With an eye on protecting their tyres, the Maseratis took to the track forty minutes after the session had started but Bartels/Bertolini wasted no time in posting the third best time.

The other Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati, crewed by Bernoldi/Ramos, closed out the session in eleventh spot while the two Triple H Hegersport MC12s appeared to be improving all the time with Margaritis/Heger (8th) and Bobbi/Longin (14th).

The session was held up for a few minutes to allow Piccione/Hirschi’s No.9 Aston Martin to be removed from its stationary position on the track.

Air temperature 25°
Track temperature 31°

This weekend's action, round four of the GT1 World Championship, is taking place at the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet, France.

The Maserati MC12s fielded by the Vitaphone Racing Team performed well in the first 80 minutes: Bertolini (No.1) and Bernoldi (No.2) tested the water for the opening laps before really pushing on and setting fast lap times. Andrea Bertolini set his best time (2:06.226) on lap seven, edging out Kox's Lamborghini Murcielago and his team mate, Bernoldi (2:06.569). The other two Maseratis took eleventh (Bobbi) and thirteenth (Margaritis).

The driver changes took place halfway through the session and the time that was left was used for studying the track layout and making notes of the reference points that will be useful in qualifying and in the two races. This second half was when Accary topped the timesheet. Between him and Bertolini/Bartels (fourth) came the Nissan crewed by Campbell-Walter/Hughes and Kox/Haase in their Lamborghini. Bernoldi/Ramos came seventh and the two Triple H Hersport Maseratis closed the session in nineteenth and twentieth.