In a race that came down to strategy as much as speed, BMW claimed its first-ever Hypercar victory at the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, delivering a masterclass in tactical racing that left fans on the edge of their seats.
The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh, driven by Rene Rast, Sheldon van der Linde, and Robin Frijns, executed a bold short-fuel strategy in the opening pitstop that vaulted them to the front of the pack. When a safety car period in the penultimate hour forced all Hypercars to pit simultaneously, the BMW team maintained their advantage. Frijns then showcased his composure in the final two stints, pulling away from the competition to secure a home victory for the factory WRT team in Belgium.
The race began with drama as Will Stevens, in the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R, launched from Raidillon to overtake polesitter Loic Duval in the #94 Peugeot 9X8 at Les Combes, seizing the early lead. The two Alpine A424 LMDhs quickly moved into second and fourth positions, split by the #94 Peugeot, while Kevin Magnussen demonstrated BMW’s raw pace by charging from 10th to fifth in the #15 car.
After the first round of pitstops, the #20 BMW surged ahead thanks to its quicker stop, while Brendon Hartley in the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid jumped to second by pitting early and undercutting rivals. However, both cars were running dangerously low on fuel, keeping the conventionally strategized #12 Cadillac firmly in contention.
In the middle stages, the #20 BMW extended its lead through aggressive driving, with van der Linde building a 52-second advantage over the #12 Cadillac at one point, later settling at 40 seconds. Meanwhile, the battle for third place heated up as Antonio Felix da Costa in the #35 Alpine A424 used a faster in-lap and pit service to move ahead, potentially into the net lead during the third hour.
The race took a dramatic turn with just over two hours remaining when Matteo Cressoni went wide at Les Combes, spinning into the path of the #94 Peugeot 9X8 driven by polesitter Malthe Jakobsen. On cold tires, Jakobsen could do nothing to avoid the Mercedes-AMG GT3, triggering a safety car that reshuffled the field and set the stage for BMW’s triumphant finish.