One-two glory for BMW/Michelin at Spa!
Belgium-based WRT scored a resounding one-two finish at its home race with the #20 and #15 BMW M Hybrid V8s which were respectively in the hands of Frijns/Rast/Van der Linde and Magnussen/Marciello/Vanthoor. It was the German make's maiden victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship, while Ferrari came third after an enthralling race made possible by the longevity of Michelin's medium Pilot Sport Endurance slicks.
The TOTALENERGIES 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps reached its climax during the last hour which was marked by three Safety Car periods – one due to a collision involving the #51 Ferrari and a GT3 runner, the other two following offs by the #009 Aston Martin and #36 Alpine. When the final interruption ended, only 10 minutes of racing remained.
The #20 BMW was in front at this point, while its #15 sister car, the #50 Ferrari, #007 Aston Martin and #7 Toyota scrapped fiercely for second spot, weaving their way past the front-running GT3 contenders which were locked in their own fight.
Three of the battling drivers - Kevin Magnussen, Antonio Fuoco and Kamui Kobayashi – were on medium MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance slicks, while Tom Gamble was on softs as the quartet provided the record-breaking 101,603 spectators with a show to remember! Magnussen's mediums had been on the #15 BMW for more than 40 laps, yet the Dane succeeded in fending off the #50 Ferrari which was on fresher rubber.
“I believe that speaks volumes for the consistency and durability of the latest MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance slicks which contain 50 percent renewable/recycled raw materials,” says Pierre Alves, the manager of Michelin Motorsport's endurance racing programs. “Our new range clearly combines high performance and resilience, too, because we saw very little wear after the slicks' first stints on the cars. Getting the tires up to temperature can be a challenge at Spa-Francorchamps because the first sector is so fast, but warm-up was very good in the case of the softs, while the mediums needed two laps.
“The 6 Hours of Imola notably enabled us to evaluate the new soft MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance, whereas the race-day focus at Spa was more on the new medium. The overall picture is very encouraging as we turn our attention now to the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours.”
For the first time in the French prototype's FIA WEC career, the Peugeot 9X8 started from pole-position thanks to Malthe Jakobsen who unfortunately collided with an out-of-control GT3 car during the race. That left the lead in the hands of Alpine until its cars were delayed by various misfortunes. Genesis Magma Racing celebrated its second FIA WEC appearance with its first points-finish thanks to its #17 car which came eighth.
World Championship action will resume in June with the 94th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours where Michelin will be out to become the first tire manufacturer to notch up 35 wins.