The two free practices of the GT World Challenge powered by AWS at the Nürburgring are done and the order has been mixed up after the Friday and FP1. BMW and Mercedes seem to be in a good place for the race on Sunday. A couple of notes from James Kellett, Tommaso Mosca and Mirko Bortolotti.
The Saturday at the Nürburgring started sunny, but ended cloudy with a chance of rain. Some drops fell here and there, but no big showers interrupted the sessions. The #98 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo took the pace honours in the first session, while the #17 GetSpeed Mercedes took over the lead in the timetable on Saturday evening.
‘That was the sketchiest lap of my life’
Both German manufacturers seem to be in a good place. Paradine Competition managed to slot in on P2 with the #991 BMW. “It was good to be back in the car,” Kellett told GT REPORT after FP1. “I haven’t been in the car since Spa, so my body is still getting used to being back in a race car.
“You don’t realise how much water you actually lose when you’re doing a bit of a half race distance stint! But it’s been amazing to be back with the Paradine guys, amazing to be back at such a cool track like the Nürburgring. I’d say it’s probably one of my favourite tracks in the world.”
Kellett is happy with the quick start of the weekend, as the Friday test session already showed their pace. “That session was really good for the team and I think we’re in a good window with the car. We just need to see what happens from now on.”
While the weather gods seem to prefer a dry race day, the Eifel gods usually decide differently. Whatever is going to happen, the same circumstances are applicable to everyone, and Kellett is sure he and Paradine will manage it well. “It’s cooler now, which is actually better for us being in the car,” he says.
“It’s difficult reading what the weather will be like. I mean, I did a Ring lap on Friday evening with my road car and I’ve never seen it rain like that. The heavens opened as I was coming out of the gate and it was probably the sketchiest lap I’ve ever done! Anyway: the weather is the same for everyone and we just have to do the best job.”
AF Corse working to catch up: ‘It’s going in the right direction’
Paradine Competition has Italian neighbours this weekend: AF Corse. There is some work left to do before the race, Ferrari Official Driver Tommaso Mosca tells this website. “The session (FP1) was a bit difficult, as we struggled a bit compared to the others. We are working for a better position for the qualifying session and the race.”
The #51 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo finished 36th overall in the time table, and they’re busy to unlock more of the pace that the car has. “I don’t have a lot of experience here, but you know, when you jump in a car and you go out on track, usually you understand everything in one session. So, it’s okay,” the Italian adds.
After arriving at the Nürburgring, he admits he had to get used to the Eifel weather. The previous endurance round at Spa 24 Hours showed completely different weather. “For sure I’m not used to it, because in Italy it’s forty degrees from February,” he laughs. “For now, it’s fine. Maybe for the race it will be a bit rainy, but maybe it will change the conditions of where we stand now with the car. We hope it won’t.”
Getting the Lamborghini Temerario up to speed
Like AF Corse, Grasser Racing Team has some work to do with the Lamborghini Temerario GT3. It hasn’t been long since the car’s last visit to the Nürburgring, as Bortolotti raced it during the DTM weekend. “It’s the first time we drive the car on the Grand Prix track, which is longer than the version than we use in DTM,” Bortolotti says halfway through Saturday.
“We were not at the top, we’re struggling a bit, but we’ll get the car ready for qualifying and the race on Sunday. The first impression of Saturday morning was that it’s not amazing. I feel like the car worked better on the slower version of the track”, he continues. “With the high speed corners that we have here, it seems like we’re struggling a bit more.”
Ahead of FP2, GT REPORT asked Bortolotti what they can ‘fix’ or do to make them struggle less. “To be honest, the whole characteristic of a GT World Challenge weekend is a lot different compared to DTM, where there is one driver. Here, it’s crucial to rotate through the drivers and make sure that everybody gets a decent amount of laps in to be ready for Sunday.
“There’s more rotation going on, so everybody gets track time rather than being able to fix some issues on the car and work in a certain direction with the set-up, which is not that easy when you jump from one driver to the next. You can do some steps at the beginning of the weekend, but that’s not easy with just two sessions.”
The teams will be out on track early on Sunday, as qualifying is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. The race will start in the afternoon at 15:00 p.m.
