Antonio Fuoco (No.50) led Alessandro Pier Guidi (No.51) in the Hyperpole session, securing the first pole position for Ferrari in the race since 1973.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Arturo Merzario and Carlos Pace claimed pole position that year in a Ferrari 312 PB ahead of Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman.<\/p>\n
With a 3:22.982s best lap, Fuoco eclipsed the Hypercar qualifying lap record of 3:23.900s set by Toyota in 2021.<\/p>\n
READ MORE:<\/strong> Aussies tear through India in historic collapse<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Freddy rips Maroons star's call after Koroisau hit<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Queensland star points finger at media over ball-carrying style<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n ULTIMATE GUIDE:<\/strong> What ties LeBron and Brady to 24 Hours of Le Mans\ufeff<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Fuoco wound up seven tenths clear of his teammate, averaging 241km\/h around the 13.6km circuit.<\/p>\n It also marked the first time since 2016 that a Toyota hasn't started on pole.<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/FIAWEC\/status\/1666887564832256000<\/a><\/p>\n Fuoco is the first Italian to take pole for the 24 Hours of Le Mans since Rinaldo Cappello in 2006.<\/p>\n "It was a really good lap, really tough qualifying," said Fuoco.<\/p>\n "My first lap was slower than the sister car, then I put it all together.<\/p>\n "It's something special, to be honest.<\/p>\n "I want to enjoy the moment, then we will think about the race."<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/FIAWEC\/status\/1666875154159239184<\/a><\/p>\n Qualifying wasn't without a dose of drama. Sebastien Bourdais was running third when he pulled over on the Mulsanne Straight and his Cadillac burst into flames.<\/p>\n That brought the session to a halt with five minutes remaining, offering only a one-lap dash at the end.<\/p>\n Brendon Hartley (No.8) was able to vault his Toyota to third with his last lap.<\/p>\n Felipe Nasr (No.75) split the two Toyotas at the death, putting his Porsche into fourth.<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/FIAWEC\/status\/1666887570423160835<\/a><\/p>\n While Ferrari may be the fastest on single-lap pace, Toyota are widely considered the favourites for the event.<\/p>\n Ferrari last took overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965 with Masten Gregory, Ed Hugus, and Jochen Rindt in a Ferrari 250 LM.<\/p>\n It was the last of six straight Ferrari wins at Le Mans.\ufeff<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/FIAWEC\/status\/1666887574885892098<\/a><\/p>\n Australia's Ryan Briscoe will start \ufeff12th in the 16-car Hypercar field.<\/p>\n James Allen, the only other Australian in the field, \ufeffwill start 25th overall and ninth in the LMP2 class. His team was second in the Pro-Am sub-division.<\/p>\n \ufeffThe 91st running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans gets underway on Saturday at midnight with Stan Sport carrying coverage from 11pm.<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here<\/strong><\/em><\/a>!\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"