The 6 Hours of Spa-Francochamps has reached its halfway point, and the battle at the front is anything but predictable. BMW and Toyota have executed a bold alternative strategy to surge ahead of early leaders Alpine and Cadillac, setting up a thrilling second half at the iconic Belgian circuit.
The race kicked off with Loic Duval jumping into an early lead for Peugeot after teammate Malthe Jakobsen secured the team's maiden pole position. However, that advantage was short-lived. Will Stevens, piloting the No. 12 Hertz JOTA V-Series.R Cadillac, made a decisive move into Les Combes on the opening lap to snatch the top spot. "The start went exactly as I hoped," Stevens shared after the first driver change. "Starting second here, it's nice to get the tow down to Turn 5. It went perfectly. From there, it's about managing tire degradation—it's a lot hotter today than anything we've seen this week."
The No. 12 Cadillac dominated the early stages, but a strategic gamble has reshuffled the order at the halfway mark. The No. 20 BMW M Hybrid V8 and No. 8 Toyota GR010 pitted early to adopt an alternative pit strategy, and the No. 35 Alpine A424 capitalized on fresher tires to leapfrog the Cadillac during the second pit cycle. As a result, the order now reads: BMW leading Toyota by 23 seconds, with Alpine ahead of Cadillac in the fight for third.
Not everything went smoothly for the Cadillac camp. The sister No. 38 JOTA Cadillac faced early drama when Earl Bamber made contact with the No. 92 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R of Yasser Shahin, suffering a left-rear puncture that sent him to the pits. Meanwhile, the No. 19 Genesis Magma Racing Hypercar, competing in only its second race, also made an early pit visit.
The race was briefly neutralized just 14 minutes in when Eric Powell, driving the No. 77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 EVO, lost control on a wide turn and beached his car in the gravel. The Mustang had briefly led before the incident, but the race resumed with 15 minutes left in the opening hour.
Mid-pack action saw Ferdinand Habsburg in the No. 35 Alpine execute a slick pass on Duval at the bus stop to steal second from the French manufacturer. The sister No. 36 Alpine lined up for a similar move but couldn't follow through. With the strategy now in play and tire degradation a key factor, the second half of the 6 Hours of Spa promises high-stakes racing as teams jockey for position in this World Endurance Championship showdown.