Aston Martin THOR Team led the second Free Practice session (FP2) for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 6 Hours of Barcelona, with Harry Tincknell setting the Hypercar benchmark ahead of Genesis Magma Racing and AF Corse Ferrari. Meanwhile, Finn Gehrsitz put Garage 59 McLaren at the top of the LMGT3 classification.
Tincknell recorded a 1:31.712 in the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie, finishing just 0.038 seconds ahead of the #17 Genesis GMR-001. Robert Kubica followed in third for AF Corse, with only 0.084 seconds separating the leading three Hypercars. Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA and Toyota Racing completed the top five, giving five different manufacturers a place among the leading five entries.
In LMGT3, Gehrsitz recorded a 1:41.650 in the #58 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo, establishing a 0.344-second advantage over the #78 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus. Iron Lynx followed in third with its #79 Mercedes-AMG, while Heart of Racing Team and Team WRT completed the leading five.
The second 90-minute session took place on Friday afternoon at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, continuing preparations for Sunday’s inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona. Following Ferrari’s strong showing in FP1, the competitive order changed considerably as teams continued refining their setups ahead of Saturday’s qualifying sessions.
Tincknell puts Aston Martin on top of Hypercar
Aston Martin THOR Team moved to the front of the Hypercar field as Tincknell delivered the fastest lap of Friday afternoon. The British driver recorded a 1:31.712 early in FP2 aboard the #007 Valkyrie, which he shares with Tom Gamble.
The performance marked a significant improvement from the opening session, when the #007 crew finished fifth with a 1:32.716. Tincknell reduced that benchmark by 1.004 seconds, moving Aston Martin ahead of the competition and recording the fastest lap across Friday’s two practice sessions.
Furthermore, his time surpassed Kubica’s FP1-leading 1:31.891 by 0.179 seconds, highlighting the progress Aston Martin made between sessions.
The result continued the manufacturer’s encouraging development throughout the 2026 campaign. Tincknell and Gamble have already demonstrated the Valkyrie’s growing competitiveness, particularly through their fourth-place finishes at Spa-Francorchamps and Circuit of The Americas.
Meanwhile, the sister #009 Aston Martin of Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen finished tenth in FP2. The crew recorded a 1:32.335, leaving it 0.623 seconds behind Tincknell.
Riberas had finished second during FP1, just 0.107 seconds behind Kubica. Consequently, Aston Martin demonstrated competitive pace through both entries across Friday’s running, although the #007 emerged as the manufacturer’s leading challenger during the afternoon.
Genesis emerges as closest challenger while Ferrari remains competitive
Genesis Magma Racing delivered one of the most notable improvements of FP2, with its #17 GMR-001 climbing to second overall.
André Lotterer, Pipo Derani and Mathys Jaubert share the Hypercar, which recorded a 1:31.750 to finish only 0.038 seconds behind Tincknell. The result represented a substantial improvement from FP1, when the crew finished 12th with a 1:33.486.
Genesis therefore reduced its fastest lap time by 1.736 seconds, placing the team within striking distance of the overall benchmark.
The performance also strengthened the manufacturer’s preparations for the penultimate round of its debut FIA WEC campaign. Although the sister #19 Genesis of Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and local driver Dani Juncadella finished 13th with a 1:33.139, the #17 demonstrated the GMR-001’s potential around Barcelona.
Meanwhile, AF Corse maintained its position among the leading Hypercar contenders. Kubica followed his FP1-leading performance with another competitive lap aboard the #83 Ferrari 499P, recording a 1:31.796 to secure third.
The Pole shares the Ferrari with Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson. His latest lap improved on his morning benchmark by 0.095 seconds, leaving the crew just 0.084 seconds behind Aston Martin.
However, Ferrari’s factory entries finished further down the order. The #50 car of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen placed seventh with a 1:32.144, while the #51 of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi followed in 12th with a 1:32.981.
The results contrasted with Ferrari’s dominant opening session, when the Italian manufacturer placed three Hypercars inside the leading four. Nevertheless, Kubica’s continued presence near the front demonstrated that Ferrari remained among the leading contenders heading into qualifying.
Cadillac and Toyota complete top six as championship battle continues
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA also made considerable progress during FP2, placing both V-Series.R Hypercars inside the top six.
The #12 Cadillac of Will Stevens, Norman Nato and returning Alex Lynn finished fourth with a 1:31.804. The crew ended the session 0.092 seconds behind Tincknell and just 0.008 seconds behind Kubica.
The result provided an encouraging continuation to Lynn’s return to FIA WEC competition following his extended absence through injury. His appearance in Barcelona restores Cadillac’s established #12 driver combination as the team attempts to conclude the season strongly.
Meanwhile, the sister #38 Cadillac of Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais and Jack Aitken recorded a 1:31.979 to finish sixth, 0.267 seconds away from Aston Martin’s benchmark.
Consequently, Cadillac joined Aston Martin as the only manufacturer to place both of its entries inside the leading six during FP2.
Toyota Racing followed a similar upward trajectory, particularly through its #7 TR010 Hybrid.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries finished fifth with a 1:31.916, improving considerably from their 11th-place result during the morning session. The crew reduced its fastest lap time by 1.426 seconds, moving within 0.204 seconds of the overall lead.
The championship-leading #8 Toyota of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa followed in eighth with a 1:32.253.
Both Toyota crews therefore featured inside the leading eight, strengthening the Japanese manufacturer’s preparations for Sunday’s race.
Toyota enters Barcelona with a 23-point advantage over BMW in the Manufacturers’ Championship following its dramatic victory at Fuji. The #8 crew also leads the Drivers’ Championship, making the closing two rounds particularly important for the manufacturer.
However, the close margins among the leading Hypercars suggest that Toyota will face significant competition from Aston Martin, Genesis, Ferrari and Cadillac as the weekend progresses.
BMW improves as Peugeot and Alpine remain outside top ten
BMW M Team WRT recovered some ground during FP2 after finishing at the bottom of the Hypercar classification in the opening session.
The #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor climbed from 16th to ninth, recording a 1:32.261. The crew improved its earlier benchmark by 1.729 seconds, although it remained 0.549 seconds behind Tincknell.
Meanwhile, the championship-contending #20 BMW of Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde finished 14th with a 1:33.280.
The result represented an improvement from its FP1 time of 1:34.017, but the crew remained 1.568 seconds away from the leading Aston Martin.
BMW therefore faces further work before qualifying, particularly as it attempts to reduce Toyota’s advantage in the remaining Hypercar title battles.
Peugeot TotalEnergies also experienced mixed fortunes during the afternoon.
The #94 Peugeot 9X8 of Loïc Duval, Malthe Jakobsen and Théo Pourchaire placed 11th with a 1:32.681. However, the sister #93 entry finished 17th and last in Hypercar with a 1:34.214.
The latter crew includes Alex Quinn, who is making his first FIA WEC Hypercar appearance alongside Paul di Resta and Nick Cassidy. Peugeot promoted Quinn into its race line-up ahead of schedule, giving the British driver an opportunity to gain experience before his full-time campaign in 2027.
Alpine Endurance Team similarly struggled to challenge the leading entries. Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg placed the #35 Alpine A424 15th with a 1:33.604, while the #36 of Jules Gounon and Victor Martins followed in 16th.
The results marked a change from Alpine’s stronger performances at Fuji, where Martins narrowly missed victory after a late battle with Toyota.
Nevertheless, both Alpine and Peugeot will have another opportunity to evaluate their performance during Saturday’s remaining practice sessions before qualifying determines the starting order.
Gehrsitz leads Garage 59 McLaren to LMGT3 benchmark
Garage 59 emerged as the leading LMGT3 team during Friday afternoon’s session, with Gehrsitz recording a 1:41.650 in the #58 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo.
The German shares the car with Alexander West and Benjamin Goethe, with the trio moving to the top of the 18-car category after a difficult opening session.
During FP1, the #58 McLaren finished only 17th with a 1:43.979. However, Gehrsitz improved that benchmark by 2.329 seconds, moving the crew from near the bottom of the classification to first.
The performance provided an encouraging response following the team’s difficult conclusion to the previous round at Fuji. Gehrsitz suffered a substantial accident at Turn 1 during the Japanese race, triggering the late Safety Car that dramatically altered the outcome of both categories.
Although the incident ended Garage 59’s race, the team returned to competitive form in Barcelona, securing the fastest LMGT3 time during the afternoon session.
Gehrsitz’s advantage also proved relatively substantial compared with the closely matched Hypercar field. He finished 0.344 seconds ahead of the nearest challenger, while the leading three Hypercars finished within 0.084 seconds.
Garage 59 therefore heads into Saturday with encouraging single-lap pace, although the team will aim to translate its practice performance into a strong qualifying result.
Lexus and Mercedes-AMG challenge as Heart of Racing recovers
Akkodis ASP Team emerged as Garage 59’s closest challenger, with its #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 finishing second.
Tom Van Rompuy, Hadrien David and Esteban Masson share the entry, which recorded a 1:41.994. The crew finished 0.344 seconds behind Gehrsitz, improving on its sixth-place result during FP1.
Lexus therefore maintained its position among the leading LMGT3 contenders across Friday’s running. Furthermore, the sister #87 car of Petru Umbrărescu, Clemens Schmid and José María López completed the afternoon’s leading six, with López setting the crew’s fastest lap.
Iron Lynx followed in third, as its #79 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 recorded a 1:42.180. Johannes Zelger, Matteo Cressoni and Lin Hodenius share the car, which finished 0.530 seconds behind the leading McLaren.
The result represented a significant improvement from FP1, when the #79 Mercedes-AMG finished 15th in class with a 1:43.146.
Meanwhile, Heart of Racing Team also recovered from a challenging morning session.
The #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 of Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi climbed from 18th in FP1 to fourth during the afternoon, recording a 1:42.285.
The crew improved its fastest lap time by 1.766 seconds, moving within 0.635 seconds of Gehrsitz.
The result carries additional significance for Heart of Racing, which remains among the closest challengers to TF Sport in the LMGT3 Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships.
Following consecutive podium finishes at Circuit of The Americas and Fuji, the #27 crew enters Barcelona with considerable momentum. Its FP2 improvement therefore provides encouragement as the team attempts to reduce its championship deficit before the season finale.
Team WRT improves as Corvette crews struggle
Team WRT completed the LMGT3 top five through its #69 BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo.
Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper share the entry, which moved up the classification following a competitive late-session lap.
The trio had finished 13th during FP1, making its latest performance another example of the significant changes in the LMGT3 order throughout Friday.
Meanwhile, the two TF Sport-run Corvette entries experienced a much more challenging afternoon.
Racing Team Turkey by TF finished 16th in the category with its #34 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R. Peter Dempsey, Salih Yoluç and Charlie Eastwood had placed third during the morning session, but the crew could not maintain that position during FP2.
The championship-leading #33 TF Sport Corvette of Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar and Nicky Catsburg followed in 17th.
Both entries therefore finished near the bottom of the classification despite entering the weekend among the leading LMGT3 championship contenders.
The results contrasted with the manufacturer’s FP1 performance, when the #34 Corvette emerged as Ferrari’s closest challenger.
Nevertheless, TF Sport remains in a strong championship position. The #33 crew leads the LMGT3 standings, while the #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF entry remains among the challengers in the Teams’ Championship.
With the championship approaching its conclusion, both crews will aim to recover their earlier pace during Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions.
Ferrari also faces the challenge of restoring its morning performance after VISTA AF Corse secured an LMGT3 one-two in FP1. Alessio Rovera’s 1:41.420 remained the fastest LMGT3 lap across Friday’s running, even though Gehrsitz topped the separate FP2 classification.
Consequently, Ferrari’s outright pace from FP1 and McLaren’s FP2 advantage suggest that the LMGT3 contest remains open ahead of qualifying.
Barcelona weekend continues with FP3 and qualifying
With Friday’s two practice sessions complete, Aston Martin and Garage 59 enter Saturday with the strongest momentum from FP2.
However, the narrow gaps at the front of Hypercar suggest that several manufacturers could challenge for the leading grid positions. Aston Martin, Genesis, Ferrari, Cadillac and Toyota all finished within 0.204 seconds of the fastest lap, demonstrating the competitiveness of the category.
Meanwhile, the substantial changes in the LMGT3 order between FP1 and FP2 highlight the importance of continued setup development at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Tyre management will also remain a significant consideration ahead of Sunday’s six-hour race. Michelin has warned of unusually demanding tyre conditions at Barcelona, with the circuit’s high-speed corners and sustained lateral loads placing considerable stress on Hypercar machinery.
The weekend continues on Saturday, 17 October, with LMGT3 FP3 beginning at 08:50 local time (CEST), followed by qualifying at 11:50 and Hyperpole at 12:10.
Hypercar FP3 follows at 12:40, before qualifying begins at 15:40 and Hyperpole determines the leading grid positions at 16:00.
The inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona will begin at 12:00 local time on Sunday, 18 October, marking the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA WEC season.
With Toyota leading both Hypercar championship battles and TF Sport holding the advantage in LMGT3, the remaining sessions will prove crucial as competitors prepare for a race that could significantly influence the title fights before the season finale at Monza.
2026 WEC 6 Hours of Barcelona FP2 Hypercar results
- #007 Aston Martin THOR Team — Aston Martin Valkyrie — 1:31.712
- #17 Genesis Magma Racing — Genesis GMR-001 — 1:31.750 (+0.038)
- #83 AF Corse — Ferrari 499P — 1:31.796 (+0.084)
- #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Cadillac V-Series.R — 1:31.804 (+0.092)
- #7 Toyota Racing — Toyota TR010 Hybrid — 1:31.916 (+0.204)
- #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Cadillac V-Series.R — 1:31.979 (+0.267)
- #50 Ferrari AF Corse — Ferrari 499P — 1:32.144 (+0.432)
- #8 Toyota Racing — Toyota TR010 Hybrid — 1:32.253 (+0.541)
- #15 BMW M Team WRT — BMW M Hybrid V8 — 1:32.261 (+0.549)
- #009 Aston Martin THOR Team — Aston Martin Valkyrie — 1:32.335 (+0.623)
- #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Peugeot 9X8 — 1:32.681 (+0.969)
- #51 Ferrari AF Corse — Ferrari 499P — 1:32.981 (+1.269)
- #19 Genesis Magma Racing — Genesis GMR-001 — 1:33.139 (+1.427)
- #20 BMW M Team WRT — BMW M Hybrid V8 — 1:33.280 (+1.568)
- #35 Alpine Endurance Team — Alpine A424 — 1:33.604 (+1.892)
- #36 Alpine Endurance Team — Alpine A424 — 1:33.714 (+2.002)
- #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Peugeot 9X8 — 1:34.214 (+2.502)
2026 WEC 6 Hours of Barcelona FP2 LMGT3 results
- McLaren #58 — Garage 59 — 1:41.650
- Lexus #78 — Akkodis ASP Team — 1:41.994 (+0.344)
- Mercedes-AMG #79 — Iron Lynx — 1:42.180 (+0.530)
- Aston Martin #27 — Heart of Racing Team — 1:42.285 (+0.635)
- BMW #69 — Team WRT — 1:42.577 (+0.927)
- Lexus #87 — Akkodis ASP Team — 1:42.575 (+0.925)
- Porsche #91 — Manthey DK Engineering — 1:42.780 (+1.130)
- Mercedes-AMG #61 — Iron Lynx — 1:42.828 (+1.178)
- Ferrari #54 — Vista AF Corse — 1:42.897 (+1.247)
- McLaren #10 — Garage 59 — 1:43.095 (+1.445)
- Ford #77 — Proton Competition — 1:43.119 (+1.469)
- BMW #32 — Team WRT — 1:43.193 (+1.543)
- Porsche #92 — The Bend Manthey — 1:43.254 (+1.604)
- Ferrari #21 — Vista AF Corse — 1:43.314 (+1.664)
- Ford #88 — Proton Competition — 1:43.314 (+1.664)
- Corvette #34 — Racing Team Turkey by TF — 1:43.368 (+1.718)
- Corvette #33 — TF Sport — 1:43.430 (+1.780)
- Aston Martin #23 — Heart of Racing Team — 1:44.711 (+3.061)
Aston Martin therefore concludes Friday’s running with the fastest Hypercar lap through Tincknell, while Garage 59 leads the second LMGT3 session through Gehrsitz. However, Ferrari’s FP1 advantage and the close margins among the leading Hypercars suggest that the competitive order remains far from settled ahead of Saturday’s qualifying sessions.
