ROWE Racing paced this afternoon's Pre-Qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps thanks to a 2m.17.589s from Raffaele Marciello. The German squad is seeking a second major win in seven days having earned victory at last weekend's ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring.
There was little to choose between the front-runners at the conclusion of the 60-minute session. Marciello's time put the Swiss just 0.021s clear of Alessio Rovera (#51 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari), with the Garage 59 McLaren of Marvin Kirchhöfer a further 0.038s adrift. The second AF Corse Ferrari completed the top five in the hands of Antonio Fuoco.
A trio of Bronze Cup cars were next on the timing screens. The QMMF by Saintéloc Racing Audi led the class thanks to Julian Hanses, who beat the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari and the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi to top spot.
The #33 Verstappen.com Racing Aston Martin was the best of the Gold Cup contenders, placing 11th overall thanks to Thierry Vermeulen. Tresor Attempto Racing led the Silver Cup (22nd overall) with Alberto di Folco driving its #99 Audi, while Valentin Hasse-Clot Beechdean AMR Aston Martin was the best of the Pro-Am runners (13th overall).
Thursday provided the quintessential Spa-Francorchamps weather experience. Heavy rain fell from midday, but eased off considerably as the afternoon progressed. It was sunny by the time the session got underway, with the slick Pirelli tyre called into use. It remained dry throughout, and sun is forecast throughout the race weekend.
The session was stopped a little before the mid-way point when the #81 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG crashed at Raidillon. Gabrielle Piana made heavy contact with the outside barrier, damaging the left-hand side of the car. The Italian was able to walk away, but was taken to the medical centre as a precaution.
Cars will be back on-track at 21:15 for Qualifying, which will decide the 20 cars contesting tomorrow's Superpole and set grid positions 21 through 75. The session will be broadcast live on the GT World YouTube channel.
RESULTS: Pre-Qualifying