Now, here is a driver who refuses to let a packed schedule slow him down. Tom Fleming reached the track late for the weekend's 6 Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar (16-18 October), yet the Garage 59 driver delivered a superb display to secure LMGT3 class pole position for the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign.
Because of concurrent duties at the GT World Challenge season finale at Portimão, Fleming missed all of Friday’s free practice sessions. His very first laps around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya only came during the morning’s hour-long FP3 session. Yet, after team-mate Antares Au advanced beyond the initial qualifying stage for just the second time, Fleming climbed back into the cockpit of the #10 McLaren 720S Evo for the 10-minute Hyperpole shootout. Having previously grabbed top spot on the grid in his only other Hyperpole appearance during April's curtain-raiser at Imola, he simply repeated the feat.
"Credit to the team for constantly performing at a high level and giving us a really good package," the 24-year-old FIA WEC rookie remarked. "Having missed FP1 and FP2, there was a lot for me to absorb, but Antares, Marvin [Kirchhöfer] and the entire team did an amazing job in setting the car up, which made the transition as easy as possible. It’s nice to be back on the front row and to keep my 100 per cent Hyperpole streak going!"
By posting the quickest two times of the session, Fleming cemented the fifth LMGT3 pole for McLaren. He ultimately wound up a slender 0.122 seconds clear of Riccardo Pera in the #92 The Bend Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R. Right behind them, Simon Mann placed third in VISTA AF Corse’s Ferrari 296 Evo as the Prancing Horse attempts to end an 11-race winless run in the production-based category.
Further down the order, the Corvette Z06.Rs took a significant step forward in qualifying after largely struggling during free practice. Ben Keating guided the championship-leading #33 TF Sport entry into Hyperpole for the first time in 2026, allowing Jonny Edgar to grab fourth on the grid as he looks to extend his margin at the summit of the standings. Rui Andrade sealed fifth in the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG, while Sean Gelael rounded out the top six for Team WRT in the #32 BMW M4 Evo.
It was a tougher outing for Aston Martin, with neither of the Heart of Racing Team cars making the top ten. Ian James brought up the rear of the 18-strong order in the title-chasing #27 Vantage AMR. The inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar is scheduled to begin at 12:00 local time (CEST) on Sunday, 18 October.
