Antonio Fuoco driving the No. 50 Ferrari 499P topped the timesheets in final WEC Bahrain practice, narrowly edging out the formidable Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
Fuoco commanded attention early in the session with a swift lap time of 1:49.725, which held as the benchmark despite fierce challenges throughout the 69-minute extended run, following a red flag incident that paused proceedings temporarily.
The final practice session for the 2025 WEC Bahrain 8 Hours unfolded as an intense and highly competitive run, setting the stage for what promises to be a thrilling FIA World Endurance Championship season finale.
The session began with drivers flooding the circuit under clear skies and warm track conditions, heightening the stakes for teams aiming to fine-tune their setups ahead of qualifying.
However, the flow was disrupted roughly eight minutes in when Celia Martin, piloting the Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R, encountered an accident at Turn 3.
This incident warranted a red flag, halting the session for about ten minutes as cleanup crews cleared the debris.
Shortly after resumption, residual debris on the track triggered a full course yellow period, further testing the focus and adaptability of the drivers.
Across the Hypercar class, the competition was fierce and tightly packed. No. 7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid driven by Kamui Kobayashi trailed Antonio Fuoco by a razor-thin margin of just 0.012 seconds, underscoring the intense duel between Ferrari and Toyota ahead of the weekend’s race.
The seamless head-to-head battle highlighted the level of engineering performance and driver skill exhibited by both manufacturers.
Behind the top two, Robert Kubica in the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P secured third fastest, crossing the gap of just over three-tenths of a second adrift Fuoco’s best lap.
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Other noteworthy performances in the Hypercar division came from Marco Sorensen in the No. 009 Aston Martin Valkyrie, who managed a strong fourth position, narrowly ahead of Will Stevens in the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA entry.
The championship-leading No. 51 Ferrari with Antonio Giovinazzi behind the wheel slotted into seventh place after the session resumed, closely following Malthe Jakobsen’s No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 entry.
Turning to the LMGT3 category, Martin Berry dominated final WEC Bahrain practice with a best lap of 2:03.158 aboard the No. 61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
Next up were the two Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3s, with Arnold Robin’s No. 78 car leading the No. 87 of Razvan Umbrarescu, while the title-contending No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 was fourth-fastest with Simon Mann driving.
The Iron Dames Porsche returned to the track later in the session after Martin’s early accident, ending up with the 11th-fastest time.
Two cars, the No. 93 Peugeot and the No. 46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO, were handed five-minute stop-and-hold penalties for red flag violations.
The final Qualifying sessions for the 2025 WEC Bahrain 8 Hours are set to get underway at 16:00 local time.
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