Sixty-two cars took to Circuit De la Sarthe Sunday for the first of two three-hour practice sessions ahead of next week’s 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary.

The #50 Ferrari 499P entry of Ferrari AF Corse, driven by Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, led the way with a lap of 3:30.686

Fast lap times were not team’s the priority, as race simulations were the focus.

Toyota Gazoo Racing, last year’s overall winner, had a difficult start. Mike Conway, driving the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, went off course at the Forest Esses to end the session.

The Japanese team could only muster the 4th fastest time of the session.

The first red flag of the session came out when the #93 Peugeot 9X8 came to a stop on the Mulsanne Straight due to mechanical issues, and the #88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR-19 caught fire.

Race control had an opportunity to implement the new 2023 safety car procedures after the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo suffered a puncture. The new procedures were designed to limit excessive gaps in the track when a safety car is deployed.

The #45 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca 07-Gibson and the #39 Graff Racing Oreca 07-Gibson had offs during the opening session.

With 35 laps, the #28 Oreca 07-Gibson from Jota completed the most laps.

Class leaders:

LMP2: #47 Oreca 07-Gibson, Cool Racing: Reshad de Gérus, Vladislav Lomko and Simon Pagenaud: 3:36.409

LMGTE Am: #66 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, JMW Motorsport: Thomas Neubauer, Louis Prette and Giacomo Petrobelli: 3:56.623

Garage 56: #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Hendrick Motorsports: Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller and Jenson Button: 3:56.880

The second session is scheduled for 3.30pm local.