TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. World Endurance Championship WEC Prologue Sebring Circuit Florida, USA 11th – 12th March 2023
Mike Conway set the pace in the third FIA World endurance Championship Prologue test session, with the Toyota driver reeling off a 1:48.473 in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
The sister #8 Toyota was just eight thousandths slower, with Sebastien Buemi behind the wheel. The #7 Toyota completed 71 laps, while the #8 did the most of any Hypercar in the session, on 93.
The next quickest car was Michael Christensen in the #5 Porsche 963, which did 45 laps in total, but this was almost half a second slower than Conway, with 1:48.957. Next up in fourth was Alex Lynn, the British driver setting a 1:49.182 at the wheel of the #2 Cadillac V.Series-R.
Fifth was the other Porsche, #6, with Kevin Estre setting a 1:49.285. In sixth was the quickest the Peugeots as the French squad continue to find pace in the 9X8 at Sebring, with #94 Peugeot 9X8’s Nico Muller lapping the track in 1:49.568.
#50 Ferrari was up next, Antonio Fuoco setting a 1:49.558. The sister #93 Peugeot of Mikkel Jensen was up next, just 0.010 off Fuoco. The #4 Vanwall Vandervell 680 of Tom Dillmann was ninth as the Austrian squad learns more about their car at Sebring, with the Frenchman setting a 1:50.038.
The #708 Glickenhaus 007 of Ryan Briscoe was tenth in class but 15th overall with a 1:51.173. The #51 Ferrari 499P didn’t set any laps as it sat in the pits with technical issues.
In LMP2, the #22 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson was quickest for the third session in a row, although this time in was Filipe Albuquerque instead of Phil Hanson who set the clas fastest lap, a 1:50.577.
LMP2 debutant Doriane Pin was second fastest in the #63 Prema Oreca 07-Gibson, just over a tenth off Albuquerque, while third went to Yiefi Ye in the #48 JOTA Oreca 07-Gibson.
It was a trio of Porsches at the head of GTE-Am, with the #56 Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR-29 leading the way on a 1:59.170, courtesy of Matteo Cairoli. In second was the #60 Iron Lynx Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Alessio Picariello, under a tenth away from Cairoli, while Michelle Gatting, fastest in the first two sessions, was third for #85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR-19, just 0.003 off Picariello.
Keyword: Toyota continue to set pace in WEC Prologue with 1-2 in third session