Former Formula 1 racer Robert Kubica, in the privately entered No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, topped the first session of the FIA World Endurance Championship Prologue test at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar this afternoon. The three-hour session was disrupted by a number of relatively brief red flags.

Kubica’s best of 1m41.673s saw him three tenths clear of Will Stevens in the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota V-Series R, these the only drivers under 1m42s in the session.

It was tight across the Hypercar field, with just over a second separating the top six cars in the session which included all three Ferraris, both Cadillacs and the No. 15 BMW of Dries Vanthoor.

As a marker for how much available pace has been removed by an effort to dissuade track limits violations with new gravel traps installed at nine different locations, the fast time was around two seconds slower that the 2024 pole time (1m39.347s).

The big headline in Hypercar, of course, is the addition of the Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyries to the field. It was an encouraging first session for the team, which completed over 100 laps across both of its cars, the No. 007 around two seconds off the fastest time in the session with the No. 009 a further second down.

Many eyes are on Cadillac Hertz Team Jota too at this early stage of the season. The British team, in its first public appearance as General Motors’ service provider in the top class, saw its pair of V-Series.Rs wind up second and sixth in the order, sandwiching the two factory Ferraris.

Vista AF Corse’s Francois Heriau caused the first red flag, sliding into the gravel in the No. 55 296 GT3, with Claudio Schiavoni bringing out the second in the No. 60 Iron Lynx AMG GT3 before the No. 6 Penske Porsche stopped at Turn 6, causing the third stoppage.

A more serious issue hit the No. 77 Ford Mustang towards the end of the session after the Mustang suffered a significant fire with Ben Tuck at the wheel. The young British driver was able to escape unhurt but had to return to the burning car, the engine compartment fully alight, to assist Marshalls in removing the hood.

The Mustang suffered heavy front-end fire damage with the paintwork blistered along the length of the driver’s door. It is unlikely to run in the second session this evening.

Ben Barnicoat topped the LM GT3 times in his No. 78 Akkodis ASP Lexus with a 1m55.862s, the only sub-1m56s time of the session.

Next up was Dani Juncadella’s No. 33 TF Sport Corvette, around a quarter of a second back with the top three completed by the No. 54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari of Davide Rigon. The second Lexus and the second Corvette completed the top five.