FIA GT3: Ferrari and Mercedes Dominate Qualifying in Portugal

Ferrari and Mercedes Dominate Qualifying in Portugal

The first two qualifying sessions of the 2011 FIA GT3 European Championship saw Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz take top honours, with BMW being the only other manufacturer represented in the top 3 places for Rounds 1 & 2. On his international GT debut, former Formula 3 driver Francesco Castellacci took Pole Position in the first session in the nr50 AF Corse Ferrari 458 with a lap time of 1:45.722, 0.6 seconds faster than the Need for Speed Team Schubert BMW Z4 of Edward Sandstroem, with both drivers challenging for the top position in the final half of the 20-minute session. Joakim Lambotte, in the nr4 Graf Racing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, was third quickest and will line up on the second row for this afternoon's race alongside the Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo of Nikolas Meyr-Melnhof. The session was red flagged after only 4 minutes due to an accident when the nr 36 Faster Racing by DB Motorsport Aston Martin DBRS9 of Harrie Kolen hit the barrier at Turn 14. The driver was taken to the medical centre for routine checks and the car was recovered before the session resumed. In the second qualifying session it was Mike Parisy in the nr3 Graff Racing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG which took the top position with the fastest time of the two session of 1:45.514, 0.194s ahead of the MTECH Ferrari 458 Italia of Matt Griffin. Castellacci's team mate Federico Leo will head the second row for Sunday's race in the nr50 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia, with a lap time of 1:45.860, 0.092s ahead of the Team LMP Motorsport Aston Martin DBRS9 of Maxime Martin. Round 1 of the 2011 FIA GT3 European Championship will take place at 14:15 (local time) this afternoon and Round is at 11:15 on Sunday. CLICK HERE for the result from Round 1 Qualifying CLICK HERE for the result from Round 2 Qualifying Info: Jeff Carter/Media Delegate. Fotos: DPPI.