Ferrari and Ford front row at Lone Star Le Mans

WECHyperCarLMGT3

Sep 7

Ferrari and Ford did lock respectively Hypercars and LMGT3 front row for tomorrow's race at Circuit Of The America.

Ferrari front row in hypercar

The Lone Star Le Mans, the sixth round of the 2025 FIA WEC, will see two Ferraris start from the front row thanks to the results achieved by the #83 499P entered by AF Corse and the #51 car, entrusted in Hyperpole to Robert Kubica and Antonio Giovinazzi respectively.

Qualifying.

The session was contested with air and track temperatures around 25° and 31° C, with the 499Ps fitted with Medium dry tyres, despite some light rain.
Kubica took second place with a time of 1’58.405, +0.250s off the leaders. Nielsen, setting a best lap time of 1’59.035, secured fourth place (+0.880s). Giovinazzi qualified the sister car in fifth position thanks to a best time of 1’59.261 (+1.106s).

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star Le Mans. #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P

Surprisingly, both Cadillac V-Series.Rs were eliminated for the Hyperpole session. Also eliminated were the #5 Penske Motosport Porsche 963 and the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, the #36 Alpine A424, the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie, and the #94 Peugeot 9X8.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star Le Mans. from left to right: both Cadillac V-Series.Rs, #5 Penske Motosport Porsche 963, the #36 Alpine A424, the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie

Hyperpole.

The session reserved for the ten fastest cars took place in conditions similar to the previous one.
With the 499P of the AF Corse team, the Polish driver improved his own time, stopping the clocks at 1’57.655. Second at the flag, just 96 thousandths of a second behind, was Giovinazzi – sharing the car with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado – who completed a lap in 1’57.751. Third row for the number 50 499P (1’58.640) which Nielsen shares with Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at lone Star Le Mans. #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P.

Antonio Giovinazzi (#51 Ferrari - AF Corse): “We missed pole position by less than a tenth of a second, but we put in a great performance in not at all simple conditions, especially regarding the track grip. I am happy to see two Ferraris at the front and all the crews in the top-5 at the start of a race that will be crucial for consolidating our positions in the championship standings.” Source: Ford

Ford Mustang GT3 in LMGT3 front row.

Both Ford Mustang GT3 will represent the front row of the FIA WEC LMGT3 category for Sunday's Lone Star Le Mans. Both the #77 and #88 traded the top-spot throughout the Hyperpole session for the first series pole position by the Mustang GT3.

Giammarco Levorato, the qualifying driver of the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3, recorded the fastest lap of the class with a time of 2:07.645.

Ben Tuck, qualifying the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3, earned a share of the front row with a lap time of 2:07.663.

Both Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 — 📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star of Le Mans. Left: #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3; right: #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3

GIAMMARCO LEVORATO, #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 – “It's very special, in a world-level race, to not only get pole position but also to complete the front row with the Mustang GT3. We've shown that the potential this weekend is very strong. My first pole position in WEC, at home for Ford, is just unbelievable. The first pole for the Mustang GT3 last year at Virginia International Raceway was incredible. But also, I couldn't have imagined pole position during my first season in WEC. Both mean so much to me."

BEN TUCK, #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 – "Proton Competition, Ford Racing and Multimatic Motorsports have worked so hard toward this weekend. They put it all together for Mustang GT3 to be out front. We need to keep our foot on the gas and keep pushing – let our competitors know we're here to win. It's been a long time coming for this #77 team." Source: Ford

The programme.

Sunday, 7 September: The 6 Hours of COTA, as mentioned, starts at 1.00 p. m. (local times).