A SUFFERED FERRARI ONE-TWO IN AN UNPREDICTABLE RACE

A six-hour of Spa packed with drama, incidents, and high-stakes strategy ended with a well-earned but far from easy 1-2 finish for Ferrari. What initially seemed like a potential cruise to victory turned into a tense, unpredictable battle where every second and every drop of fuel mattered. The #51 Ferrari 499P crossed the line first, just ahead of its sister car, which was held back—at least in part—by a questionable refueling call during the final pit stop. The team likely had the margin to avoid unnecessary risks, but probably didn’t anticipate such a strong late-race push from Mick Schumacher in the Alpine.

Schumacher’s final stint was nothing short of spectacular. The German driver methodically closed the gap to the leading Ferraris, applying intense pressure all the way to the checkered flag. Nicklas Nielsen, behind the wheel of the #51, had to engage in heavy fuel-saving tactics—lifting and coasting—to avoid a last-minute splash-and-dash. In the end, he held on by just nine-tenths of a second, enough for victory but not nearly enough for comfort.

The race itself unfolded with far more unpredictability than expected. Frequent full-course yellows, on-track incidents, and aggressive wheel-to-wheel action threw strategy books out the window. In this turbulent setting, the veteran crew of Toyota's #8 car shined. While it lacked outright pace, its strategic execution was near-perfect, allowing the team to claw back from the rear of the field into a solid fourth place.

Behind the podium finishers, Cadillac secured fifth and sixth with both cars, including the #38, which was able to recover from early-race penalties thanks to a flurry of neutralizations. The second Toyota finished seventh, just ahead of the second Alpine and the Porsche #6. Porsche, unfortunately, never found consistent pace, with only a few late-race flashes from Kevin Estre helping to secure a top-10 finish.

Rounding out the top 10 was the #15 BMW, driven by Raffaele Marciello—BMW's sole survivor after the #20 was forced to retire due to a brake failure while battling for a podium spot. It was a bitter end to what could have been a breakthrough performance for the Bavarian marque.

Peugeot didn’t fare much better. The #93 9X8, which had shown more promise than it did at Imola, saw its chances evaporate due to a poorly timed and miscalculated strategy following the final safety car. It was a clear step forward in performance, but once again, poor execution cost them dearly.

Ferrari’s weekend of success extended to the LMGT3 category as well. The #21 Ferrari 296 GT3 took class honors after a commanding race, followed by the #98 Ford and the #54 Ferrari from the Vista team. It was a challenging, often chaotic race, but one that ultimately ended in celebration for the Scuderia—twice over.

© Simone Marchetti Cavalieri

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