Ben Green (Emil Frey Racing) and Lucas Auer (Winward Racing Team MANN-FILTER) respectively topped the two Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS Qualifying sessions at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Saturday). This means Ferrari machinery will start from pole position for the first of tomorrow’s two Sprint Cup races, with Mercedes-AMG leading the pack off for the second contest.
Green produced a hard charging effort to lap the Grand Prix circuit in 1m22.768 relatively late in the initial 10-minute session, which was contested by the drivers who will start the opening race. Reigning champion Mattia Drudi looked like he might have pole position wrapped up for much of the running, in just his first Sprint Cup appearance with Aston Martin, but Green’s effort was 0.016 faster than the Italian’s best effort and enough to take pole.
Dries Vanthoor put himself and Charles Weerts in a strong position too with the Belgian pairing targeting a fourth Sprint Cup title, but a first with BMW. Vanthoor’s best time fell just short of the front row, but the top-three were separated by less than a tenth of a second, setting up an intriguing fight at the front on Sunday.
Tom Gamble and Benjamin Goethe will start the first race from fourth in the grid’s only McLaren, one place ahead of the Mercedes-AMG of Maro Engel and Auer, which set the pace in Pre-Qualifying.
It was then the Engel/Auer car’s turn to go fastest, with the latter at the wheel. Jules Gounon looked set for pole after a strong effort in the Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG, but Auer pinched the top spot in the closing stages with a time 0.143s quicker.
That left Gounon settling for second with Thierry Vermeulen third in the best of the non-Mercedes-AMG runners in third. The Ferrari was followed in the order by the grid’s sole McLaren, with Goethe following Gamble’s strong run from the earlier qualifying session to take fourth position. Ricardo Feller completed the top-five in the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi he shares with Alex Aka.
Valentino Rossi will start both of Sunday’s races from outside the top-ten. The Italian icon could only manage 13th overall in his timed run before co-driver Maxime Martin ran 11th.
Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup, Race 1 Qualifying, Brands Hatch
- Ben Green, Emil Frey Racing, Ferrari 296 GT3, 1m22.768s
- Mattia Drudi, Comtoyou Racing, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO, +0.016s
- Dries Vanthoor, Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3, +0.098s
- Tom Gamble, Garage 59, McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, +0.132s
- Maro Engel, Winward Racing Team MANN FILTER, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, +0.190s
Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup, Race 2 Qualifying, Brands Hatch
- Lucas Auer, Winward Racing Team MANN FILTER, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, 1m22.393s
- Jules Gounon, Boutsen VDS, Merdedes-AMG GT3 EVO, +0.143s
- Thierry Vermeulen, Emil Frey Racing, Ferrari 296 GT3, +0.169s
- Benjamin Goethe, Garage 59, McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, +0.330s
- Ricardo Feller, Tresor Attempto Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, +0.353s
Click here for full results from this race event.