace.

“We are working on the race, we are not looking at the best time,” he told Sportscar365. “It will not be easy for sure, but we think we can do it.

“Unfortunately, we lost a few points at Fuji [with a penalty for a pit lane infringement, which cost the Ferrari victory], but here there are 38 points if you win the race, so anything is possible.”

After the WEC season finale, Rovera will drive Ferrari’s 499P Hypercar in the rookie test – his first official outing in the machine, having previously completed development work. But Rovera insists his focus is primarily on winning the LMGT3 title.

“Of course it’s nice to drive the Hypercar again,” he said. “My full focus is on Saturday. From Sunday morning, I will think about the Hypercar.”

Jamie Klein contributed to this report