GT Winter Series
Despite the wind and intermittent showers that hit the Test Days and resulted in a fair mix of times amongst GT4 Winter Series and Prototype Winter Series cars, the GT Winter Series field managed to produce a fastest time in the 2m00s bracket in each of the first five sessions. The final run-out on Friday proved just how bizarre that consistency was, as a dry track saw the lap times leap to their full potential – almost 15 seconds quicker.
Leading the timesheets with that 1m45.420s lap at the close was the Mercedes AMG of series newcomer squad Haupt Racing Team, with 17-year-old German Finn Wiebelhaus at the wheel. Quite possibly exaggerated by a late red flag interrupting his rivals’ final laps and bringing the session to an early halt, Wiebelhaus’ advantage over the Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 296 of Christian Hook was a yawning 1.765s.
While Wiebelhaus will race alone this weekend, South African Kwanda Mokoena is scheduled to join him when Haupt returns to the GT Winter Series for the Valencia and Barcelona rounds as part of its programme to develop young driving talent.
GT4 Winter Series
The driest of the six sessions for the GT4 brigade was the final one on Thursday, and Forsetti Motorsport duly took the opportunity to break the two-minute barrier around the rollercoaster Algarve International Circuit. Six-tenths faster than its nearest challenger, Jamie Day’s 1m59.731s lap in the Aston Martin Vantage suggested it could be another strong weekend for the squad that won on its very first outing last time out at Estoril.
That nearest challenger was Elite Motorsport’s McLaren Artura, with Zac Meakin turning the quickest lap.
One highlight of the final session on Friday was the ‘battle’ between Marcel Marchewicz (Schnitzelalm Racing Mercedes AMG) and Leo Pichler (Razoon Porsche Cayman). Though the track was too damp for the times to be relevant, there was certainly some spice to the wind-pummelled duel between the pair of Pro-rated drivers as they kept each other company for several laps.
Prototype Winter Series
In the dying minutes of the last session on Friday, the track was very nearly dry and the fastest times of the week came in. Quickest was Pedro Perino, giving 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 class-winning team Inter Europol cause for optimism as it joins the series one round in. Perino, who was born in Portugal, partners Danish driver Sebastian Gravlund in the squad’s Ligier this weekend. The Polish crew will assess its further participation in the series on a race-by-race basis.
Just a couple of tenths back was Sandro Holzem of Rinaldi Racing, whose Duqueine was evidently back in working order after an accident with Danny Soufi ruined his outing at Estoril. He’ll race without brother Juliano for company this weekend, driving the car solo instead.
Sportscar veteran and 1990 Le Mans podium finisher Franz Konrad, who is also Soufi’s team boss, made a welcome appearance in the Friday sessions. Still recovering from a leg injury, he was some way off the pace in the squad’s second Ligier. It was confirmed on Friday evening that Konrad won’t take part in the weekend races.
The DKR Engineering car, which scored a podium in the hands of Laurents Hörr and Tom van Rompuy at Estoril, blooded an all-new driver lineup ahead of the Portimao race weekend. The squad’s Duqueine will be driven by Chris Short and Wyatt Brichacek this time around.
