BMW achieved a historic result in the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Spa-Francorchamps: Robin Frijns, René Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde celebrated the manufacturer's first overall victory in the WEC with the BMW M Hybrid V8. In the 6-hour race in the Ardennes, Team WRT even managed a one-two finish, as the sister car with Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello, and Dries Vanthoor also ended up on the podium. Third place went to Ferrari with Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen in the 499P.
Before more than 101,000 spectators, a high-class and tactically charged race developed in Spa with multiple safety car periods, differing strategies, and numerous lead changes. Initially, Peugeot, with the 9X8 driven by Loïc Duval, Malthe Jakobsen, and Théo Pourchaire, had taken control from pole position, before Cadillac took the lead temporarily. As the race progressed, the Hypercar field strategically split: while some teams focused on fuel saving, others – including the eventual winning BMW – opted for an aggressive full-throttle strategy with earlier stops.
Several neutralizations in the final phase ultimately played into BMW's hands. About an hour before the end of the race, the different strategies were brought back together by a Safety Car period, which allowed both BMWs to move to the front. In the final minutes of the race, the event had to be neutralized again after two serious accidents: First, Alex Riberas in the Aston Martin Valkyrie crashed on the Kemmel Straight, and later, António Félix da Costa in the Alpine A424 crashed at Raidillon. Both drivers were uninjured.
After the final restart, Frijns confidently drove the BMW #20 to the finish line. Behind him, Kevin Magnussen in the second BMW defended second place against the pressing Ferrari of Antonio Fuoco. Fourth place went to Aston Martin with Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell, while Toyota, with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries, finished fifth.
Genesis Magma Racing also attracted attention: The new hypercar project, with André Lotterer, Pipo Derani, and Franck Jaubert, scored its first World Championship points in its second WEC outing, finishing eighth.
In the LMGT3 class, McLaren had reason to celebrate. The Garage 59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo driven by Antares Au, Tom Fleming, and Marvin Kirchhöfer inherited the victory after a time penalty was issued to the initially victorious AF Corse Ferrari. Second place went to Aston Martin, and third place to Manthey-Porsche.
The race in Spa marks the end of the direct preparation for the season highlight of the World Endurance Championship: the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 13th and 14th.