In a race that hinged on both strategy and speed, BMW emerged victorious while Ferrari salvaged a podium finish at the chaotic Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours.
The #20 BMW M Team WRT M Hybrid V8, driven by Rene Rast, Robin Frijns, and Sheldon van der Linde, delivered a flawless alternative strategy to secure the manufacturer’s first World Endurance Championship win in the Hypercar class. A bold short-fuel stop during the opening pit cycle vaulted the car into the lead, and a well-timed safety car in the penultimate hour forced all Hypercars to pit simultaneously, consolidating their advantage. Frijns then pulled away in the final two stints, steering the factory WRT entry to a home victory in Belgium.
At the start, Will Stevens in the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R surged past polesitter Loic Duval’s #94 Peugeot 9X8 at Les Combes to take the lead. The two Alpine A424 LMDhs climbed to second and fourth by the end of the first hour, split by the Peugeot. Kevin Magnussen showcased BMW’s pace, charging from 10th to fifth in the #15 car.
After the opening pitstops, the #20 BMW jumped to the front with a shorter stop, while Brendon Hartley in the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid moved to second by pitting early. Both cars were low on fuel, leaving those on conventional strategies—led by the #12 Cadillac—within striking distance.
During the middle portion, the #20 BMW extended its lead aggressively, while most rivals conserved fuel and tires. At its peak, van der Linde’s advantage over the Cadillac reached 52 seconds before settling at 40 seconds. Meanwhile, Antonio Felix da Costa’s #35 Alpine moved into third, and potentially the net lead, with a faster in-lap and pit service in the third hour.
The race turned dramatically with just over two hours to go when Matteo Cressoni spun at Les Combes, collecting polesitter Malthe Jakobsen’s #94 Peugeot 9X8. The resulting safety car neutralized strategies, leaving the #20 BMW firmly ahead of the #8 Toyota and #35 Alpine.
Frijns built an eight-second gap in the next stint, but another safety car at the start of the final hour erased it. Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari 499P was hit from behind by the #32 BMW M4 GT3, triggering a prolonged caution period. Frijns executed a perfect restart, but the race was neutralized again when Alex Riberas spun the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie.
That set up a 24-minute sprint to the finish, with Frijns leading Magnussen, who had jumped to second during the pit cycles. The Dutchman held off all challengers, crossing the line just under two seconds ahead to score BMW’s first WEC win in its LMDh program. Magnussen fended off a late charge from Miguel Molina in the #50 Ferrari, who had fitted four new tires, completing a remarkable BMW 1-2 finish.
