Winners and losers from WEC's big Le Mans dress rehearsal
WEC/Le Mans

Winners and losers from WEC's big Le Mans dress rehearsal

by Thibaut Villemant
13 min read

Despite strong performances from Alpine, Peugeot and BMW, Ferrari claimed its third win in three races this year at Spa-Francorchamps, its first top-class victory at the Belgian circuit since the Brian Redman/Arturo Merzario 312 PB triumph in 1972.

Ferrari continues to lead the manufacturers‘ championship with 136 points. In the drivers’ standings, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi consolidated their lead with 75 points, followed by the sister crew of Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen, who are 18 points adrift.

But that's not all there is to remember from the Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours, which served as a dress rehearsal for the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Winner: Ferrari

Three wins and three pole positions in as many races, plus a 1-2 finish. Could Ferrari have dreamed of a better start to the season? Impossible.

While the #51 car triumphed here, it owes part of its success to a strategic misstep by #50, which had seemed to have the upper hand.

“As expected after what we saw in FP2, Cadillac, Alpine and BMW were extremely strong,” said Giuliano Salvi, head of test and racing GT & prototype. “So there was no straightforward strategy possible. The two cars had to decide whether or not to make a final splash, to go for a long stint or to opt for a performance strategy. The two crews set off in opposite directions.”

Ferrari is no longer making strategic blunders, even if car #50 owes its second place to two full course yellows that allowed it to save enough fuel to reach the end. The hallmark of a champion?

With the 499P having already won the Le Mans 24 Hours twice, the Italian team says it has focused on the other circuits visited by the championship. This seems to be paying off, especially as it now appears to have mastered the Evo Joker upgrade rules adopted last year at the Sao Paulo 6 Hours. But while we can talk about a dominant car, it must be said that Ferrari AF Corse is increasingly flawless in terms of operations and is in control of its weekends, barely disturbed by two major crashes in FP2.

The bad news comes from the reliability issues encountered by the #83 AF Corse car, which was forced to stop for one hour and 26 minutes to replace a stubborn turbo. This reliability issue is causing concern with just one month to go before the Le Mans 24 Hours. It's not necessarily reassuring, and neither are the statistics.

Only six drivers - three of them as a trio - have won both the Belgian race and the Le Mans 24 Hours in the same year: Fernando Alonso/Sebastien Buemi/Kazuki Nakajima in 2018 and 2019, Tom Kristensen in 2003, Jacky Ickx in 1982 and Paul Frère in 1960.

Furthermore, Ferrari's last overall victory at the Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours (formerly known as the Spa 1000 km) dates back to 1972, the season in which Ferrari won its last world endurance title in the top class. That year, the 312 PB won every race on the calendar except the Le Mans 24 Hours. To believe in a third consecutive Le Mans victory, the Italian camp will have to shake off any superstitions.

Loser: Porsche

Porsche Penske Motorsport is unique in that it competes in both IMSA and WEC with the same car. But while the 963 claimed its fourth victory in as many races this season at Laguna Seca on Sunday, its best result in the WEC in three races is an eighth place in Qatar. This is difficult for your average viewer to understand.

In Belgium, the 963s never existed, all eliminated in qualifying before hyperpole, with the best conceding 1.4 seconds to the benchmark. This was a significant deficit that was confirmed in the race, albeit to a lesser extent. While some suggest that the manufacturer is hiding its hand in order to influence the governing bodies as they are working on the BoP for the Le Mans 24 Hours, we find this hard to believe given the huge gap.

In the end, the #6 finished ninth, three places ahead of the #5, while the #99 Proton Competition car retired due to a powertrain failure.

What does Thomas Laudenbach think? 

“Quite simply, we need to acknowledge that the conditions for a better result weren't there,” said the vice president of Porsche Motorsport. “As always, we will analyse why, especially since the Le Mans 24 Hours is up next. But I think there is also a massive need for action outside of our organisation. The race speaks for itself.”

Once again, by 'need for action' the German is obviously referring to the BoP, It-That-Must-Not-Be-Named, which competitors are prohibited from discussing, as stipulated in Article 6.2.1 of the WEC sporting regulations.

Winner: Alpine

Already third in the Imola 6 Hours, Alpine Endurance Team did it again, once more with Mick Schumacher, Jules Gounon and Frederic Makowiecki. The latter delivered two stellar opening stints, allowing Gounon to take the #36 A424 to the front of the race for 21 laps. 

Despite a slow puncture on the rear right in the final quarter of the race, Schumacher stayed in contention until the end. Having at one point taken the lead from the #7 Toyota, he went on to take the chequered flag in third place, less than a second behind second place.

“We were fighting for the win until a slow puncture compromised our chances,” said Schumacher. “We had to settle for the podium, but we can be happy with that. The trend is really moving forwards and upwards, and the team is getting better and better every weekend. Fred did an amazing stint to start the race, Jules took over and got into the lead, and it was a proper battle right up to the finish. We're on the right track, and there is a lot to take away from this weekend.”

Alpine was pleased with third at Imola but frustrated with third at Spa. That says a lot about the ambitions of Bruno Famin’s squad heading to Le Mans.

Loser: Peugeot

Why did Peugeot have such a good time in Belgium? “The fact that we came for testing and therefore arrived with a car that was already pre-set helped us a lot,” explained Jean-Marc Finot.

If the Senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport is right, he is forgetting to mention a very advantageous BoP (39 kg less and 40 kW more below 250 km/h compared to Toyota), but it is mainly the resurfacing of half the circuit that also favours the 9X8.

The French LMH suffers from a lack of mechanical grip, which is greatly compensated for by the grip offered by the new asphalt. “The fact that there are fewer bumps also works in our favour,” explained Loic Duval. “We know that's not our strong point.”

For the first time since the 2024 Qatar 1812 km race and for only the second time ever, both 9X8s made it into Hyperpole, with #93 even securing a spot on the second row of the starting grid behind the three untouchable Ferraris.

In the race, #93 led the way for 10 laps, thanks to a questionable strategy that in the end did not work out in its favour. It finished 11th, while #94 was forced to retire after contact with the #20 BMW with 1 hour and 50 minutes to go.

“It's a very disappointing result, as we had the pace to do much better, which we showed in qualifying and early in the race,” said technical director Olivier Jansonnie.

“We decided to split the strategies of the two cars midway through the race to cover all options, but we weren't able to capitalise on the safety car opportunity with the #93. The #94 was better placed, but a suspension part broke after contact with another car. The positive: we had good pace in qualifying and during the race, a potential we'll try to convert at Le Mans.”

The positive is valid, but Peugeot has undoubtedly missed one of its best opportunities to shine.

Winner: Cadillac

At the end of the first day, the mood was sombre within the Cadillac Team Jota. The team and drivers struggled to find the right set-up, and the V-Series.R cars were really toiling. But the next day the American cars regained their form, with both cars making it into Hyperpole.

In the race, they took advantage of their rivals' misfortunes to move up the rankings and finish fifth and sixth. So, is Jota back?

“I think we executed a better race as a team and we're making steps in the right direction, which is the biggest positive to take,” said Will Stevens.

“At points in the race, we were flying up front. A few full-course yellows at the end hurt our finishing position as it looked like we were on course for P4. It's a good sign when we're frustrated to be P5. We're back in the mix fighting at the front and have positive momentum heading to Le Mans.”

Loser: Toyota

For Toyota, the situation is almost the same as for Porsche, with a 1.8-second deficit in qualifying that raises questions. “It seems we have our own championship with Porsche,” quipped technical director David Floury.

“We've been fighting with them most of the time, like last year. So I think we should create our virtual championship, the two of us, just to remind us of the days when we could fight for a world championship.”

Clearly, it's a bitter pill to swallow despite a perfectly executed race and strategic gambles that paid off, allowing cars #8 and #7 to finish fourth and seventh, respectively.

“We've won races with a performance that wasn't as good as today,” added Floury. “I think we can be proud of what we've achieved so far this season. We're the best of the rest in both championships right now. But we cannot be pleased with this year. It's not what we come to race for. We've been told that if we execute it to perfection, we stand a chance. This was the case, and we never stood a chance...”

“It's not acceptable,” added Buemi. “I'm really proud of the team because we had a great race. We were unlucky with an offset, just like at Imola. Finishing fourth with our level of performance is great.”

Toyota proved that it remains a benchmark in terms of operations, maximising its potential. In these conditions, with a BoP that clearly didn't help, fourth and seventh was an unexpected result. But that's not enough to make it happy...

Loser: BMW

The third-fastest car in terms of 60% of the best laps in the race, the M Hybrid V8 had the potential to secure a third consecutive podium finish. What's more, BMW M Team WRT was the only team to dare to fit soft tyres, first on the #15 car at the request of Kevin Magnussen, then on the #20 car at the end of the race.

Unfortunately, the #15 car dropped down the order after receiving two drive-through penalties in quick succession. And although the #20 car fought hard for a podium place for a long time, it ultimately failed to finish after retiring in the final hour.

“Given the performance we showed with both BMW M Hybrid V8s, we had expected more in the end,” said Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport). “Car number 20 was very strong throughout the entire race. It was great to see that we were once again able to fight for top positions. Unfortunately, we first had a slow puncture and then a brake issue that we still need to examine more closely.”

As a reminder, BMW changed brake suppliers during the winter following problems encountered last year. Until now, this seemed to have paid off. The question now is whether this concern is the same. According to initial reports, this does not appear to be the case...

Winner: Vista AF Corse

Recall how at Imola, while leading the race, the #21 Ferrari was sent off the track by Valentino Rossi. Performing well but a collateral victim of its rivals' enthusiasm in the first two races, the #21 296 LMGT3 got its revenge. Despite penalties, Francois Heriau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera clinched their first victory of the season at just the right moment.

“I climbed into the car in seventh place, with four fresh tyres, and I knew I had to push to make up ground,” said Rovera. “The car was excellent and allowed me to give my all in both stints. In the final stint, with the tyres still in good shape, it was fantastic to drive the 296 LMGT3 on a track like Spa.”

With a double win in Hypercar, Ferrari completed its Belgian triumph with a double podium finish in LMGT3, with the #54 car finishing third.

Loser: TF Sport

Victorious in Qatar and leading the overall standings, the #33 Corvette was heavily penalised by the success handicap in LMGT3, with a 36kg ballast penalty. As a result, for the third time in as many races, Ben Keating missed out on the Hyperpole. The American, who won the 2023 GTE Am championship with three pole positions, is undoubtedly one of the best Bronze drivers on the grid.

In the race, it was impossible to make up the lost ground this time, and his team-mate Daniel Juncadella crossed the finish line in 13th place in the class, just ahead of the sister car. So, while the BoP is causing a stir in Hypercar, this is also the case in LMGT3.

“I would say this is not racing,” Keating said. “This is driving around the course waiting for someone else to make a mistake. I feel like it's a waste of time to be here, and I'm quite angry about it.”

“We had no chance at all to score points all weekend,” added Juncadella. “The team did a great job, my team-mates drove well, and I drove well. That seems to have been good enough for P13. Hopefully, things will be different at Le Mans. If we continue this trend from the last couple of races, I'd be surprised if we have a chance to fight.”

As a reminder, the BoP for the Le Mans 24 Hours is specific and all success handicap counters will be reset to zero.

Winner: Proton Competition

Uncomfortable on winding circuits, the Ford Mustang had a difficult first season of competition in 2024. However, its performance since the start of the year has been very encouraging. And on a resurfaced, fast circuit, the American car has found a playground that suits it perfectly.

At the finish, the #88 car driven by Stefano Gattuso/Giammarco Levorato/Dennis Olsen finished second and the #77 car driven by Ben Tuck/Bernardo Sousa/Ben Barker finished fourth. The Proton Competition team is full of confidence ahead of the trip to Le Mans, where the Mustang secured its first podium finish in the world championship last year.

“We finally got the results we wanted,” said Olsen. “Of course, we're looking to do one better at Le Mans. This was great preparation leading into Le Mans, identifying where we can improve so we can be up there fighting for the wins.”

Nine years after the Ford GT's victory, and two years before the American manufacturer's return to the top class, this would be very timely...

Loser: The extra sporting elements

On the sporting front, we can regret that the BoP is still polluting conversations in the paddock, proof that not everything is under control, as demonstrated by the change in the method of calculating manufacturer compensation. Whereas previously the authorities used data gathered from the last three races, they now base their calculations on the two best of the last three races. This is probably an attempt to curb Ferrari's outrageous dominance. But it hasn't worked...

In addition, many competitors were once again surprised by the leniency shown by the race direction and the stewards towards Ferrari. We are referring to the astonishing swap of positions in the pitlane, during which the BMW #20 was forced to brake to avoid colliding with #50. Deemed inappropriate and dangerous, this manoeuvre earned the Italian team nothing more than a reprimand.

And what can we say about the sometimes borderline behaviour of Alessandro Pier Guidi, who dangerously squeezed Robin Frijns (BMW #20) on the descent to Raidillon? The manoeuvre was reminiscent of the one between Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello in Hungary in 2010, which earned the German a 10-place grid penalty at the following grand prix.

Winner: Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours

A new attendance record was set at Spa-Francorchamps. Last year, 88,000 spectators came to witness the triumph of Team Jota's Porsche 963. Last week, nearly 99,000 came to see Ferrari take the double. The event was smoothly organised and, given the spectacle on offer, we can bet that many will return next year.

What were the ingredients of this magic recipe? Eight manufacturers in the premier class, a perfectly executed promotion, a country passionate about motor racing and surprisingly mild weather for the second year in a row. It's easy to see why the Belgian circuit is, along with Le Mans, the only one to have featured on the WEC calendar in all 13 seasons since its revival in 2012.

Endurance is more attractive than ever. Who said motor racing wasn't popular anymore?

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