Pit Debrief

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Pit Debrief

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2026/27 | ALMS | Le Castellet | Qualifying | Ferrari splits Hypercar poles as United Autosports and Proton lead LMP2

Karishma Persad011 mins
Cetilar and AF Corse split Hypercar poles at Le Castellet as United, Proton, GetSpeed and AF Corse lead 2026/27 ALMS qualifying.
Photo Credit: Asian Le Mans Series
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Cetilar Racing and AF Corse shared the Hypercar pole positions during qualifying for the opening two races of the 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Circuit Paul Ricard. Roberto Lacorte secured the fastest time for Saturday’s race in the #47 Ferrari 499P, while Luís Pérez Companc responded with pole for Sunday’s contest in the #90 AF Corse entry.

Meanwhile, United Autosports and Proton Competition claimed the respective LMP2 pole positions, with Giorgio Roda and Giorgos Kolovos setting the pace across the two sessions. In GT3, Steve Jans secured the first pole for GetSpeed, while Peter Dempsey inherited Sunday’s pole for AF Corse following a track limits penalty for Heart of Racing’s Gray Newell.

The four 15-minute sessions determined the starting grids for both four-hour races, bringing Friday’s running to a close after earlier practice sessions established the first competitive benchmarks across the 46-car field.

Lacorte secures inaugural ALMS Hypercar pole for Cetilar Racing

Cetilar Racing continued its strong start to the weekend, with Roberto Lacorte securing the first Hypercar pole position in ALMS history.

Having topped both Free Practice sessions, the #47 Ferrari 499P maintained its advantage during the opening qualifying session. Lacorte recorded a 1:51.979 around halfway through the session, establishing a benchmark that his closest rival could not overcome.

Meanwhile, Pérez Companc initially struggled to extract competitive pace from the #90 AF Corse Ferrari. The Argentine returned to the pits for checks before improving during the closing stages.

He eventually recorded a 1:53.172 on his final attempt, finishing 1.193 seconds behind Lacorte. However, the improvement proved sufficient to secure second in Hypercar.

The result marked an encouraging beginning for Cetilar Racing, which stepped up to Hypercar for the 2026/27 ALMS season following its runner-up finish in the previous LMP2 championship.

Despite losing out to Lacorte, Pérez Companc would have another opportunity to challenge for pole during the second qualifying session.

Roda leads United Autosports to LMP2 pole for Race 1

Giorgio Roda continued his impressive LMP2 qualifying record by securing pole position for Saturday’s opening race.

The Italian recorded a 1:53.160 in the #22 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson, extending his consecutive ALMS pole streak to five.

His performance also placed the LMP2 prototype second overall in the combined Hypercar and LMP2 classification, just 0.012 seconds ahead of Pérez Companc’s Ferrari.

Roda faced strong competition from Proton Competition’s Giorgos Kolovos, who exchanged fastest laps with the Italian throughout the session. However, Kolovos ultimately settled for second in LMP2 after recording a 1:53.381, finishing 0.221 seconds behind Roda.

Inter Europol Competition secured third through Torsten Kratz, who posted a 1:53.932 in the #43 Oreca.

The German finished just 0.017 seconds ahead of Duqueine Team’s Antti Rammo, who claimed fourth with a 1:53.949. Tom van Rompuy completed the leading five for DKR Engineering, recording a 1:54.317.

Nielsen Racing followed seventh in class, while reigning champions CrowdStrike Racing by APR finished tenth.

Jans snatches GT3 pole from Blattner in closing moments

GetSpeed secured the first GT3 pole position of the season after Steve Jans delivered a late improvement in the #9 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

The opening qualifying session began under clear skies but encountered an early interruption when Ameerh Naran slowed to a stop in the #88 Craft-Bamboo Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG near Turns 3 and 4.

Officials displayed the red flag to allow marshals to recover the car before restarting the session with just under 13 minutes remaining.

Herberth Motorsport’s Ralf Bohn initially established the benchmark with a 2:04.035, while Garage 59’s Marco Pulcini briefly moved into second.

However, the times continued to improve as Peter Dempsey moved ahead for AF Corse. Reigning GT champion Dustin Blattner subsequently claimed the provisional pole with a 2:02.945 in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren.

Jans then delivered a decisive final effort, recording a 2:02.879 to secure pole by just 0.066 seconds.

Hubert Haupt completed the top three for Haupt Racing Team, finishing 0.138 seconds behind Jans. Dempsey followed fourth, ahead of Charles Dawson and Michael Tosi.

Three GT3 entries fail to record qualifying times

While the leading competitors fought for pole, three GT3 entries failed to record representative lap times during the opening qualifying session.

The #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG and #68 Car Blanche by RSL Aston Martin remained absent following their incidents during FP2.

Both cars had gone off at Turn 7 earlier in the afternoon, damaging the barriers and forcing officials to end the final practice session prematurely.

Meanwhile, Craft-Bamboo Iron Lynx encountered further difficulties when Naran’s #88 Mercedes-AMG stopped during the opening stages of Q1. The incident prompted the session’s red flag and prevented the team from completing a timed lap.

Consequently, all three entries occupied the final positions in the GT3 qualifying classification.

Elsewhere, the #50 AF Corse Ferrari faced scrutiny following contact with Car Guy Racing’s #57 Ferrari at Turn 12, although Dempsey retained fourth in the published Q1 classification.

With the first qualifying sessions complete, Cetilar Racing, United Autosports and GetSpeed secured the respective class pole positions for Saturday’s opening four-hour race.

Race 1 qualifying Hypercar results

  1. #47 Cetilar Racing — Ferrari 499P — 1:51.979
  2. #90 AF Corse — Ferrari 499P — 1:53.172 (+1.193)

Race 1 qualifying LMP2 results

  1. #22 United Autosports — 1:53.160
  2. #11 Proton Competition — 1:53.381 (+0.221)
  3. #43 Inter Europol Competition — 1:53.932 (+0.772)
  4. #30 Duqueine Team — 1:53.949 (+0.789)
  5. #3 DKR Engineering — 1:54.317 (+1.157)
  6. #83 AF Corse — 1:54.390 (+1.230)
  7. #24 Nielsen Racing — 1:54.538 (+1.378)
  8. #20 Algarve Pro Racing — 1:54.638 (+1.478)
  9. #25 Algarve Pro Racing — 1:54.724 (+1.564)
  10. #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR — 1:54.914 (+1.754)
  11. #2 United Autosports — 1:55.136 (+1.976)
  12. #16 Team Virage — 1:55.597 (+2.437)
  13. #55 AF Corse — 1:56.039 (+2.879)
  14. #37 CLX Motorsport — 1:56.347 (+3.187)
  15. #66 Proton Competition — 1:56.721 (+3.561)
  16. #34 Inter Europol Competition — 2:02.458 (+9.298)

All LMP2 entries compete with the Oreca 07-Gibson.

Race 1 qualifying GT3 results

  1. #9 GetSpeed — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:02.879
  2. #58 Garage 59 — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — 2:02.945 (+0.066)
  3. #65 Haupt Racing Team — Ford Mustang GT3 Evo — 2:03.017 (+0.138)
  4. #50 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 2:03.051 (+0.172)
  5. #46 2 Seas Motorsport — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:03.184 (+0.305)
  6. #64 Haupt Racing Team — Ford Mustang GT3 Evo — 2:03.259 (+0.380)
  7. #27 Heart of Racing Team — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 2:03.376 (+0.497)
  8. #70 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 2:03.377 (+0.498)
  9. #26 Heart of Racing Team — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 2:03.553 (+0.674)
  10. #87 Winward Racing — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:03.561 (+0.682)
  11. #69 Team WRT — BMW M4 GT3 Evo — 2:03.847 (+0.968)
  12. #7 Petrolife Racing Team — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:03.899 (+1.020)
  13. #21 Herberth Motorsport — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:04.035 (+1.156)
  14. #54 High Class Racing — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:04.323 (+1.444)
  15. #77 Proton Competition — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:04.501 (+1.622)
  16. #33 2 Seas Motorsport — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:04.580 (+1.701)
  17. #60 Garage 59 — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — 2:04.690 (+1.811)
  18. #57 Car Guy Racing — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 2:04.938 (+2.059)
  19. #91 Manthey — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:05.436 (+2.557)
  20. #45 Ponos Racing — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 2:06.908 (+4.029)
  21. #92 Manthey — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:07.072 (+4.193)
  22. #93 DFYNE Racing Team — Lamborghini Temerario GT3 — 2:07.149 (+4.270)
  23. #51 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 2:07.232 (+4.353)
  24. #99 Proton Competition — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:07.508 (+4.629)
  25. #63 Leipert Motorsport — Lamborghini Temerario GT3 — 2:08.063 (+5.184)
  26. #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — No time
  27. #68 Car Blanche by RSL — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — No time
  28. #88 Craft-Bamboo Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — No time

Pérez Companc responds to secure Race 2 Hypercar pole

AF Corse reversed the order during the second qualifying session, with Pérez Companc securing pole position for Sunday’s race.

The Argentine immediately demonstrated stronger pace, recording a 1:50.967 during his opening attempts before improving to a 1:50.794.

His final effort proved 1.185 seconds faster than his Q1 benchmark, allowing AF Corse to take the advantage over Cetilar Racing.

Meanwhile, Lacorte continued challenging in the #47 Ferrari, initially recording a 1:51.102 that would have reduced the gap to his rival.

However, officials deleted the lap after Lacorte exceeded track limits, forcing the Italian to rely on his next-best effort.

He eventually finished second with a 1:51.405, leaving him 0.611 seconds behind Pérez Companc.

The result ensured that the two Ferrari programmes would share the inaugural Hypercar pole positions, with Cetilar leading Saturday’s race and AF Corse taking the top starting position on Sunday.

Notably, Pérez Companc’s 1:50.794 also represented the fastest qualifying lap across the four sessions.

Kolovos reverses LMP2 order with Proton Competition pole

Proton Competition also responded during the second qualifying session, with Kolovos moving ahead of Roda to claim the LMP2 pole position for Race 2.

The Greek driver recorded a 1:51.955 early in the session, establishing a benchmark that his closest rivals could not overcome.

Roda again emerged as his primary challenger, improving to a 1:52.170 in the #22 United Autosports Oreca. However, the Italian ultimately finished 0.215 seconds behind Kolovos.

Rammo secured third for Duqueine Team, recording a 1:52.492. The Estonian improved on his fourth-place finish in Q1, moving ahead of Inter Europol Competition’s Kratz.

Kratz followed fourth with a 1:53.107, while Jeremy Clarke completed the leading five for AF Corse, setting a 1:53.126 in the #83 Oreca.

Algarve Pro Racing occupied sixth and seventh, with the #20 entry finishing just 0.006 seconds ahead of its #25 teammate.

Nielsen Racing secured eighth, followed by DKR Engineering and United Autosports’ second entry.

Meanwhile, reigning champions CrowdStrike Racing by APR finished 12th, leaving the #4 crew outside the leading group for both races.

Newell initially tops GT3 Q2 before post-session penalty

Heart of Racing initially appeared to have secured pole position for Sunday’s GT3 race, with Gray Newell producing an impressive opening effort in the #26 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

The American recorded a 2:01.257, establishing a substantial advantage over the chasing field.

His teammate Ian James also demonstrated strong pace in the sister #27 Aston Martin, briefly placing the team first and second during the opening half of the session.

However, Dempsey challenged Heart of Racing’s advantage, recording a 2:01.829 in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari.

GetSpeed’s Jans also pursued another pole position, improving to a 2:01.948 during the closing stages. Although the Mercedes-AMG driver could not move ahead of Dempsey, he remained among the leading contenders.

Dawson followed with a 2:02.116 for 2 Seas Motorsport, while Blattner secured a 2:02.177 for Garage 59.

Newell initially retained the fastest time when the chequered flag fell, seemingly completing Heart of Racing’s first ALMS pole position.

However, a subsequent stewards’ investigation changed the final classification.

Track limits penalty promotes Dempsey to Race 2 GT3 pole

Following the conclusion of Q2, officials investigated Newell’s fastest laps and determined that the #26 Aston Martin had exceeded track limits while gaining a lasting advantage.

The stewards consequently deleted the car’s second and third lap times, including its pole-setting 2:01.257.

The decision dropped Newell to 20th in the amended classification, with his remaining 2:05.075 becoming his best valid lap.

As a result, Dempsey inherited pole position for Sunday’s GT3 race with his 2:01.829 in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari.

Jans moved into second, just 0.119 seconds behind Dempsey, while Dawson secured third for 2 Seas Motorsport.

Blattner followed fourth for Garage 59, ahead of Michael Tosi in the #64 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang GT3 Evo.

Team WRT secured sixth through the #69 BMW, while Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn and Winward Racing occupied seventh and eighth respectively.

James completed the top nine in the second Heart of Racing Aston Martin, recording a valid 2:02.902.

The revised order means GetSpeed and AF Corse will lead the respective GT3 fields in Saturday and Sunday’s races.

Race 2 qualifying Hypercar results

  1. #90 AF Corse — Ferrari 499P — 1:50.794
  2. #47 Cetilar Racing — Ferrari 499P — 1:51.405 (+0.611)

Race 2 qualifying LMP2 results

  1. #11 Proton Competition — 1:51.955
  2. #22 United Autosports — 1:52.170 (+0.215)
  3. #30 Duqueine Team — 1:52.492 (+0.537)
  4. #43 Inter Europol Competition — 1:53.107 (+1.152)
  5. #83 AF Corse — 1:53.126 (+1.171)
  6. #20 Algarve Pro Racing — 1:53.273 (+1.318)
  7. #25 Algarve Pro Racing — 1:53.279 (+1.324)
  8. #24 Nielsen Racing — 1:53.413 (+1.458)
  9. #3 DKR Engineering — 1:53.509 (+1.554)
  10. #2 United Autosports — 1:53.836 (+1.881)
  11. #16 Team Virage — 1:54.116 (+2.161)
  12. #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR — 1:54.563 (+2.608)
  13. #66 Proton Competition — 1:55.124 (+3.169)
  14. #37 CLX Motorsport — 1:55.182 (+3.227)
  15. #55 AF Corse — 1:55.544 (+3.589)
  16. #34 Inter Europol Competition — 1:56.889 (+4.934)

All LMP2 entries compete with the Oreca 07-Gibson.

Race 2 qualifying GT3 results

  1. #50 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 2:01.829
  2. #9 GetSpeed — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:01.948 (+0.119)
  3. #46 2 Seas Motorsport — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:02.116 (+0.287)
  4. #58 Garage 59 — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — 2:02.177 (+0.348)
  5. #64 Haupt Racing Team — Ford Mustang GT3 Evo — 2:02.341 (+0.512)
  6. #69 Team WRT — BMW M4 GT3 Evo — 2:02.629 (+0.800)
  7. #70 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 2:02.749 (+0.920)
  8. #87 Winward Racing — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:02.853 (+1.024)
  9. #27 Heart of Racing Team — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 2:02.902 (+1.073)
  10. #7 Petrolife Racing Team — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:03.050 (+1.221)
  11. #21 Herberth Motorsport — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:03.123 (+1.294)
  12. #65 Haupt Racing Team — Ford Mustang GT3 Evo — 2:03.169 (+1.340)
  13. #54 High Class Racing — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:03.503 (+1.674)
  14. #33 2 Seas Motorsport — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — 2:03.599 (+1.770)
  15. #60 Garage 59 — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — 2:03.647 (+1.818)
  16. #77 Proton Competition — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:03.860 (+2.031)
  17. #91 Manthey — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:04.132 (+2.303)
  18. #57 Car Guy Racing — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 2:04.198 (+2.369)
  19. #92 Manthey — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:04.975 (+3.146)
  20. #26 Heart of Racing Team — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 2:05.075 (+3.246)
  21. #51 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 2:06.022 (+4.193)
  22. #63 Leipert Motorsport — Lamborghini Temerario GT3 — 2:06.216 (+4.387)
  23. #93 DFYNE Racing Team — Lamborghini Temerario GT3 — 2:06.267 (+4.438)
  24. #45 Ponos Racing — Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — 2:06.497 (+4.668)
  25. #99 Proton Competition — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:07.653 (+5.824)
  26. #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — No time
  27. #68 Car Blanche by RSL — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — No time
  28. #88 Craft-Bamboo Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — No time

Le Castellet double-header follows competitive qualifying sessions

With Friday’s qualifying sessions complete, the 46-car field will turn its attention towards the opening two races of the 2026/27 ALMS season.

Cetilar Racing and AF Corse will share the Hypercar pole positions, while United Autosports and Proton Competition will lead the respective LMP2 grids.

Meanwhile, GetSpeed will head Saturday’s GT3 field, with AF Corse taking the top position on Sunday following the penalty that denied Heart of Racing its maiden pole.

The confirmed 46-car Le Castellet entry features experienced endurance competitors, previous championship winners and several teams making their debuts in new categories, setting up two competitive four-hour contests.

Race 1 will begin at 13:15 CET on Saturday, 14 November, before Race 2 follows at the same time on Sunday, 15 November.

Both races will feature Hypercar, LMP2 and GT3 as the championship begins its revised six-race European winter campaign.

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