The night at the 2026 Spa 24 Hours saw the #51 AF Corsè Ferrari regain the lead lap as a brief shower at Circuit de Spa‑Francorchamps fell short of a full storm.
Rain, Safety Cars, and Unexpected Dropouts
The back‑end of the race fought a handful of brief showers, but no major storms threatened the track. Thunderheads moved northwest, delivering a bright display of lightning across the horizon while only a short drizzle touched the circuit at the halfway point.
Five full‑course yellows (FCYs) were triggered during the night, interspersed with rapid safety‑car allocations. The first came at the tail of hour seven when Sébastien Baud, driving the #21 Comtoyou Aston Martin, suffered a violent crash at Courbe Paul Frère. A second safety car followed after ten minutes of green‑flag racing, when Jonathan Hui’s #93 Tempesta Porsche spun on the Fagnes bend, forwarding a collision with Alexey Nesov’s #9 Pure‑Rxcing Porsche that slotted both cars into the gravel and ended the race for the two 911 GT3 RS vehicles.
During the subsequent 80‑minute green period, the #60 JMW Ferrari stalled, caught fire, and was forced out of the event. The incident created a gap that tired competitors had to bridge. Meanwhile, the #98 Rowe‑BMW saw its tire failure at the same stage, sliding into the pack’s back while the sixth safety car pulled it back into line just outside the top ten.
Garage 59 McLaren Dropouts
The #63 Grasser Lamborghini faltered on the engine at dusk, pitting early and emerging only to retire later under GRT Grasser’s call for the day. The #59 Garage 59 McLaren pulled into service with a front‑right suspension failure, and maintenance halted the 720S GT3’s campaign. The team’s #58 Gold Cup entrant, driven by Louis Prette, initially made headway until a spin by Morris Schuring’s #2 Boutsen‑VDS Porsche at the Bus Stop chicane invoked a drive‑through penalty. Early morning, Oliver Goethe pushed the same car into the pits for front‑end damage and coolant loss; repairs had not yet concluded.
Critical Safety Cars, Technical Issues, and Penalties
An eleventh‑hour safety car followed Markus Winkelhock’s crash of the #84 Eastalent Audi into the barrier at Blanchimont. The Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II had already lost several laps; the subsequent incident added to its deficit. Less than thirty minutes later, Sarah Bovy’s #700 Comtoyou Aston Martin clipped another barrier, forcing a long FCY‑to‑SC transition. Rain touched the circuit for a heartbeat, prompting slicks to return just before the restart. All leaders performed mandatory five‑minute service between hours twelve and twenty‑two, while the #64 HRT‑Ford suffered a 60‑second stop‑and‑go for speeding under the FCY, pushing the Ford Mustang GT3 Evo further from front‑end contention.
Points Standings After 6 and 12 Hours
- After 6 hours: #84 Eastalent Audi (12 pts), #32 WRT‑BMW (9 pts), #48 GetSpeed‑Mercedes (7 pts), #58 Garage‑59‑McLaren (6 pts), #98 Rowe‑BMW (5 pts), #64 HRT‑Ford (4 pts), #2 Boutsen‑VDS‑Porsche (3 pts), #998 Rowe‑BMW (2 pts), #46 WRT‑BMW (1 pt).
- After 12 hours: #74 Kessel‑Ferrari (12 pts), #991 Paradeine‑BMW (9 pts), #58 Garage‑59‑McLaren (7 pts), #48 GetSpeed‑Mercedes (6 pts), #80 Lionspeed‑Porsche (5 pts), #3 Verstappen‑Mercedes (4 pts), #64 HRT‑Ford (3 pts), #46 WRT‑BMW (2 pts), #34 Walkenhorst‑Aston Martin (1 pt).
The night’s chaotic BPM of events left the racers scrambling, with the #51 AF Corsè Ferrari’s tactical out‑of‑service pivot proving decisive in reclaiming the lead lap and setting the tone for the remainder of the race.
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