Leclerc tops WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain, Rossi has his first go

Arthur Leclerc ended up quickest in Hypercar in the WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain after a late lap, as Valentino Rossi gets his chance with BMW.

Ferrari development driver Arthur Leclerc put in an eye-catching performance in today’s FIA World Endurance Championship ‘Rookie Test’ at Bahrain International Circuit, setting the pace amongst the series newcomers as Valentino Rossi similarly starred.

Ferrari development driver Arthur Leclerc put in an eye-catching performance in today’s FIA World Endurance Championship ‘Rookie Test’ at Bahrain International Circuit (3 November), setting the pace amongst the series newcomers as Valentino Rossi similarly starred.

A traditional feature of the WEC calendar following the final race of the campaign, the Rookie Test offers drivers the opportunity to sample different cars and different categories, with many of those who took to the track today having either no or little prior endurance racing experience.

Leclerc, of course, is a race-winner in the European Le Mans Series, but still, the step from LMP2 up to the headlining Hypercar division is significant – and the 24-year-old Monégasque ace handled it in his stride.

After completing 61 laps behind the wheel of the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P, he ended up less than eight hundredths-of-a-second adrift of Nicklas Nielsen, who has piloted the car for the past two seasons.

Rossi was no less impressive. On his maiden Hypercar outing, the nine-time motorcycling world champion looked immediately at home in the BMW M Hybrid V8, and the Italian legend ultimately placed second on the Rookie timesheets, barely a tenth-of-a-second shy of Leclerc.

That left him two spots in front of BMW works driver Max Hesse – another enjoying Hypercar power for the first time – with the pair split by FIA Formula 2 Championship race-winner Victor Martins. Belying his complete lack of prior endurance experience, the Frenchman came out-of-the-blocks flying in the morning as he quickly got to grips with Alpine Endurance Team’s podium-finishing A424 prototype.

Thomas Neubauer placed fifth in the Rookie classification in Ferrari’s #51 499P, ahead of new AF Corse recruit Philip Hanson, in the #83 car he will race in 2025. After topping the timesheets for much of the afternoon session in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s GR010 Hybrid, Lexus LMGT3 regular Esteban Masson ultimately wound up tenth.

In the LMGT3 class, Ben Barnicoat produced a stellar effort to outpace the entire field in Akkodis ASP Team’s Lexus RC F LMGT3, going almost seven tenths-of-a-second faster than anybody else could manage. Mahaveer Raghunathan piloted Saturday’s race-winning Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 to second in the Rookie order, a fraction ahead of Aurélien Panis – son of former Monaco Grand Prix winner, Olivier Panis – in the car he was sharing with Barnicoat.