In an impressive display on home soil, AF Corse Francorchamps Motors put Ferrari on pole for the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS race at Monza. The #51 Ferrari crew, featuring Alessandro Pier Guidi, Alessio Rovera, and Vincent Abril, dominated the qualifying rounds to lead the 52-car field for the prestigious three-hour race.

The team set the tone early when Rovera topped the first qualifying session with a blistering 1m44.922s. Abril, stepping in for regular driver Davide Rigon, continued the momentum by pacing Q2 with a 1m45.038s. Pier Guidi then sealed pole in Q3 with a 1m44.774s, marking Ferrari’s seventh pole at Monza.

However, it wasn’t entirely a perfect day for Ferrari, as Jordan Pepper in the #163 Grasser Racing Lamborghini clocked a stunning 1m44.727s in Q3, setting a new GT3 lap record at the Italian circuit. Despite this, Ferrari maintained its position at the top.

The front row will see the #7 Aston Martin of Comtoyou Racing, which leads the Endurance Cup standings, lining up alongside the Ferrari. Drivers Mattia Drudi, Marco Sørensen, and Nicki Thiim pushed the Aston Martin to its best starting spot of the season. Behind them, the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter claimed third place, with the #32 BMW Team WRT in fourth.

An eclectic mix of manufacturers secured the top six grid positions, with Porsche’s #22 Schumacher CLRT and Lamborghini’s #163 Grasser Racing filling the fifth and sixth spots, ensuring six different car brands in the top six.

In the Bronze Cup, the #188 McLaren (Garage 59) took pole thanks to a strong showing by Adam Smalley, Miguel Ramos, and Louis Prette, starting ninth overall. Meanwhile, the #21 Aston Martin (Comtoyou Racing) claimed the Gold Cup pole, lining up 13th, and the #19 Lamborghini (Grasser Racing) took the Silver Cup pole in 16th.

The session was interrupted in Q2 after Maxime Oosten suffered a heavy crash in the #98 BMW ROWE Racing. Although Oosten walked away unharmed, the damage to the car raised concerns about its readiness for the race.

With Ferrari leading the charge and multiple manufacturers in strong contention, today’s race promises to be an exciting battle at the iconic Monza circuit.

 
 

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