News Summary
- Aston Martin’s #007 Valkyrie topped FP3 at the Lone Star Le Mans, with Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble setting a 1:52.174.
- The Genesis #19 finished just 0.004s behind, while the Cadillac #38 completed the Hypercar top three.
- Ferrari led LMGT3 with the #21 of François Hériau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera, while Brazilian Pipo Derani finished 17th and last in Hypercar.
Aston Martin continued to set the pace at the 2026 Lone Star Le Mans, as the #007 Valkyrie topped Free Practice 3 at the Circuit of The Americas on Saturday morning. Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble set a 1:52.174, edging the Genesis #19 of Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and Daniel Juncadella by just 0.004s.
The result marked a second consecutive FP3/FP2 sweep for the #007, which had already led Friday’s second practice session. Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Sébastien Bourdais put the Cadillac #38 third, 0.261s off the pace.
Ferrari’s #51 was fourth with Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi, while Aston Martin’s #009 completed the top five with Álex Riberas and Marco Sørensen.
Ferrari takes LMGT3 honours
In LMGT3, the Ferrari #21 set the fastest time of the class, with François Hériau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera completing a 2:05.731 lap.
The Ferrari finished 0.138s ahead of the Iron Lynx Mercedes #61, driven by Maxime Martin, Martin Berry and Rui Andrade. The Ford #77 of Ben Tuck, Sebastian Priaulx and Eric Powell was third, another 0.094s behind.
The Heart of Racing Aston Martin #27 finished fourth, followed by the Garage 59 McLaren #10.
The result represented a strong response from the #21 after it had finished only 14th in Friday’s FP2. Meanwhile, the Mercedes #61 continued its strong form at COTA after finishing second in the previous session. Aston Martin’s #007 also topped FP2, setting a 1:52.567.
Incidents interrupt Ferrari’s session
FP3 was not without drama. The Ferrari #83 of AF Corse made contact with the Corvette #34, while Nicklas Nielsen’s Ferrari #50 suffered rear-end damage after contact with the Ford #77 during a lapping manoeuvre.
Nielsen’s 499P sustained a left-rear puncture and damage to the lower section of the bodywork, forcing the Ferrari into the pits. The #50 ultimately finished 10th in Hypercar, 0.871s off the pace.
The #94 Peugeot also had a moment, spinning in the first sector, but was able to continue. The Peugeot finished ninth with Loïc Duval, Malthe Jakobsen and Théo Pourchaire.
Despite the incidents, the final order at the front remained unchanged, with Aston Martin confirming its second straight session win at COTA.
The WEC now heads into qualifying later on Saturday, with LMGT3 taking to the track first before the Hypercar session and Hyperpole. Qualifying is scheduled for 3:00 PM local time (CDT) at the Circuit of The Americas.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is providing complete coverage of the Lone Star Le Mans, the fifth round of the 2026 World Endurance Championship.
WEC 2026: Lone Star Le Mans FP3 results — Hypercar
| Pos. | No. | Drivers | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 007 | H. TINCKNELL / T. GAMBLE | Aston Martin | 1:52.174 | — |
| 2 | 19 | M. JAMINET / P.-L. CHATIN / D. JUNCADELLA | Genesis | 1:52.178 | +0.004 |
| 3 | 38 | E. BAMBER / S. BOURDAIS / J. AITKEN | Cadillac JOTA | 1:52.435 | +0.261 |
| 4 | 51 | A. PIER GUIDI / J. CALADO / A. GIOVINAZZI | Ferrari | 1:52.639 | +0.465 |
| 5 | 009 | A. RIBERAS / M. SØRENSEN | Aston Martin | 1:52.679 | +0.505 |
| 6 | 12 | W. STEVENS / N. NATO / R. TAYLOR | Cadillac JOTA | 1:52.724 | +0.550 |
| 7 | 83 | R. KUBICA / P. HANSON / Y. YE | AF Corse | 1:52.873 | +0.699 |
| 8 | 7 | M. CONWAY / K. KOBAYASHI / N. DE VRIES | Toyota | 1:52.887 | +0.713 |
| 9 | 94 | L. DUVAL / M. JAKOBSEN / T. POURCHAIRE | Peugeot | 1:52.904 | +0.730 |
| 10 | 50 | A. FUOCO / M. MOLINA / N. NIELSEN | Ferrari | 1:53.045 | +0.871 |
| 11 | 8 | S. BUEMI / B. HARTLEY / RYŌ HIRAKAWA | Toyota | 1:53.109 | +0.935 |
| 12 | 36 | F. MAKOWIECKI / V. MARTINS / J. GOUNON | Alpine | 1:53.441 | +1.267 |
| 13 | 93 | N. CASSIDY / P. DI RESTA / S. VANDOORNE | Peugeot | 1:53.613 | +1.439 |
| 14 | 35 | A. F. DA COSTA / F. HABSBURG / C. MILESI | Alpine | 1:53.642 | +1.468 |
| 15 | 20 | R. FRIJNS / R. RAST / S. VAN DER LINDE | BMW | 1:54.119 | +1.945 |
| 16 | 15 | K. MAGNUSSEN / R. MARCIELLO / D. VANTHOOR | BMW | 1:54.180 | +2.006 |
| 17 | 17 | A. LOTTERER / P. DERANI / M. JAUBERT | Genesis | 1:55.225 | +3.051 |
WEC 2026: Lone Star Le Mans FP3 results — LMGT3
| Pos. | No. | Drivers | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | F. HÉRIAU / S. MANN / A. ROVERA | Vista AF Corse Ferrari | 2:05.731 | — |
| 2 | 61 | M. BERRY / R. ANDRADE / M. MARTIN | Iron Lynx Mercedes | 2:05.869 | +0.138 |
| 3 | 77 | E. POWELL / B. TUCK / S. PRIAULX | Proton Competition Ford | 2:05.963 | +0.232 |
| 4 | 27 | I. JAMES / Z. ROBICHON / M. DRUDI | Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin | 2:05.999 | +0.268 |
| 5 | 10 | A. AU / T. FLEMING / M. KIRCHHÖFER | Garage 59 McLaren | 2:06.054 | +0.323 |
| 6 | 23 | G. NEWELL / D. BARRICHELLO / J. ADAM | Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin | 2:06.087 | +0.356 |
| 7 | 88 | S. GATTUSO / G. LEVORATO / L. SARGEANT | Proton Competition Ford | 2:06.131 | +0.400 |
| 8 | 54 | T. FLOHR / F. CASTELLACCI / D. RIGON | Vista AF Corse Ferrari | 2:06.140 | +0.409 |
| 9 | 69 | A. MCINTOSH / P. THOMPSON / D. HARPER | Team WRT BMW | 2:06.219 | +0.488 |
| 10 | 78 | T. VAN ROMPUY / H. DAVID / E. MASSON | Akkodis ASP Team Lexus | 2:06.258 | +0.527 |
| 11 | 32 | D. LEUNG / S. GELAEL / A. FARFUS | Team WRT BMW | 2:06.300 | +0.569 |
| 12 | 79 | J. ZELGER / M. CRESSONI / L. HODENIUS | Iron Lynx Mercedes | 2:06.440 | +0.709 |
| 13 | 58 | A. WEST / F. GEHRSITZ / B. GOETHE | Garage 59 McLaren | 2:06.485 | +0.754 |
| 14 | 92 | Y. SHAHIN / R. PERA / R. LIETZ | Manthey Porsche | 2:06.905 | +1.174 |
| 15 | 87 | R. UMBRĂRESCU / C. SCHMID / J. M. LÓPEZ | Akkodis ASP Team Lexus | 2:06.918 | +1.187 |
| 16 | 91 | J. COTTINGHAM / T. BOGUSLAVSKIY / A. GÜVEN | Manthey DK Engineering Porsche | 2:07.083 | +1.352 |
| 17 | 33 | B. KEATING / J. EDGAR / N. CATSBURG | TF Sport Corvette | 2:07.151 | +1.420 |
| 18 | 34 | P. DEMPSEY / S. YOLUÇ / C. EASTWOOD | Racing Team Turkey Corvette | 2:07.155 | +1.424 |
FAQ
Who topped WEC FP3 at the Lone Star Le Mans?
Aston Martin’s #007 Valkyrie topped Hypercar FP3 with Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble in 1:52.174, 0.004s ahead of the Genesis #19.
Who led the LMGT3 class in FP3 at COTA?
The Ferrari #21 led LMGT3 with François Hériau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera, setting a 2:05.731.
When is Lone Star Le Mans qualifying?
WEC qualifying begins at 3:00 PM local time (CDT) on Saturday at the Circuit of The Americas, with LMGT3 qualifying followed by Hypercar qualifying and Hyperpole.
