(GMM) Carlos Sainz Jr. (pictured with Sainz Sr.) admits he is disappointed for “motorsport” that his father has bowed out of the race to replace controversial FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Rally icon Sainz senior, 63, declared this week that after a long period of deliberation, he had decided not to tackle the presidential elections in December.

“Disappointed?” Williams driver Sainz, 30, said when asked about it in Austria.

“As his son, no, but as a motorsport fan, yes.”

Indeed, Sainz senior had revealed over the past several weeks that he had been personally head-hunted by many who regarded him as a credible alternative to the increasingly divisive Ben Sulayem.

“Many would have liked to see my father trying and seeing what he could have done for the sport,” Sainz confirmed.

“But as his son, and after evaluating with him a bit all the aspects he had to be involved in and manage to confirm his candidacy for the presidency, I think I understand why he isn’t doing it and why he’s letting it go to focus on his own affairs.”

4-time grand prix winner Sainz also hinted that his father is unlikely to launch a more credible bid for the presidency of F1’s governing body in the future.

“Never say never,” said Sainz, “but I think the ideal time was now, given the current situation, for him to come in and try to have a positive impact.

“I don’t know if it would be ideal in four or eight years, but yes, never say never. But right now he is certainly not interested.”

When asked what sort of contribution his father would have made to the FIA, Williams driver Sainz pointed to what he sees as some of the current problems.

“In recent years, drivers have felt a certain lack of transparency and understanding with those at the top of the FIA,” he explained.

“And while the intentions have sometimes been good and the way the FIA has tried to do things has always been in the best spirit, I feel that, as drivers, we have always been a bit excluded. At times, our opinions have not been heard enough.”

Some think it’s interesting that, just as Sainz senior bows out of the running, the Ben Sulayem-led FIA has suddenly made the F1 stewards’ penalty guidelines public.

“Sometimes there have been corrections,” 30-year-old Sainz acknowledges, “but clearly, on other occasions, we haven’t felt the same, and we’ve made that very clear in our statements.

“We’ll see if it improves, and perhaps today’s press release from the FIA is already a sign of intentions to make everything a little clearer.”

NORWALK — Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley picked up the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday at Summit Motorsports Park, putting him in position for his first top spot of 2025 at the 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 10th of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Selections were also made for the opening round of the Pro Stock All-Star Callout, which takes place on Saturday. Top seed Anderson called out six-time champ Erica Enders, while Dallas Glenn picked Troy Coughlin Jr. Matt Hartford selected Eric Latino, setting the other first-round matchup as Aaron Stanfield against Jeg Coughlin Jr. The first round of the Pro Stock All-Star Callout takes place at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, with the semifinals at 1:20 p.m. and the finals at 3:50 p.m.

Ashley went 3.752-seconds at 330.88 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment dragster, holding off points leader Tony Stewart and Antron Brown as he seeks his first No. 1 qualifier of the year and seventh in his career. Ashley heads to Norwalk on a strong note, having advanced to the final round at five of the past six races. He was also named the Top Fuel winner last Sunday in Richmond after Shawn Langdon’s final-round run against Ashley was disqualified.

“Unlike in years prior, I feel like we’ve kind of flown under the radar a little bit this year. When you look at the first nine races, we’ve been to a total of five final rounds and that’s a really difficult thing to do in today’s Top Fuel class,” Ashley said.

“You know, we want to win races. It’s our goal to win races, but we also want to pick up steam here, you know, midway through the year and make sure that we’re in a good position going into the Countdown. That was a really good lap for us tonight. Tomorrow and Sunday, obviously it will be different conditions, but a nice job all the way around by the team.”

Brown took the second spot with a run of 3.755 at 333.33 and Stewart is third, going 3.755 at 327.11 after a huge engine explosion during the first session.

Funny Car’s Cruz Pedregon appears headed for an impressive turnaround and made another strong step on Friday in Norwalk, grabbing the provisional No. 1 spot in a loaded 21-car field with a stellar run of 3.890 at 318.39 in his 12,000-horsepower Snap-On Makers and Fixers Dodge Hellcat.

That gives the veteran and two-time world champion a strong chance to pick up his first No. 1 qualifier in more than two years, which would be another big step for the team. Currently, Pedregon is 11th in points, but he could make up ground in a major way if he can repeat Friday’s performance the next two days.

“We rolled the dice. Going up there it was either going to make a good run or we were going to see a whole lot of tire smoke,” Pedregon said. “I thought to myself we might mess around and rip down there and make a good run. I know you’re probably tired of hearing me, but we’re right there.

“We just need a little racing luck. It goes a long way. I have a young group. Jason (Bunker) my crew chief, is a young guy and most of my crew member are as well. Austin Prock has the Prock Rocket and we have the Bunker Buster.”

Points leader and defending world champion Prock is right behind in second with a 3.900 at 331.28 and Bristol winner Ron Capps is third after going 3.908 at 325.06.

In Pro Stock, Anderson enjoyed an ideal Friday to get ready for the Pro Stock All-Star Callout, making the quickest run in both qualifying sessions. That included a second session pass of 6.594 at 206.78 in his HendrickCars.com/Summit Racing Equipment as the points leader and reigning world champion continues to roll.

Should that hold, Anderson would take home his fourth No. 1 of the season and 136th in his career, but Anderson’s main focus was the confidence he’ll take into tomorrow’s Callout. The standout, who picked up his 1,000th career round win in Bristol, loved that it moved to Norwalk and he’ll be after a repeat win in the bonus race.

“I’ve got as much confidence as you can possibly take going into Saturday and Sunday but the truth is that in Pro Stock, cars are within .02-seconds and you never know who is going to win,” Anderson said. “We’ve got four cars in the (Callout) tomorrow so I like our chances.

“I was melting today. We all complain that it was too hot but it was a good day. My race car made two good runs. I’ve got a race winning horse, let’s just see if I can jockey it right.”

Glenn is currently second with a 6.596 at 207.15 and Matt Hartford’s 6.604 at 207.21 has him third.

Matt Smith put together a standout run to close the day in Pro Stock Motorcycle, going 6.824 at 200.68 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell. It puts the six-time world champion on track for his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and 59th in his career.

Smith led the points after the first two races but has suffered back-to-back losses in the second round at the most recent two events. Friday’s run is a sign he’s about to get on track and the veteran would love for it to happen in Norwalk.

“We’ve gotten beat up this year with the performance of the Vance & Hines bikes,” Smith said. “We’re behind about two or three hundredths but sometimes that’s all it takes. Today was very humid, and the air was bad, but track is very good and we made some nice runs. I’m No. 1 and John (Hall) is second and Ron (Tornow) is up there too.

“I think we’re in a good spot. We stayed Monday after Virginia to try and better ourselves. We tested in 101-degree heat and we’re focused on trying to get our four bikes in the top eight.”

Hall made two strong passes on Friday, including a 6.832 at 199.35 that puts him second, while Tornow is third after a 6.874 at 197.88.

Qualifying continues at noon Saturday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

NORWALK, Ohio — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, 10th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel

1. Justin Ashley, 3.752 seconds, 330.88 mph; 2. Antron Brown, 3.755, 333.33; 3. Tony Stewart, 3.755, 327.11; 4. Brittany Force, 3.784, 331.77; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.789, 324.59; 6. Dan Mercier, 3.813, 327.82; 7. Spencer Massey, 3.816, 319.37; 8. Josh Hart, 3.818, 325.37; 9. Clay Millican, 3.823, 324.20; 10. Shawn Reed, 3.847, 322.42; 11. Steve Torrence, 3.858, 326.56; 12. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.895, 305.29; 13. Doug Foley, 3.912, 305.29; 14. Will Smith, 3.997, 283.85; 15. Doug Kalitta, 3.997, 270.32; 16. Lex Joon, 6.317, 112.11.

Not Qualified: 17. Scott Farley, 10.120, 49.76.

Funny Car

1. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.890, 318.39; 2. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.900, 331.28; 3. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.908, 325.06; 4. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.913, 321.35; 5. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.926, 329.67; 6. Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 3.960, 327.11; 7. Hunter Green, Charger, 3.972, 322.50; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.997, 321.50; 9. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 4.005, 314.97; 10. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.040, 317.19; 11. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 4.061, 322.50; 12. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.072, 311.56; 13. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 4.087, 312.57; 14. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.127, 276.75; 15. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.150, 299.86; 16. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.229, 230.17.

Not Qualified: 17. Bobby Bode, 4.386, 205.19; 18. Julie Nataas, 5.037, 157.28; 19. Joe Morrison, 5.248, 147.04; 20. Mike McIntire, 5.617, 108.60; 21. Chris King, 6.759, 100.09.

Pro Stock

1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.594, 206.76; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.596, 207.15; 3. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.604, 207.21; 4. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.613, 206.73; 5. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.619, 205.57; 6. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.626, 206.57; 7. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.630, 206.95; 8. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.631, 207.82; 9. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.631, 205.66; 10. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.632, 206.89; 11. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.639, 207.05; 12. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.652, 207.59; 13. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.653, 204.35; 14. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.677, 207.08; 15. Derrick Reese, Ford Mustang, 6.721, 203.98; 16. Val Smeland, Camaro, 6.747, 204.73.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.824, 200.68; 2. John Hall, Beull, 6.832, 199.35; 3. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.874, 197.88; 4. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.888, 195.59; 5. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.902, 196.73; 6. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.906, 196.79; 7. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.935, 199.08; 8. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.964, 191.84; 9. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.966, 194.55; 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.990, 194.72; 11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.047, 192.63; 12. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.385, 181.89; 13. Odolph Daniels, Suzuki, 7.483, 178.02.

HAMPTON, Ga. — The debut of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge in Saturday night’s Cup Series race in Atlanta generated differing opinions and expectations from drivers.

After all, there’s a points race to attend to. Every team’s top priority is qualifying for the playoffs and trying to win the championship. Some drivers acknowledge they simply haven’t paid attention to the new race within the race.

Joey Logano says he sees no reason to view the new tournament as a distraction.

“If there’s something to win, you want to go win it,” Logano said Friday before winning the pole for Saturday night’s race in his Team Penske Ford.

Denny Hamlin is the No. 1 seed in the 32-driver In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament. Chase Briscoe, who held off Hamlin for his first win for Joe Gibbs Racing last week at Pocono Raceway, is the No. 2 seed. A $1 million prize awaits the winner as part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT.

Briscoe said Friday he felt “definitely a sigh of relief, you know, just a weight off your shoulders” following last week’s win. He said that sense of relief was shortlived.

“I’m expected to win multiple races, not just one,” Briscoe said. “It’s a sense of relief, but also more pressure because now they know you can win.”

NASCAR hopes the tournament generates mid-season interest. The single-elimination format cuts the field to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four at Dover and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Many drivers expect their interest in the tournament will increase after Saturday night’s race.

“I think some of the drivers have been kind of dismissive over the bracket challenge,” said Brad Keselowski, who enters the race No. 30 in the points standings and in need of a win in Atlanta to earn a playoff spot in his RFK Racing Ford.

“I think it’ll become a lot more real, whether it be for the drivers or for the media or the fans, as it progresses into the later rounds over the next few weeks,” Keselowski said.

Added Ricky Stenhouse, who is 24th in the points race, of the new tournament: “It’s cool. I think after this weekend you’ll have a little better idea of what you have. Our main goal in Atlanta is winning and getting into the playoffs.”

Team Penske dominates qualifying

Penske claimed four of the top five qualifying positions and Ford claimed all of the top five spots.

Logano was first at 178.960 mph, tying Josh Berry, who drives for Wood Brothers but has a technical alliance with Team Penske. Ryan Blaney qualified third and Austin Cindric was one spot back for Team Penske, while Ryan Preece, in another Ford for RFK Racing, was fifth.

“It definitely helps at the start for sure,” Logano said. “Being at the front and controlling the race is the thing for sure.”

Drawing ‘Uncle’ Noah

Briscoe is facing No. 31 seed Noah Gragson in the first bracket. He says it’s a difficult matchup, in part because “he’s actually probably my best friend on the circuit … and my son’s favorite driver.”

Briscoe said his 3-year-old son, Brooks, thinks of Gragson “like that uncle that just you take your kid to, and he has Pop-Tarts and ice cream and everything else when he’s with them.”

Added Briscoe: “Hopefully I’ll win. If not I’ll never here the end of it from Noah or my son.”

Briscoe posted a photo on his X account of his son’s bracket. The photo shows the smiling Brooks holding a bracket with his father’s No. 19 winning every round of the tournament.

Odds and ends

Ryan Blaney is the favorite (+800) to win the race, per BetMGM Sportsbook. Joey Logano and Austin Cindric, each at +1000, were next.

Daniel Suarez’s future in NASCAR remains muddled in uncertainty, though he is still relaxed about his situation for the time being.

The Mexican driver’s contract expires at the end of the season after he signed a one-year extension last year.

Suarez notched an impressive win at the Xfinity race in Mexico City, capturing the victory at his home race.

In the Cup Series, results have been a mixed bag. Suarez only has one top-five finish, while the other two drivers at Trackhouse Racing had much more success than the Mexican driver.

His teammates Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen both won races this season and are playoff-bound.

While this season is not going the way Suarez wants, he is still hopeful that he will stay with the team.

“We’ll see what happens,” he said on the Dale Jr. Download.

“There [are] still a lot of things [up] in the air, right now. There [are] just some things that I’m just uncomfortable in a few areas, a few things, but I love Trackhouse and I love this team. And this team for me has been my best home in the Cup Series.

“I want to have more success with this team and I want to see this team successful, regardless of if I’m in it or not. But we’ll see what happens.

“Right now, honestly, everything is an option. But I think there are a lot of things that honestly, I don’t even know the answer. All I know is that things are going to work out. They always do. I’m working very, very hard. The team is doing their job. The [No.] 99 team, what an amazing group of guys.

“My crew chief, mechanics, and the pit crew. I have an amazing group, and we’ll see what happens. But there are still a lot of things in the air, and I hope that everything works out in a way that everyone is happy.”

Suarez broke into NASCAR with Joe Gibbs Racing, eventually leaving to join Stewart-Haas Racing, before ending up at Trackhouse.

Trackhouse has JR Motorsports standout Connor Zilisch as the team’s development driver.

His impressive racing in the Xfinity series might net him a seat in the Cup Series.

Suarez needs a win to capture a playoff spot and potentially save his seat.

“A lot of things have happened in the last 10 months or so,” Suarez added on his podcast appearance.

“I love Trackhouse. This is my home, and I’m forever thankful for everything that Justin and Trackhouse and Ty Norris, at the time, and a lot of people have done to build this amazing place.

“Lately, it’s been a little bit of a struggle, not just on the track but also off the track in a few things, and right now, we are in a must-win situation. We’re in a must-win situation. The good thing about that is that we have good racetracks [coming] for us.”

For more NASCAR news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.

After almost 90 minutes of waiting due to lightning in the area, the NASCAR Xfinity race finally got underway with five laps left in the first stage.

Unfortunately, that lengthy delay made some drivers antsy and they didn’t make it half-a-lap into the restart before a massive crash broke out.

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Jesse Love tried to make an aggressive move to the outside in an attempt to shuffle out Sam Mayer and take the race lead. However, Mayer quickly defended the position and Love tried to get back in line, but Nick Sanchez was already there.

Love went spinning in the middle of the pack, igniting a massive crash that damaged at least ten cars. Along with Love, the following drivers were also involved: Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith, Sheldon Creed, Justin Allgaier, Katherine Legge, Jeb Burton, Christian Eckes, Anthony Alfredo, Patrick Staropoli.

Of those involved in the wreck, six were unable to continue, but all were checked and released from the infield care center. Surprisingly, Love remained on the lead lap and competitive in his wounded No. 2 RCR Chevrolet.

Creed, who started the race from pole position, had dominated the event until the red flag for weather. He was going to be leading when the race resumed, but chose to pit early. That decision put him deep in the pack and ultimately ended his night as he got swept up in the melee.

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“Just frustrated,” said Creed after being released from the infield care center. “I feel like I’ve lost count on how many times we’ve been crashed this year … felt like we had a car capable of winning tonight … they started crashing down the backstretch and I checked up, thought I missed it completely — I was just trying to creep through there, and the #8 [Smith], I don’t know if he didn’t have brakes or just decided not to lock it down, but it just got me and I guess I wasn’t heads up enough to be watching him. Just bummed for my team.”

Taylor Gray went on to win the stage under caution.

Photos from Atlanta II – Race

CJ McLaughlin, DGM Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Jesse Love, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Sam Mayer, Haas Factory Team Ford

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Austin Hill, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

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Aric Almirola, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Nick Sanchez, Big Machine Racing

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Blaine Perkins, Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Leland Honeyman, Cope Family Racing Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Katherine Legge, Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Brennan Poole, Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Garrett Smithley, SS Greenlight Racing

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Sam Mayer, Haas Factory Team Ford

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Brandon Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Anothony Alfredo, Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Sam Mayer, Haas Factory Team Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Taylor Gray, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Josh Bilicki, DGM Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Harrison Burton, AM Racing Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Brennan Poole, Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Carson Kapvil, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Kyle Sieg, RSS Racing Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Aric Almirola, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Austin Hill, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory Team Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory Team Ford

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Race start

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Multi-car crash

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Josh Williams, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, Parker Retzlaff, Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Track cleaning

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Parker Retzlaff, Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet, Blaine Perkins, Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet, William Sawalich, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Josh Williams, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Parker Retzlaff, Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory Team Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory Team Ford

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Greg Van Alst, Joey Gase Motorsports Chevrolet, Carson Kapvil, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory Team Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Nick Sanchez, Big Machine Racing

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Nick Leitz, SS Greenlight Racing Ford

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Aric Almirola, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Nick Sanchez, Big Machine Racing

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Parker Retzlaff, Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet, Blaine Perkins, Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet, William Sawalich, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Josh Williams, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

CJ McLaughlin, DGM Racing Chevrolet

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory Team Ford

David J. Griffin Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Nick Sanchez, Big Machine Racing

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Jesse Love, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Daniel Dye, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, Matt DiBenedetto, Viking Motorsports Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory Team Ford

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Jesse Love, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Anothony Alfredo, Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Carson Kapvil, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory Team Ford

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Read Also:

NASCAR resumes Atlanta Xfinity race after 80 minute lightning delay

Joey Logano earns NASCAR Cup pole in a tie as Ford dominates Atlanta qualifying

In-season challenge matchups “could cause chaos” in Atlanta Cup race

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Comments on Superpole

Joel Sturm (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “I managed a pretty good lap – I don’t think more would have been possible. With pole position in the Gold Cup, we’ve achieved our minimum goal, and we’re also starting as the best Porsche. In terms of performance, however, we are still a bit lacking compared to the competition. Let’s see how it goes for us in the race.”

Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 911 GT3 R #22): “We were hoping for a place in the top 10, but to start the biggest GT3 race in the world from eleventh position is not a bad starting position either. Unfortunately, not everything worked perfectly for us in Superpole. But we have a good car and still a warm-up ahead of us in which we can make the final fine-tuning.”

Patric Niederhauser (Porsche 911 GT3 R #96): “I always think it’s cool when I get to drive the Superpole here at Spa. Our 911 GT3 R worked very well and I managed two good laps. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the front, but the race is long – I’m looking forward to it.”

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 911 GT3 R #18): “This session didn’t go well for us because of the red flag – the interruption came in the middle of my second fast lap. After that, I had to try again with the same tyres. Of course, this is suboptimal, but that’s the rules. At the end of the day, it doesn’t make much difference, because the race lasts twice around the clock. Nevertheless, there is still a little work ahead of us for tomorrow.”

Results Superpole session

1st (1st Pro) Loake/Kirchhöfer/Goethe (GBR/CHE/DEU), McLaren #59, 2m 15.113s
2nd (2nd Pro) Stolz/Gounon/Schiller (DEU/AND/DEU), Mercedes-AMG #17, 2m 15.527s
3rd (3rd Pro) Vanthoor/Van der Linde/Wittmann (BEL/ZAF/DEU), BMW #31, 2m 15.713s
9th (1st GC) Ineichen/Heinemann/Sturm (CHE/DEU/DEU), Herberth Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, 2m 16.127s
11th (10th Pro) Bachler/Güven/Heinrich (AUT/TUR/DEU), Schumacher CLRT, Porsche 911 GT3 R #22, 2m 16.214s
15th (13th Pro) Müller/ Niederhauser/Picariello (DEU/CHE/BEL), Rutronik Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #96, 2m 16.668s
17th (15th Pro) Buus/Campbell/Jaminet (DNK/AUS/FRA), Dinamic GT, Porsche 911 GT3 R #18, 2m 17.068s

The other grid positions (result of the qualifying on Thursday)

22nd (3rd GC) Adelson/Skeer/Sargent (USA/USA/AUS), Wright Motorsports, Porsche 911 GT3 R #120, 2m 18.428s
23rd (19th Pro) Lietz/Malykhin/Preining (AUT/GBR/AUT), Pure Rxcing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #911, 2m 18.443s
45th (8th BC) Rindone/Kolb/Feller/Pera (FRA/DEU/CHE/ITA), Lionspeed GP, Porsche 911 GT3 R #80, 2m 21.433s
46th (6th SC) Rappange/Al Rifai/Pieris/Baud (NLD/ARE/LKA/FRA), Dinamic GT, Porsche 911 GT3 R #54, 2m 21.439s
57th (13th BC) Schuring/Au/Hartog/Rump (NLD/HKG/NLD/EST), Rutronik Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R #97, 2m 22.148s
58th (14th BC) Bohn/A. Renauer/R. Renauer/Jefferies (DEU/DEU/DEU/ZWE), Herberth Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, 2m 22.176s
61st (1st PAM) Abramczyk/Detry/Duffieux/Yuan (FRA/BEL/BEL/CHN), AV Racing by Car Collection Motorsport, Porsche 911 GT3 R #29, 2m 22.588s

Pro = Pro class; PAM = Pro-Am Cup; GC = Gold Cup; SC = Silver Cup; BC = Bronze Cup

All results under https://www.gt-world-challenge-europe.com/watch-live