Aston Martin Tops Both Classes in COTA Free Practice

Overview

• Friday practice opened with AF Corse Ferraris quickest in FP1 as Antonio Giovinazzi set a 1:53.824 benchmark on medium tyres, but that early order did not hold into the afternoon.
• In FP2 Harry Tincknell put the No. 007 Aston Martin Valkyrie fastest in Hypercar with a 1:52.567 while Zach Robichon led LMGT3 in the Heart of Racing Aston with a 2:05.609.
• Teams ran broad tyre tests of Michelin medium and hard compounds and mixed fits to study single-lap speed and tyre life, with most Hypercars using full medium sets and a few trying full or mixed hard fits.
• On-track incidents interrupted FP2: Mathys Jaubert spun into the run-off and caused a brief red flag, Marco Sørensen became trapped in an escape road and caused a yellow, and Kevin Magnussen faces a post-session investigation.
• Session-to-session movement — including Team WRT BMWs climbing from the back of FP1 into the top 10 in FP2 — underlines a changing pecking order that teams must consolidate in FP3 before qualifying and Hyperpole.