AF Corse Ferrari begins 2021 on top as Bontempelli leads Bronze Test at Monza

AF Corse Ferrari begins 2021 on top as Bontempelli leads Bronze Test at Monza

AF Corse Ferrari driver Lorenzo Bontempelli topped the Bronze Test at Monza to officially kick off the opening weekend of the 2021 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS season. 

The Swiss racer posted a 1m48.513s lap in the #52 machine, narrowly beating the #77 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini of Miguel Ramos. The Portuguese driver was 0.076s shy of the benchmark, while the top-six was separated by less than four tenths. 

A total of 12 cars took part in the Bronze Test. The only eligible runner not to participate in the one-hour session was the #11 Kessel Racing Ferrari, which suffered damage in an accident during Thursday's official test.

Yesterday's four-hour session was topped by the Winward Racing. Philip Ellis was at the wheel of the #57 Mercedes-AMG, edging out Vincent Abril (#4 HRT Mercedes-AMG) by just 0.050s. A total of 46 cars took part, including six entrants from the new Fanatec GT European Series, which debuts this weekend at Monza. 

Also making its maiden appearance is the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series, which launches with a one-hour Assetto Corsa Competizione on Saturday evening. 

All teams with Pro and Silver Cup line-ups must nominate one of their driver to take part, with points on offer towards the overall and Silver teams' championships. Qualifying begins at 18.20 CET, whole the race gets underway at 18.55.

On the circuit, Saturday will begin with free practice (09.00), followed by pre-qualifying will follow at 14.05. On Sunday, the first qualifying session of 2021 will begin at 09.00, setting the grid for the afternoon's race. This will go green at 15.00, signalling the start of a new season for Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 

Beginning on Saturday morning, all sessions will be streamed live on the series' official website and social media platform, including the GT World YouTube channel.