Antonio Fuoco led the FIA GT World Cup Qualification Race from start to finish to seal pole position for tomorrow’s main event from Ferrari counterpart Yifei Ye.
The Italian’s perfect start allied with Ye fending off Raffaele Marciello ensured AF Corse’s 296 GT3 was never threatened during the 12-lap sprint. Fuoco pulled 4.5s clear of the chasing pack early on before seemingly easing off halfway through the race. 2.5 seconds separated him from Harmony’s Ferrari at the chequered flag.
Marciello’s fast start from fourth briefly allowed him to pass Alessio Picariello on the run to Lisboa. But with the BMW positioned on the outside of Ye, Absolute’s Porsche slipped back down the inside to re-take the final podium position. The trio then ran nose-to-tail for a time until Ye edged clear of the 911, which in turn dropped back towards Joel Eriksson’s Phantom Audi.
Ayhancan Guven completed the top six in Schumacher CLRT’s Porsche.
The race was relatively drama-free after several cars came to blows at Lisboa on lap one. Christopher Haase’s Audi nerfed the tyre barrier and was fortunate not to be hit by Edoardo Mortara, Benjamin Goethe and Sheldon van der Linde who all ended up in the escape road before continuing.
Cars will now line up in the order in which they finished when 2025’s FIA GT World Cup reaches its climax on Sunday. The 18-lap Main Race, which begins at 12:35 local time, is live on the FIA’s YouTube channel.