6 HOURS OF SPA: FERRARI DOMINATES AGAIN WITH A 1-2 FINISH

Ferrari’s dominance in the FIA WEC shows no signs of slowing. At the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Prancing Horse asserted its supremacy once more with a commanding one-two finish that solidified its lead in the championship standings. The No. 51 499P, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi, and James Calado, secured its second consecutive win, followed closely by the sister car of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen. Capping off a flawless weekend, Ferrari also triumphed in the LMGT3 class with drivers Alessio Rovera, Simon Mann, and François Heriau.

The race got off to a perfect start for Nielsen, who made the most of pole position to build an early gap. Behind him, Calado surged past Phil Hanson’s Ferrari to grab second. However, the standout start belonged to Frederic Makowiecki, who launched from sixth and charged through the field with a series of bold moves, eventually closing in on Nielsen and setting up a tense battle between Alpine and Ferrari.

The first major twist came nearly an hour in when Nico Pino stalled his Proton Competition Porsche 963 LMDh at the end of the Kemmel Straight. Although he eventually got going again, race control called for a Full Course Yellow. Shortly after the restart, drama struck Ferrari as Hanson had to return to the garage with an exhaust issue.

Another neutralization followed soon after when Yasser Shahin beached his BMW M4 GT3 at La Source and Petru Umbrarescu parked his Lexus on Kemmel. Under Virtual Safety Car conditions, most teams took the opportunity for their second stop. Ferrari also made its first driver change, with Molina taking over from Nielsen. Meanwhile, Giovinazzi replaced Calado and immediately found himself battling the Peugeots of Paul Di Resta and Loïc Duval.

Jules Gounon then picked up where Makowiecki left off, blazing through Spa’s undulating terrain to pass Molina and take the lead for Alpine during the second hour. Gounon began to pull away, but another interruption occurred just as the third hour began: Matteo Cairoli collided with Sean Gelael, sending the McLaren 720S GT3 hard into the barriers at Les Combes. This brought out the safety car again due to both the crash damage and the need to repair the track’s safety features.

Once again, the caution period prompted a strategic reshuffle. With the exception of a brief attack from Jean-Eric Vergne’s Peugeot, Ferrari and Alpine remained the only consistent frontrunners. Even another FCY, caused by contact between Eduardo Barrichello and Sebastian Baud at Fagnes, didn’t disrupt the established order. Ferrari’s Fuoco and Pier Guidi stayed in close contention with Schumacher now behind the wheel of the Alpine.

After the restart, Fuoco reclaimed the lead while Pier Guidi, momentarily passed by Schumacher, engaged in an electrifying duel with Robin Frijns’ BMW. Pier Guidi made a spectacular move at Blanchimont to retake position. A slow puncture then forced Schumacher to pit early, allowing Ferrari to manage tire and fuel strategy for the final stint. The decision paid off: Pier Guidi made a quick fuel top-up with 12 minutes remaining and rejoined the track ahead of teammate Nielsen. The two Ferraris crossed the line first, with the Alpine securing another podium after its strong showing in Imola.

Toyota had a commendable recovery, with Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa climbing from 15th to finish fourth thanks to a flawless strategy that avoided a final splash-and-go. They were followed by the two Cadillacs, with Lynn, Nato, and Stevens besting the trio of Button, Bamber, and Bourdais. Despite an early puncture, Conway, Kobayashi, and De Vries finished seventh, ahead of the Alpine of Milesi, Habsburg, and Chatin.

Porsche endured a tough race. Estre, Vanthoor, and debutant Pascal Wehrlein came home ninth, just ahead of BMW’s Marciello and Magnussen, who served two drive-through penalties—first for speeding in the pit lane, then for a VSC violation. The second Penske Porsche 963 LMDh had an even tougher day, finishing 12th after being hit by Bourdais’ Cadillac on the opening lap.

Peugeot’s weekend ended in frustration. Despite finally showing competitive pace—thanks in part to a more favorable Balance of Performance—the 9X8 LMHs couldn’t capitalize. A late contact forced Malthe Jakobsen to retire with a damaged rear suspension. Meanwhile, the sister car driven by Vergne, Di Resta, and Jensen was let down by a suboptimal final strategy and finished 11th. Aston Martin’s Valkyries, once again, struggled to make an impact.

The LMGT3 class provided plenty of action, with constant lead changes involving Lexus, Aston Martin, BMW, and Porsche. But it was the Ferrari 296 GT3 from AF Corse that emerged victorious after a clean, well-executed race. Mann and Heriau handed over a competitive car to Rovera, who carved his way to the front and managed the gap to win by 14 seconds.

Second place went to the Ford Mustang GT3 of Giammarco Levorato, Stefano Gattuso, and Dennis Olsen—earning Proton Competition their first podium of the season. Francesco Castellacci, Thomas Flohr, and Davide Rigon, who led in the final two hours, had to settle for third by just 1.8 seconds. They finished ahead of another Mustang, driven by Barker, Tuck, and Sousa.

The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Drudi, James, and Robichon rounded out the top five, edging out the Racing Spirit of Leman sister car. Seventh went to the Imola-winning Porsche 911 GT3 of Pera, Lietz, and Hardwick. After an explosive start, the Lexus RC F GT3 of Gehrsitz, Robin, and Nakayama finished eighth, followed by the BMW M4 GT3 of Valentino Rossi, Kelvin van der Linde, and Ahmad Al Harty. The Iron Dames—Celia Martin, Rahel Frey, and Michelle Gatting—completed the top ten with another solid performance.

© Cavalieri Garage & Co.