Ferrari dominate Austin's third practice session; Alpine makes an initial impact

The World Endurance Championship (WEC) practice sessions in Austin, Texas, have seen some exciting performances, with Ferrari leading the way.

In the opening practice session, it was the BMW with starting number #20, driven by Sheldon van der Linde, that set the fastest time. Van der Linde, accompanied by Rast and Frijns, placed the BMW in tenth position in the practice session.

However, it was Ferrari that stole the show in the final practice session. Robert Kubica, behind the wheel of the #50 Ferrari, set the fastest lap of the weekend so far, with a time of 1:51.967 minutes on the Circuit of the Americas. This time was slightly slower than the previous best time set by Sheldon van der Linde, but it was enough to secure Ferrari's dominance. Nicklas Nielsen, driving the same car, placed the Ferrari in second position, just 0.190 seconds behind Kubica.

Charles Milesi in the #35 Alpine A424 placed third, two tenths of a second behind Nielsen. Mick Schumacher, driving the #36 Alpine, placed the car in seventh position, two and a half tenths behind Milesi.

Aston Martin, the newcomer to the WEC, has been performing well among the front runners. The #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie, driven by Tincknell and Gamble, placed sixth in the practice session, while the #38 Cadillac, driven by Button, Bourdais, and Bamber, took fourth place.

The practice session was declared a "wet session" by the race control, with wet conditions expected at least in the race on Sunday. Despite the challenging conditions, all teams seemed to handle the track well, indicating a promising race ahead.

Interestingly, the official Aston Martin factory team drivers in the WEC race in Austin 2025 are not explicitly listed in the search results. The sources primarily mention competing teams like Porsche and Cadillac but do not specify the Aston Martin WEC driver lineup for this event.

The #8 Toyota, driven by Hartley, Hirakawa, and Buemi, ended the practice session in ninth place. The #6 Porsche 963, driven by Estre, L. Vanthoor, and Campbell, finished the practice session in eighth place.

Jose Maria Lopez, substituting for the injured regular driver Mike Conway in the #7 Toyota, had a spin in turn 6 during the practice session. Despite the mishap, Lopez and his team seem to be getting a handle on the car, and they are expected to put up a strong fight in the qualifying and the race.

Times in the mid-1:50 range are expected for the subsequent qualifying, indicating a tight competition among the top teams. With the practice sessions providing a glimpse of what's to come, the WEC race in Austin promises to be an exciting event.

Ferrari dominate Austin's third practice session; Alpine makes an initial impact