Porsche completes comeback in the hottest 24 Hours of Spa in history

The hottest 24 Hours of Spa in history, with ambient temperatures reaching 44 degrees according to the circuit's temperature display and track temperatures climbing to 50 degrees, lived up to expectations, once again confirming its reputation as an unpredictable, demanding and spectacular race. In front of the large crowd that packed the grandstands and paddock, the race delivered drama from the first hour to the last, with no single car dominating the full 24 hours and several crews taking turns at the head of the field.

Two cars, however, emerged as the absolute protagonists: the number 80 Porsche of Lionspeed GP, driven by Thomas Preining, Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus, and the never-say-die number 51 Ferrari of AF Corse, which finished third thanks to the fighting spirit of Alessio Rovera, Tommaso Mosca and Nicklas Nielsen. Between Ferrari and Porsche, on the second step of the podium, was the number 48 Mercedes-AMG of the Mann-Filter team, entrusted to Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel.

The victory of the number 80 Porsche was built lap after lap, well before the closing stages. Having started from the pit lane, the car climbed back through the field with consistent pace, effective strategy and decisive overtakes at key moments, turning itself from an outsider into the benchmark of the race. In the final hours, its advantage became increasingly established, helped by clean management of the most delicate phases and by the absence of mistakes when they mattered most.

Behind it, the number 48 Mercedes-AMG defended second place with determination, holding off the Ferrari's late charge all the way to the finish. The AF Corse car, after dominating the Superpole and the decisive qualifying sessions, led the race several times and confirmed that it had the outright potential to win. Its result, however, was compromised by unfavourable episodes, contacts and setbacks that repeatedly interrupted its run. Its final comeback brought it back onto the podium, but this time its latest resurrection was not enough to challenge the Porsche of Preining, Feller and Buus for victory.

Over the course of the 24 hours, marked by exceptional heat during the daytime phases and by a brief but extremely intense rain shower in the second part of the night, seven cars from six different manufacturers took turns in the lead: the number 51 Ferrari, the number 48 Mercedes-AMG, the number 84 Audi, the number 64 Ford Mustang, the number 46 BMW, the number 74 Ferrari and the number 80 Porsche. There were also numerous neutralisations, with 12 Full Course Yellows and six Safety Car periods, which had a significant impact on strategies, gaps and the race order.

Matteo Braga, Pirelli Circuit Activity Manager: "Tyre management was crucial. In the end, success went to the crews that, over the previous days, made the most of the different conditions across the various sessions to work on race-pace consistency, which proved essential in the most difficult moments of the race. The severe temperature variation was one of the main challenges to manage, both for the cars and for the tyres. The P Zero DHG tyres delivered performance and reliability, supporting an extremely hard-fought competition from start to finish, in which many drivers and a wide variety of cars played leading roles, all operating at the highest level of performance."

In the GT4 European Series, the most eagerly awaited of the support categories alongside the McLaren Trophy and also supplied by Pirelli, there was a double victory for the number 12 BMW M4 GT4 G82 EVO of Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport, which won race 1 with Thomas Rackl and race 2 with Gabriele Piana.