24 Hours of Spa 2026: Ferrari falters as Mercedes charges in chaos
Early drama shakes up the 24 Hours of Spa as Ferrari slips back and Mercedes launches a fierce fight for control in the opening hours at Spa‑Francorchamps
24 Hours of Spa 2026: Race Update as Ferrari Stumbles and Mercedes Fights for Glory
The 2026 24 Hours of Spa is well underway at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and what a race it has been so far. Drama from the very first lap, a chaotic grid shake-up before the start, a puncture for the race leader, and a dramatic shift in power as the night wore on. Here is everything you need to know.
A Massive Field and a Penalty-Filled Build-Up
The 2026 edition, also known as the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, is the 79th running of the famous race, taking place from 27 to 28 June 2026. It counts toward both the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and the 2026 Intercontinental GT Challenge.
Ten manufacturers are represented in the field, including Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, Audi, Corvette, Ford, and the debut of the Lamborghini Temerario.
The build-up was anything but smooth. Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed caused a midnight bombshell after regular qualifying, when illegal brake work during Q3 disqualified all their session times for the #17 car, which had provisionally set the fastest overall time. Then, after Superpole, a series of grid penalties hit 10 cars, most notably the #50 AF Corse Ferrari, which had all its laps disallowed because the data logger was not plugged in.
Ferrari flies at the start, then hits trouble
Ferrari started from pole, with Alessio Rovera storming to a commanding Superpole triumph for AF Corse, giving Ferrari its first pole at the event since 2017.
Nicklas Nielsen led the #51 AF Corse Ferrari into the race with authority, shooting into the lead from the start. But it was chaotic from the off. The race was barely a minute old when a huge crash took out three cars, with the #66 Attempto Audi spearing into the #34 Walkenhorst Aston Martin, and the #35 Walkenhorst Aston Martin tangling with the #992 BMW in the aftermath. All three cars were out on the spot.
Ferrari controlled the race for much of the opening four-and-a-half hours. Then disaster struck. The #51 AF Corse Ferrari had dominated, but a puncture forced Nielsen to complete almost an entire lap with a damaged tyre. The tyre delaminated as Nielsen worked his way back to the pits, costing the Ferrari almost a full lap. To make things worse, race control later added a further 30-second penalty for a Full-Course Yellow speeding infringement.
Mercedes takes control, HRT Ford emerges
Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER took control of the race after the drama. The #48 took the net lead, while the Gold Cup-leading #58 Garage 59 McLaren and the #98 ROWE Racing BMW emerged as its closest challengers.
As the race entered its tenth hour, it was the #64 HRT Ford Mustang GT3 Evo that led the race. The squad from Drees jumped into contention with an offset strategy that was clearly working.
Verstappen Racing: Hungry for Redemption at Spa
One of the most exciting storylines this weekend is the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry. Dani Juncadella, Chris Lulham and Jules Gounon share the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and are among the favourites for the event. You can read more about these talented drivers on their profiles: Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon, and Chris Lulham.
Juncadella won the 24H of Spa in 2022, while Gounon triumphed in both 2017 and 2022, making him one of only two double winners on the 2026 grid. After heartbreak at the Nurburgring 24, this team is hungry. Gounon admitted it had been a tough year, as they had been very close to success in every programme, with something always going wrong to strip away victory.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen himself is keeping a close eye from Austria. “Yes, I’ll try to watch it as much as I can. The car is racing with our drivers, so I’m very much involved this weekend,” Verstappen said. You can follow all the news from Verstappen’s F1 weekend in our Austrian GP coverage.
Check out our earlier live update from the opening hours of the race for full context on how this battle began.
| Pos | # | Driver | Team / Car | Gap / Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51 | Alessio Rovera | AF Corse – Ferrari | 284 laps – 2:17.824 |
| 2 | 48 | Lucas Auer | Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER – Mercedes-AMG | 286 laps – +4.490 |
| 3 | 32 | Daniel Harper | Team WRT – BMW M | 284 laps – +1.228 |
| 4 | 24 | Thomas Preining | Lionspeed GP – Porsche | 312 laps – +5.616 |
| 5 | 50 | Arthur Leclerc | AF Corse – Ferrari | 309 laps – +13.190 |
| 6 | 007 | Nicki Thiim | Comtoyou Racing – Aston Martin | 308 laps – +0.265 |
| 7 | 87 | Finn Wiebelhaus | HRT Ford Racing – Ford | 283 laps – +13.733 |
| 8 | 34 | Christian Krognes | Walkenhorst Motorsport – Aston Martin | 190 laps – +4.120 |
| 9 | 96 | Frédéric Makowiecki | Schumacher CLRT – Porsche | 229 laps – +4.393 |
| 10 | 98 | Raffaele Marciello | Rowe Racing – BMW M | 230 laps – +0.952 |
| 11 | 46 | Kelvin van der Linde | Team WRT – BMW M | 304 laps – +13.509 |
| 12 | 3 | Jules Gounon | Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing – Mercedes-AMG | 246 laps – +0.461 |
What Happens Next?
With the race still very much alive and more than half the distance still to go, anything can happen at Spa. Weather forecasts have flagged the possibility of thunderstorms, which could completely shuffle the order. Blistering temperatures have gripped Spa-Francorchamps all week and thunderstorms are in the forecast, which is set to increase the toll on drivers, teams and cars alike. The Verstappen Racing trio, the MANN-FILTER Mercedes, and the resilient #51 Ferrari are all capable of winning this thing. Stay with us at rnt-motorsports.com for every twist and turn as the 2026 24 Hours of Spa plays out.
