The Ferrari 499P ends the post-season testing for rookies in Bahrain in command thanks to Robert Shwartzman’s time. Rossi from Pesaro has become familiar with the Lmp2 in view of a possible future in the prototypes
– Milan
As per tradition, the so-called Rookie Test, where participating teams can have rookie drivers ride on the track with a view to possible employment in future seasons. This year, everyone’s eyes were on it Valentino Rossi: the nine-time world champion in the MotoGP world championship took to the track aboard the Oreca 07 by Team Wrt, winner the previous day of the race and Lmp2 class title. In the overall ranking, however, the Ferrari 499P with Robert Shwartzman: the Russian, who races with an Israeli licence, was the fastest of the five hours of testing overall.
Lots of kilometers for Rossi
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For the Doctor it was the first time on board a prototype and, as he himself said, it was a strongly desired and useful experience as preparation for a possible test in Hypercar class. Rossi, in fact, confirmed the concrete possibility of a test with the BMW M Hybrid V8 which will debut in 2024 managed by Wrt, the same team with which the Pesaro races in the GT World Challenge Endurance and with which he will probably debut in the WEC and Le Mans next year. His best time was a 1:55.118: for reference, the fastest lap of an Lmp2 in the test was set by Clément Novalak, also a rookie, in 1:54.283, while Rossi’s teammate Charles Weerts lapped in 1:54.302. The number of laps completed is also encouraging: well 67 without having encountered any problems.
The Ferrari drivers did well
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Absolute debut in Hypercar after a season in GT3, Robert Shwartzman set the fastest time of the Rookie Test in 1:48.559, preceding Jota’s Porsche #38 with Will Stevens, starting driver, by just 66 thousandths. Good feelings too Lilou Wadoux: the official Ferrari driver tested her second Hypercar in two years, after the test with Toyota last year, and finished less than a second from the absolute best time in 1:49.488, the fifth best overall time of the five hours of testing. Excluding the reference times set by the starting drivers, they put themselves on display Norman Bornthird on Jota’s Porsche, but also Rene Binder on that of Proton, the Dtm champion Thomas Preining on the Penske officer and Nicolas Varro, Gte champion, on the Cadillac. Close times for the three drivers selected by Toyota: Ben Barnicoat, Josh Pierson and Jack Hawksworth lapped within six tenths of each other. Finally, a note of merit for Job van Uitert: in the Vanwall Vandervell 680 he set a much better time than those recorded by the car in the race.
Patrese the best among the GTs
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The last official release of the Gte class cars has seen Lorenzo Patrese dominate the day with a time of 1:58.261 in the Ferrari #83 of Richard Mille AF Corse, inflicting over a second on Nicky Catsburg, the point of reference in the seasonal champion Corvette. Good third place for the other young Italian Nicola Marinangeli again on Ferrari, this year involved in the GT World Challenge and GT Open. Finally, it is worth mentioning the last minute presence of Timur Boguslavskiywinner of the overall GT World Challenge and Endurance together with Raffaele Marciello, on the Corvette also shared with Antoine Doquin.
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