Ferrari drivers remain in the fight despite “very tough Hyperpole”

Ferrari had an up-and-down Hyperpole session at Le Mans as red flags caused them a shot at pole position.

Antonio Fuoco, Ferrari’s most prolific qualifier, was set to go onto provisional pole with under ten minutes to go.

However, red flags were brought out before he could finish his lap when the #15 BMW of Dries Vanthoor hit the barrier at Indianapolis.

With the best of his tyres gone, Fuoco tried one more push lap but abandoned that attempt at turn two and three when he went wide.

“It was a very tough Hyperpole,” said Fuoco who finished P5 in the #50 Ferrari. “We did our best as a team to exploit the potential of our 499Ps.

“It appears that some competitors are overall stronger than us, but we know that the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a long race where various factors will play a crucial role, including the experience we drivers and the entire team have gained over the past few months.”

On the other side of the garage Alessandro Pier Guidi qualified fourth in the #51 Ferrari, but was also unable to match the likes of Cadillac and the #6 Porsche which secured pole in the hands of Kevin Estre.

Guidi said: “We knew we might struggle in Hyperpole in terms of performance compared to some competitors.

“We weren’t very lucky with the red flag, which affected our tyre preparation as we tried to improve in the final phase. 

“However, I think our goal was to qualify in the first two rows, to lower the risks at the start, and we achieved that.

“The race? I’m confident and believe we can perform well, particularly as we can draw on the experience gained in 2023.

“I believe we have what it takes to perform well in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”