The 1st practice session for Race F was a great battle and at the end the older driver, Marco Werner, a treble winner at Le Mans 24 Hours for Audi, in a Lotus 77, edged out for only 113/1000 of a second the young and talented Michael Lyons in a McLaren M26.

Both Ferrari drivers, Jean Alesi (3rd) and René Arnoux (10th), did everything they could but encountered minor problems on their superb Ferrari 312 B3s dating back to 1974, confronted to much recent cars. Arnoux then analysed the situation without abandoning his traditional smile. He had enjoyed the quality of the car, which made him feel at home, but he had a gearbox problem which limited his session to 7 laps only. However, he remains positive about the qualifications on Saturday afternoon.