[WEC 2025] AF Corse starts from pole position in Austin

Robert Kubica claimed pole position for the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of The Americas. The Ferrari AF Corse driver took advantage of variable, intermittent rain conditions to secure his first pole in the Hypercar category of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The light rain that started early on Saturday completely altered the qualifying dynamics. The scorching temperatures from Friday's free practice sessions gave way to a wet track, forcing risky decisions on tyre choice.

The Cadillac teams and the Toyota #7 opted to switch to wet tyres midway through Q1. Alex Lynn began setting competitive times, but when the rain eased, these cars ended up at the bottom of the timesheet.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

Kubica Masters the Changing Conditions Better

In the ten-minute Hyperpole session, Kubica managed the situation more effectively. Antonio Giovinazzi seemed to be his only real rival, but a mistake by the Ferrari #51 driver towards the end relegated him to second on the grid. Kubica won the pole by 0.096 seconds.

Kubica set a lap time of 1:57.655, also securing the extra championship point awarded for the pole position.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

Ford Mustang Dominates in LMGT3

Giammarco Levorato took pole in LMGT3 with the Ford Mustang #88 from Proton Competition. He beat his teammate Ben Tuck by just 0.018 seconds, securing a one-two finish for the American brand.

Levorato's qualifying was unusual. Stefano Gattuso had missed out on Hyperpole after finishing eleventh in Q1, leaving the 22-year-old Italian preparing to return to the hotel.

"Stefano found traffic on his fast lap, we were out of Hyperpole and I was getting changed to go back to the hotel," explained Levorato. "I had to jump back into the car very quickly, the session had already started."

The young driver had already taken the Mustang's first pole in IMSA last year. "The conditions weren't fully wet, but it was slippery. I didn't know the wet kerbs because it's my first time at COTA. The car was incredible."

Photo By Carlos Castillo

Toyota Endures Mixed Session

Toyota Gazoo Racing had mixed results. Ryo Hirakawa qualified eighth in the GR010 HYBRID #8, gaining access to Hyperpole. Kamui Kobayashi finished eighteenth in the #7, losing the gamble on wet tyres.

"The track conditions were very mixed in qualifying," explained Kobayashi, who is also the team principal. "We tried to move up the order by switching to wet tyres, as some competitors did, but it didn't work."

Hirakawa managed to reach Hyperpole but couldn't improve when the rain intensified in the final minutes. "It was a tricky day with the weather. I got a good lap in at the end of qualifying, but in Hyperpole it was more difficult. I didn't put good laps together, which is a shame."

Peugeot Loses Third Place Due to Rain Light

Jean-Éric Vergne had initially put the Peugeot 9X8 #93 third, but the team had all its lap times deleted. The penalty was applied because the rear rain light was not permanently on when Race Control declared the track wet.

This penalty promoted Kévin Estre to third place in the Porsche #6, followed by Nicklas Nielsen in the Ferrari #50 and Nicolas Varrone in the independent #99 Porsche from Proton Competition.

In LMGT3, Ben Keating received a three-place grid penalty for contact, affecting the final position of the Corvette #33 from TF Sport which he shared with Jonny Edgar.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

Lone Star Le Mans Qualifying Results

HYPERCAR

LMGT3

The six-hour race will start this Sunday, September 7th at 13:00 local time (20:00 CET).