Thursday – Entry and Free Practice sessions
The FIA WEC returns to the "Ardennes Rollercoaster" for the 2026 TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Serving once again as the critical dress rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the paddock feels the tension of teams finalizing their aero kits and hybrid strategies. While the entry list remains largely stable from Imola, there are notable driver changes to account for. Louis Delétraz makes a high-profile Hypercar debut in the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, stepping in for Alex Lynn, while the #38 sister car welcomes Jack Aitken. BMW M Team WRT returns to full strength with Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde returning from their IMSA duties. Visually, the #79 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG is the standout, sporting a bespoke "flame" livery in red and black for their sponsor's home event.
The track conditions for the opening sessions were optimal, with the Belgian spring offering dry asphalt and mild temperatures, though the ever-present threat of Ardennes rain loomed in the forecast. Following last year's trend of falling lap times due to the resurfacing, the 2026 field immediately pushed the pace. In Free Practice 1, Antonio Fuoco proved that the Ferrari 499P remains the car to beat at this venue, posting a 2:02.955 in the #50 factory entry. He was followed closely by Alex Riberas in the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie, signaling that the Thor Team has found significant pace since the season opener.
The first session was not without drama, as a late red flag cut running short. However, the hierarchy began to settle with Ferrari, Aston Martin, and the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 occupying the top spots. The Alpine A424s and Peugeots followed, showing a tighter mid-pack spread than we saw at the same point last year.
Free Practice 2 saw the pace intensify further. The 2:01 barrier remains a formidable benchmark, but Jules Gounon managed to break through with a 2:01.816 in the #36 Alpine A424, leading a strong 1-2 for the French manufacturer as Charles Milesi followed in the #35 car. Sheldon van der Linde confirmed BMW's potential by placing the #20 M Hybrid V8 third with a 2:02.179.
In the LMGT3 class, the Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R from Racing Team Turkey (TF Sport) dominated the early charts with Charlie Eastwood setting a 2:18.034. They were pursued by the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus and the #92 Manthey PureRxcing Porsche, maintaining the diversity of manufacturers at the front of the GT field. While the pace is high, the 2:15 range seen by previous GTE machinery remains out of reach for the current GT3 specification.
As we look toward tomorrow, the focus remains on whether the qualifying session will see the Hypercars find the consistency needed for the low 2:00s. There is also a keen interest in how the stewards will manage track limits at turns like Raidillon and Blanchimont, as consistent enforcement will be crucial to ensuring the grid is decided by pure performance.
Friday – Final Practice and the Legends Return
The final free practice session on Friday morning saw a shift in momentum as Cadillac surged to the front. Will Stevens put the #12 Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R at the top of the timesheets with a 2:02.379. He was closely shadowed by the private #83 AF Corse Ferrari of Robert Kubica, who finished a mere 0.023 seconds behind the leader. This narrow margin suggests a highly competitive qualifying session ahead. Aston Martin continued their strong form with Harry Tincknell securing the third-fastest time, while Toyota Gazoo Racing appeared to deliver a more measured performance, likely focusing on race simulations and long-run consistency rather than outright qualifying pace.
The session was fragmented by three Full Course Yellow interruptions, which prevented many teams from completing their final high-downforce evaluations. The most significant incident occurred toward the end of the hour when Richard Lietz in the #92 Manthey Porsche went off track at Turn 8, beaching the car in the gravel and triggering the final FCY that brought a premature end to the morning's data gathering.
Parallel to the modern WEC action, the "Legends of Le Mans" support category completed its two qualifying sessions. Following the opening session on Thursday, the 17-car field finalized the grid today. The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP prototypes proved to be the class of the field, with Kriton Lendoudis claiming the top spot with a top speed of 301 km/h, followed by Shaun Lynn. Other historic standouts included Michel Frey in the Lola B07/18 and the LMP2 contingent led by David Cheng. In contrast to the deep prototype field, the GTE category remains thin with only two entries — the Aston Martin Vantage AMR of Franz Wunderlich and the Lotus Evora GTE of Wolfgang Henseler — mirroring the small GT turnout seen at the season opener in Imola.
With all practice sessions now concluded, the focus turns to the afternoon's qualifying and Hyperpole sessions. While track limits at corners like Raidillon and Blanchimont remain a major technical focus for the stewards, the primary narrative heading into the weekend is the exceptionally narrow performance gap between the top five manufacturers.
Friday – Qualifying and Hyperpole
The competitive landscape at Spa-Francorchamps shifted dramatically during the afternoon sessions as the track rubbered in and temperatures peaked. The most significant story in the LMGT3 category was the sudden disappearance of the morning's pace-setters; despite showing dominant speed in the earlier sessions, the Garage 59 McLarens struggled to find the same window in qualifying, with neither car managing to break into the Top 10. Instead, the session belonged to Hadrien David in the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F, who claimed a commanding pole with a 2:16.612. He was followed by Zacharie Robichon in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin and Ben Tuck in the Proton Competition Ford Mustang, highlighting a diverse GT field where the top three were separated by just over two-tenths of a second.
The Hypercar qualifying delivered even greater shocks to the established order. In a rare occurrence, Toyota Gazoo Racing failed to advance either of its GR010 Hybrids into the Hyperpole shootout, signaling a struggle with single-lap pace on the Belgian asphalt. Ferrari AF Corse also faced a difficult session, managing to get only one of its three 499P entries — the #50 car driven by Antonio Fuoco — into the final ten.
The Hyperpole session itself was a showcase of the rapid improvement of the French and American manufacturers. Malthe Jakobsen delivered a masterclass in the #94 Peugeot 9X8, posting a 2:00.653 to take pole position. He was pushed to the absolute limit by Will Stevens in the #12 Hertz Team Jota Cadillac, who missed out on the top spot by a mere 0.043 seconds. Alpine Endurance Team confirmed their status as frontrunners by locking out the second row with Charles Milesi and Jules Gounon. Aston Martin Thor Team also enjoyed a standout performance, placing both Valkyries in the top seven, setting the stage for a race where the traditional powerhouses will have to fight through a resurgent pack.
Friday – Support Action – Legends of Le Mans Race 1
The inaugural race for the Legends of Le Mans delivered high-speed nostalgia alongside immediate mechanical drama for the 17-car field. While Kriton Lendoudis eventually secured the victory in his Peugeot 908 HDI FAP, it was not a lights-to-flag performance. Michel Frey in the #5 Lola B07/18 lunged into the lead at the start, holding the top spot for the first two laps before Lendoudis managed to power past him just before the entry to Eau Rouge.
While Lendoudis and Frey maintained their positions at the front, the Peugeot squad elsewhere was plagued by misfortune. The Peugeot of Shaun Lynn was forced to retire immediately after the formation lap due to a clutch failure, while Stuart Wiltshire in another Peugeot retired in the pits after a spin earlier in the race.
Francois Perrodo provided the most significant charge of the race. After a difficult qualifying session left him starting from the pit lane, he drove his Porsche RS Spyder through the field to officially finish 3rd overall. While the #37 Lola LMP1 of Marcel Aebi initially finished ahead on the road, Aebi was heavily penalized — receiving a 5-second time penalty and a drive-through converted into a 30-second penalty due to track limits — which dropped him behind the Porsche. Additionally, while the #21 Pescarolo guest entry also ran higher up the order, it was an invitational entry and was therefore listed at the bottom of the final timesheets. This chain of events secured Perrodo not only the top spot among the classified LMP2 entries, but a highly impressive overall podium finish behind the LMP1 machinery of Kriton Lendoudis and Michel Frey.
In the LMGTE historic class, the field remained thin with only two cars competing, mirroring the situation seen in Imola. Franz Wunderlich took a comfortable class win in his Aston Martin Vantage AMR, finishing two laps ahead of Wolfgang Henseler in the Lotus Evora GTE. Despite the small GT turnout, the sound and sight of the historic prototypes provided a visceral look back at a previous era of endurance racing.
Saturday – Support Action – Legends of Le Mans Race 2
The second Legends of Le Mans encounter saw Kriton Lendoudis complete a weekend sweep in his Peugeot 908 HDI FAP, though the race began with immediate drama within the Peugeot camp. After the field was narrowed to 16 starters following the non-start of Marcel Aebi in the #37 Lola, Shaun Lynn jumped into the lead at the green flag. Lynn held the advantage for the opening laps until a spin handed the position to Lendoudis, who capitalized on the error to secure a comfortable 30-second victory.
The race was characterized by several high-profile mistakes among the prototype entries. Michel Frey lost significant ground after a spin in his Lola B07/18, causing him to fall back into the heart of the LMP2 battle. Stuart Wiltshire also struggled in his newer-spec Peugeot 908; after being overtaken by the fastest of the LMP2 cars, he eventually slowed and retired in the pits. Amidst the chaos, Francois Perrodo delivered another clinical performance in his Porsche RS Spyder. Although he crossed the line just behind the invitational #21 Pescarolo of Jean-Baptiste Lahaye, Perrodo officially secured 3rd place overall and the LMP2 class win.
The lower prototype and GT ranks saw a wide spread in performance. While Alexandre Leroy and Evgeny Kireev secured solid top-five finishes, Michael Doppelmayr had a troubled run in his Ligier JS P2, falling behind the GTE field at one point before pitting and returning to finish the race. In LMGTE, Franz Wunderlich dominated once again in his Aston Martin Vantage AMR, finishing two laps ahead of the Lotus Evora GTE driven by Wolfgang Henseler. The historic field provided a fitting, high-decibel farewell to the Spa crowds ahead of the main event.
Saturday – 6-Hour Race
After the grid settled and the formation laps concluded, the race started under warm and sunny Belgian skies, with track temperatures hitting an optimal 26 degrees C. There were no worries about rain or wet tire strategies, setting the stage for a pure, flat-out endurance battle in front of a massive and highly enthusiastic crowd at Spa-Francorchamps.
The race began with Cadillac asserting early dominance. While Malthe Jakobsen had secured a landmark pole for Peugeot, Will Stevens in the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota surged into the lead on the second lap and showed incredible pace during the opening stint. However, the sister #38 Cadillac, driven by Earl Bamber, Jack Aitken and Sebastien Bourdais, quickly ran into mechanical issues, dropping to the back of the Hypercar pack before eventually retiring in the pits near the halfway mark.
The middle phase of the race was heavily dictated by a flurry of Safety Car interventions for relatively minor incidents, which drastically split the strategies across the Hypercar field. For several hours, the rest of the field from 3rd down to 15th was running incredibly close, mostly on the same pit sequence, with Victor Martins and Charles Milesi frequently heading this tightly packed train in their Alpine A424s. It was during this period of neutralization that Toyota's challenge was compromised; the #8 Toyota Racing TR010, with Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa, had been running well but pitted at exactly the wrong moment right before a caution. This strategic misstep cost them dearly, dropping them out of the lead battle and relegating them to an eventual 10th-place finish.
It was only later, before the final sequence of cautions, that the #20 and #15 BMW M Hybrid V8s — led by Sheldon van der Linde and Raffaele Marciello during their respective stints — found themselves on a highly favorable offset strategy, building a massive lead over the #7 Toyota.
As the race progressed, the tension boiled over into on-track incidents. A recovering #51 Ferrari AF Corse, with James Calado fighting into the points, was involved in a heavy collision at La Source. The Ferrari was struck by the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F driven by Tom van Rompuy; the impact caused terminal damage to both vehicles, forcing them into premature retirements.
Peugeot also endured a heartbreaking afternoon. Following their brilliant qualifying, they showed genuine podium pace, and the #94 Peugeot 9X8 ran as high as second behind the leading Cadillac early on. However, their race was completely destroyed when Matteo Cressoni spun the #79 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG wildly in front of them. Malthe Jakobsen had nowhere to go, and the resulting damage forced an agonizing DNF. The sole surviving #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies entry, driven by Stoffel Vandoorne, Paul Di Resta and Nick Cassidy, fought valiantly for the remainder of the race, ultimately crossing the line in 7th.
The final two hours delivered a chaotic and thrilling climax, defined by two late Safety Cars. Aston Martin was enjoying a phenomenal run, with both Valkyries running in 6th and 7th. In a dramatic moment, Alex Riberas in the #009 Aston Martin attempted an overtake on the 5th-placed #35 Alpine. Ferdinand Habsburg, behind the wheel of the Alpine, aggressively blocked the line, pushing the Aston Martin off the track and triggering a heavy crash that eliminated the #009 on the spot. The karma was swift; shortly after the subsequent restart, Ferdinand Habsburg spun the #35 on his own and hit the barriers. The car managed to limp back to the pits for repairs and eventually finished a distant 12th.
These late-race implosions played perfectly into the hands of the newcomers. Genesis Magma Racing executed a flawless strategy with the #17 car driven by Andre Lotterer, Pipo Derani, and Mathys Jaubert. Aided by the late Safety Car interventions and the crashes ahead of them, they improved from 8th to secure a brilliant 8th place overall — and 7th in manufacturer points. It was an exceptional result for the brand in only its second WEC outing, finishing ahead of the fading #12 Cadillac of Will Stevens, Norman Nato, and Louis Deletraz.
At the very front, BMW M Team WRT survived the final restarts to secure a historic 1-2 finish on home soil. The #20 car of Robin Frijns, Rene Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde crossed the line just 1.9 seconds ahead of their teammates in the #15, driven by Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello, and Dries Vanthoor. The #50 Ferrari AF Corse, with Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, salvaged a podium in 3rd, while the surviving #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell claimed a magnificent 4th, marking their best Hypercar result to date.
In the LMGT3 class, the narrative was equally dramatic. The #10 Garage 59 McLaren 720S, driven by Au Antares, Thomas Fleming, and Marvin Kirchhofer, claimed a hard-fought victory, a fantastic redemption after their bad luck in Imola. For much of the final hour, the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari looked destined for the win. However, their race unraveled perfectly at the end; they lost crucial track position due to a poorly timed pit stop under the final Safety Car, and the misery for Francois Heriau, Simon Mann, and Alessio Rovera was compounded by a 5-second time penalty from race control for an unsafe release. This dropped them to 4th in class, allowing the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin and the #92 Manthey Porsche to inherit 2nd and 3rd on the GT podium.
The chaotic, breathless sprint to the finish had the packed main grandstands on their feet. The spectators erupted into a standing ovation as Robin Frijns took the checkered flag, showing immense appreciation for one of the most unpredictable and exciting WEC races in recent memory.
