Eduardo Barrichello saw off both McLaren cars to claim pole position for his #10 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin squad, as they hope to win the World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Fuji.
The Brazilian’s effort of 1:39.981 was enough to award him his second pole position of his career, after Anthony McIntosh safely brought the team through Q1 in his second WEC appearance.
The two United Autosports McLaren cars set the pace in Q1 in the hands of James Cottingham and Darren Leung, while Sébastien Baud and Sean Gelael looked set to take a lockout for the outfit. The #95 went fastest with a 1:40.011 before the sister #59 followed them with a 1:40.013, a remarkable 0.002s difference. However, Barrichello spoiled the McLaren party with a surprise lap just 0.030s ahead of the pair.
“I’m really surprised to be here,” he admitted. “We were towards the back in two of the three practice sessions and we tried a lot of stuff because we knew we weren’t looking very good. We took a lot of risks, but the team has worked so well – everybody has done an amazing job,” before adding, “Tony [McIntosh] is such a legend putting us into Hyperpole again.”
Zacharie Robichon rounded out an all-Aston/McLaren front four in his Vantage, posting a 1:40.387. The championship-leading Porsche followed, driven by Riccardo Pera, as they hope their 1:40.414 is enough to push them towards success come the chequered flag in Bahrain. However, title-chasing Corvette are right behind the German team. The #33 posted a 1:40.426 and was followed by its sister with a 1:40.490.
The #88 Ford Mustang finds itself sandwiched between the two AF Corse Ferrari motors in P8 and P10, as all three lapped closer to the 1:41 mark than the leading pack.
The sister #77 Mustang suffered an engine failure in FP3. It was unable to start the session, a bitter disappointment after nearly claiming its maiden victory a few weeks ago at the Circuit of the Americas.
Neither BMW nor Mercedes saw a car advance to Hyperpole, while home-heroes Lexus also suffered the same fate after topping the charts on Friday.
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