Ferrari 1-2 at Spa, also wins LMGT3

Text & Images: Rick Kiewiet

Ferrari made it three in a row in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, but Spa wasn’t business as usual. A dramatic six-hour contest in front of nearly 100,000 fans saw the #51 499P of Calado, Giovinazzi, and Pier Guidi survive a hard-fought battle with Alpine and BMW — and overcome early-weekend adversity — to earn back-to-back wins.

The result marks Ferrari’s first one-two since Le Mans last year, but the final hour at Spa was far from comfortable. Strategy swings, a charging Schumacher, and a relentless race pace kept the outcome in doubt until the final laps.

Hypercar

What started as a smooth weekend for Ferrari nearly fell apart on Thursday, when Giovinazzi shunted the #51 heavily at Eau Rouge. That forced a full rebuild from the mechanics and put the car on the back foot heading into the race. But when it mattered, the reigning world champions delivered.

After a steady opening from Calado and a solid mid-race stint from Giovinazzi, it was Pier Guidi who did the heavy lifting in the final hours. A bold short-fuel strategy allowed the #51 to undercut its sister car, the #50, and pull out just enough of a gap to keep the lead after the final stop.

Alpine delivered its strongest performance yet in Hypercar. The #36 A424 of Gounon, Schumacher, and Makowiecki led for a time mid-race, thanks to bold moves and a clean run through traffic. Makowiecki’s charge from sixth to second at the start set the tone, and Schumacher backed it up with a late push that very nearly stole second.

BMW's challenge was short but spectacular. Robin Frijns brought the #20 into podium contention during the fifth hour, battling hard with Pier Guidi and Schumacher in one of the race’s most dramatic stints. Ultimately, the M Hybrid V8 lacked the late-race pace to stay with Ferrari and Alpine.

Toyota salvaged what it could. Starting 15th, the #8 GR010 of Buemi, Hartley, and Hirakawa ran an offset strategy and avoided trouble to climb to fourth, just ahead of the two Chip Ganassi-run Cadillacs — a season-best fifth and sixth for the American brand.

The #50 Ferrari, which led from pole and looked set to win for most of the day, lost out in the pits and had to settle for second — less than a second ahead of Schumacher’s Alpine at the line.

LMGT3

In LMGT3, Ferrari and Ford revived an old rivalry — and this time it was Vista AF Corse who came out on top. The #21 296 LMGT3 of Rovera, Heriau, and Mann took control after a slow stop for the pole-sitting Lexus, and never looked back.

It was a dominant drive once they hit the front, with Rovera’s pace setting the tone and Mann bringing it home with a comfortable margin — over 40 seconds ahead of the chasing pack. It’s Vista’s first win of the season and a reminder of their class in the GT ranks.

Behind them, the battle for second was fierce. The #88 Ford Mustang from Proton Competition edged out the #54 Ferrari and the #77 Mustang in a photo finish, with less than three seconds covering the three.

Lexus, which had looked like a serious contender early on thanks to Arnold Robin’s strong opening stint, fell out of the picture after a costly pit stop. The #78 RC F faded to seventh, unable to recover ground on pace alone.

Aston Martin again showed promise, but the Vantage runners were ultimately undone by incidents and unlucky timing with safety cars.

Next up: the big one. The 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place on 14-15 June, and Ferrari heads to France unbeaten. But Alpine, Toyota, and BMW are all knocking on the door.