Ferrari AF Corse set the pace in WEC’s third and final practice session of Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain at BIC

Ferrari AF Corse set the pace in WEC’s third and final practice session of Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain at BIC

• #50 crew of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen power Ferrari 499P Hypercar to the top of the overall timesheet
• Taichi Watarai clinches double pole for PCCME season-opening round
• WEC pit walk and autograph session to highlight fan experience activities on Saturday
• Off-track fun continues for entire family all throughout Saturday at BIC

Ferrari AF Corse wrapped up the World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) practice programme today by setting the fastest lap in the third and final session of the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.

Their #50 crew of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen in their Ferrari 499P Hypercar set the pace with a quickest lap time of 1min 49.725secs in the afternoon runs.

The stage is now set for qualifying and Hyperpole later today, starting at 4pm with the LMGT3 contenders. The Hypercar field will then get on track at 4.40pm to determine the starting grid positions for Saturday’s Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain, the eighth and final round of the 2025 WEC. The endurance racing spectacle is scheduled to flag off in daylight conditions at 2pm, with the chequered flag coming down under lights at night at 10pm.

BIC is scheduled to open its gates to the public on Saturday at 10.30am and close at 10pm.
Race-goers will be able to take part in a pair of exciting fan-engagement activities on Saturday, to be held as part of the pre-race build-up.

From 11.45am to 12.35pm, they can go for a pitwalk and see the WEC teams up close in their garages, hard at work tuning up their contenders before lining up on the grid. During this time, fans will also be able to meet their favourite drivers, take pictures with them, and have memorabilia signed during the WEC autograph session, set to take place between 11.50am and 12.20pm. These experiences are included in the ticket price and can be enjoyed at no extra cost.

All those attending the WEC spectacle will also be able to experience the open paddock – an offering unique to BIC’s annual WEC event. Fans will be able to cross the BIC tunnel from the vending area and access the paddock, which is where the WEC’s star drivers and their teams call home for the duration of the meeting.

With the WEC being one of the most prestigious series in all of motor racing, tickets for the Le Mans-inspired event offer tremendous value for an occasion of its calibre – rates that cannot be matched anywhere else for a world championship meeting under the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

Grandstand seats cost just BD5.5 for adults and BD2.75 for children. They can be bought online at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000.

Hospitality packages are also available to enjoy the event from BIC’s luxurious suites. These are priced at BD290 per person, excluding VAT.

Ferrari AF Corse’s #50 Hypercar pipped Toyota Gazoo Racing’s #7 crew of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries by a mere 0.012secs to first place on today’s third practice classification in their GR010-Hybrid.

AF Corse’s #83 trio of Robert Kubica, Yifei Yi, and Philip Hanson finished third 0.339s behind in their Ferrari 499P.

Aston Martin Thor Team’s #009 crew of Alex Riberas, Marco Sorensen, and Roman de Angelis, who led the WEC field in the first two practices in their Valkyrie Hypercar, followed in fourth 0.410s adrift, while Cadillac Hertz Team Jota’s #12 crew of Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, and Will Stevens in their Cadillac V-Series.R came fifth 0427s back.

Leading the LMGT3 class were Iron Lynx’s #61 Martin driven by Martin Berry, Lin Hodenius, and Maxime Martin. They had a best lap time of 2:03.158 in their Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Akkodis ASP Team’s pair of Lexus RC F LMGT3s followed right behind. The #78 triumvirate of Arnold Robin, Finn Gehrsitz, and Ben Barnicoat were 0.376s back, and the #87 trio of Petru Umbrarescu, Clemens Schmid, and Jose Maria Lopez were 0.447s from the leaders.

Vista AF Corse’s #21 crew of Francois Heriau, Simon Mann, and Alessio Rovera in their Ferrari 296 LMGT3 placed fourth 0.582s adrift, while TF Sport’s Tom van Rompuy, Rui Andrade, and Charlie Eastwood in their #81 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R were 0.602s from the pace-setters.

Watarai clinches double pole for PCCME season-opening round

Taichi Watarai secured double pole today morning for the opening round of the 2025/2026 Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East (PCCME), being held as part of this weekend’s events in the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain at BIC.