Mattia Drudi storms to Le Mans pole for Heart of Racing Team

Mattia Drudi has done it again. Just like last year, the 27-year-old put the Heart of Racing Team #27 Aston Martin Vantage on pole position for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was a masterclass in pressure management; after losing an initial flyer to a track limits violation, he went out and set a benchmark that left his closest rival almost a full second behind. It is a stunning display of speed at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The rest of the front runners fought hard to keep pace. Alessio Rovera secured second in the #21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari 296, while the Akkodis ASP Team duo of José María López and Jack Hawksworth claimed the second row. That team had a scare, though, when a door malfunction trapped Hawksworth in the pit-lane at the start. Further back, Team WRT filled the third row with a pair of BMW M4s for Sean Gelael and Parker Thompson, while the championship-leading #92 Manthey Porsche ended up 15th with Riccardo Pera.

There was a twist in the LMP2 ranks as well. Esteban Masson put in a sensational drive for Forestier Racing by Panis, only to have the joy dampened by a grid penalty stemming from an incident with Louis Rousset in qualifying. The #29 Oreca-07 Gibson will now start second, handing pole to the #28 IDEC Sport entry driven by Job van Uitert. As Drudi himself put it, “The car is quick and behaving really well.” It is a beautiful starting point for the 24-hour marathon ahead.