Ferrari dominated Qatar WEC FP3 with Antonio Fuoco leading a 1-2-3 finish to cap off the final practice of the 2025 FIA WEC season opener.
The Free Practice 3 session held at the Lusail International Circuit under damp and overcast conditions provided an intriguing prelude to the season’s first qualifying round. Despite intermittent light rain, which made the track slippery, teams managed to avoid using wet-weather tires, relying instead on their skill and strategy to navigate the tricky conditions.
Qatar WEC FP3 began with Antonio Fuoco in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari Hypercar setting the benchmark early with a lap time of 1:39.484. His effort proved unassailable throughout the 60-minute session, cementing Ferrari’s dominance in the Hypercar category.
Fuoco’s teammate Antonio Giovinazzi, piloting the #51 Ferrari, was just 0.081 seconds behind, clocking a lap of 1:39.565.
Completing Ferrari’s impressive trio was Robert Kubica in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari, who posted a time of 1:39.965, securing third place and further underlining Ferrari’s preeminence in this session.
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Meanwhile, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA emerged as Ferrari’s closest challengers in Qatar WEC FP3. Sebastien Bourdais in the #38 Cadillac V-Series.R claimed fourth place with a time of 1:40.017, followed by Alex Lynn in the #12 Cadillac, who managed a best lap of 1:40.427.
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These results highlighted Cadillac’s potential to disrupt Ferrari’s dominance as the 2025 FIA WEC season progresses.
Peugeot also showed promising results with their pair of 9X8 Hypercars taking sixth and seventh. Jean-Eric Vergne in the #93 Peugeot recorded a lap time of 1:40.653, narrowly edging out Stoffel Vandoorne in the #94 Peugeot, who posted a time of 1:40.947.
BMW M Team WRT secured eighth place with Robin Frijns behind the wheel of the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, clocking a time of 1:41.593. Porsche Penske Motorsport followed closely with Matt Campbell driving the #6 Porsche 963 to ninth position with a lap of 1:41.702.
Dries Vanthoor rounded out the top ten runners in Qatar WEC FP3, posting a time of 1:41.755 aboard the sister BMW M Team WRT.
While most teams navigated the damp conditions without major incidents, there was one notable off-track moment when Ben Keating in the #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R ran into gravel at Turn 2 after approximately 42 minutes of running.
This incident triggered a five-minute Full Course Yellow (FCY) as officials worked to recover his car safely.
LMGT3: Sean Gelael fastest in Qatar WEC FP3
In the LMGT3 category, United Autosports McLaren continued their strong form from previous sessions with Sean Gelael setting the fastest lap in the #95 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo at 1:54.569.
Gelael’s time kept him narrowly ahead of Finn Gehrsitz in the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3, who posted a lap just 0.092 seconds slower at 1:54.661. Gregoire Saucy in the sister United Autosports McLaren (#59) secured third place with a time of 1:54.738.
Charlie Eastwood delivered an impressive late-session performance for TF Sport Corvette by placing fourth in LMGT3 with a lap time of 1:55.018 in his #81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The top five was completed by Clemens Schmid in the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3 with a time of 1:55.215.
Further down the LMGT3 order, Francesco Castellacci brought AF Corse’s #54 Ferrari into sixth place with a lap time of 1:55.221, while Eduardo Barrichello placed seventh for Racing Spirit of Le Mans in their Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 EVO (#10).
The top ten was rounded out by three competitive entries: AF Corse’s second Ferrari (#21), Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin (#27), and WRT BMW’s M4 LMGT3 EVO (#46).
As qualifying looms on the horizon, all eyes will be on whether Ferrari can maintain their supremacy or if other contenders like Cadillac and Peugeot can close the gap during competitive runs under drier conditions expected later in Qatar.
