Christopher Haase set the fastest time in FP2 at the GTWC Europe Sprint Cup in Misano, putting the #84 Eastalent Racing Audi at the top of the order as the teams completed their first running in evening conditions.
Haase recorded a 1:32.347 to finish almost four tenths of a second clear of Aurélien Panis in the Silver Cup-entered #6 GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros Mercedes-AMG. Jules Gounon placed Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing third, while Augusto Farfus led the Bronze Cup runners in fourth for Paradine Competition.
Teams prepare for Misano’s evening race conditions
FP2 of the GTWC Europe Sprint Cup in Misano began at 20:10, shortly before sunset, and concluded under darkness at 21:30. The timing allowed the teams to gather valuable data in conditions similar to those they would face during the opening race of the weekend, which was scheduled to begin at 20:30 the following evening.
The air temperature stood at 28.7°C when the session began and fell slightly to 27.9°C by the chequered flag. The track temperature dropped from 35.9°C to 33.8°C as daylight faded, creating significantly cooler conditions than the teams had experienced during the afternoon’s opening practice session.
All 43 cars took part and received a position in the provisional classification. Race control recorded one Full Course Yellow period, but the session featured no Safety Car phases or red flags, allowing the drivers to complete their planned programmes with limited disruption.
Haase delivers the benchmark for Eastalent Racing
Haase produced the fastest lap of the session in the #84 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, which he shares with Simon Reicher. His 1:32.347 came on his 12th lap and represented an average speed of 164.7 kilometres per hour around the 4.226-kilometre Misano circuit.
The German driver set his best time at 20:36, during the earlier stages of the session, and remained at the top of the classification for the rest of the evening. No other driver broke into the 1:32.3s, leaving Eastalent Racing with a clear advantage of 0.393 seconds.
The result represented a significant improvement for the rookie Eastalent squad after it had finished 25th in Free Practice 1. Haase’s performance moved the #84 Audi from the midfield to the front of the overall order and established the team as the leading Pro-class entry in FP2.
Panis puts GetSpeed on top in the Silver Cup
Aurélien Panis came closest to challenging Haase in the #6 GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros Mercedes-AMG. The Frenchman set a 1:32.740 to claim second overall and first place in the Silver Cup classification.
Panis finished 0.393 seconds behind the leading Audi but held a narrow advantage over Gounon in third. Only 0.040 seconds separated the two Mercedes-AMG entries, placing both cars within half a second of Haase’s benchmark.
The #6 car also held a clear advantage over its closest Silver Cup rival. Andrea Frassineti placed the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi fifth overall, three positions behind Panis and 0.262 seconds slower than the class-leading Mercedes-AMG.
Optimum Motorsport completed the leading Silver Cup trio. Manuel Álvarez Porter and Guilherme Oliveira placed the #5 McLaren 13th overall with a 1:33.248, leaving them 0.508 seconds behind Panis.
Gounon steps In for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing
Jules Gounon took third place in the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry, which 2Seas Motorsport operates. Gounon joined Daniel Juncadella for the Misano weekend after replacing the unwell Chris Lulham.
Gounon recorded a 1:32.780 on his 17th lap, finishing 0.433 seconds behind Haase and only 0.040 seconds away from Panis. His performance placed two Mercedes-AMG cars directly behind the leading Audi.
Unlike Haase and Panis, who set their fastest times at around 20:36, Gounon improved later in the session. He completed his quickest lap shortly before 20:55 as the circuit continued to cool and darkness settled over Misano.
Farfus leads the Bronze Cup for Paradine Competition
Augusto Farfus claimed fourth overall and topped the Bronze Cup classification in the #991 Paradine Competition BMW M4 GT3 EVO. The Brazilian recorded a 1:32.948, becoming the fourth and final driver to break the 1:33 barrier.
Farfus finished 0.601 seconds behind Haase and held an advantage of 0.078 seconds over the next Bronze Cup entry. Dennis Marschall placed the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari sixth overall with a 1:33.026, giving the category two representatives inside the leading six.
Dinamic GT completed the top three in the Bronze Cup. Lorenzo Cabirou placed the #55 Porsche 15th overall with a 1:33.305, narrowly beating the #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche and the #222 2Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG.
FP1 leader Fabian Schiller finished 19th in the #12 GetSpeed Team Dubai Mercedes-AMG. Schiller’s best effort of 1:33.357 left him 1.010 seconds behind Haase and sixth in the Bronze Cup order.
Frassineti continues his strong start
Frassineti followed his third-place finish in FP1 with another competitive performance for Tresor Attempto Racing. He placed the #66 Audi fifth overall and second in the Silver Cup after setting a 1:33.002.
The Italian finished only 0.054 seconds behind Farfus and 0.655 seconds away from Haase’s leading time. His result also gave Audi two cars inside the top five, with Frassineti supporting Haase’s session-leading Eastalent entry.
Tresor Attempto’s Gold Cup-entered #99 Audi also featured inside the top 15. Dylan Pereira recorded a 1:33.266 to secure 14th overall and second in his class.
Mosca again sets the Gold Cup pace
Tommaso Mosca led the Gold Cup classification for the second successive practice session. The AF Corse driver placed the #51 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO seventh overall with a 1:33.030.
Mosca finished only 0.004 seconds behind the Bronze Cup-entered Kessel Racing Ferrari and 0.683 seconds away from the overall benchmark. His lap also gave Ferrari two cars among the opening seven positions.
Pereira followed Mosca in the Gold Cup order, finishing 0.236 seconds behind the AF Corse Ferrari. Thomas Fleming completed the class top three in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren, setting a 1:33.324 to take 16th overall.
Six manufacturers feature inside the top 10
Ricardo Feller placed the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche eighth with a 1:33.057. He finished just 0.027 seconds behind Mosca and led a closely matched group in the lower half of the top 10.
Thomas Neubauer took ninth in the second AF Corse Ferrari, only 0.022 seconds behind Feller. Marvin Kirchhöfer completed the top 10 for Garage 59 with a 1:33.125 in the #59 McLaren.
Audi, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren all secured places inside the first 10 positions. The group covered four different competition classes, with Pro, Silver Cup, Bronze Cup and Gold Cup entries all featuring near the front.
Closely matched field produces small gaps
Haase held a significant advantage at the head of the order, but the gaps behind him remained narrow. Only 0.078 seconds separated Farfus in fourth from Mosca in seventh, while less than one tenth covered Feller, Neubauer and Kirchhöfer from eighth to 10th.
The first 17 cars finished within one second of Haase’s benchmark. Edward Cheever occupied 17th place in the #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche, setting a 1:33.325 and finishing 0.978 seconds behind the session leader.
Twenty-six cars ended the session within 1.2 seconds of the fastest time, underlining the small margins throughout much of the field. Daniele Fumanelli placed the #27 Kessel Racing Ferrari 26th with a 1:33.546, 1.199 seconds behind Haase.
Haase ends friday on top
Haase ultimately retained the fastest time and completed Friday’s running at the top of the FP2 classification. His performance gave Eastalent Racing and Audi the evening benchmark after GetSpeed Team Dubai and Mercedes-AMG had led the earlier afternoon session.
Panis, Gounon and Farfus ensured that three different classes occupied the positions immediately behind Haase, while Mosca continued his strong Friday by leading the Gold Cup for the second time. With all 43 cars able to complete uninterrupted evening FP2 of the GTWC Europe Sprint Cup in Misano, the teams gathered important information before qualifying and the opening race at Misano.
