It’s FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps race week, which means the countdown to the Le Mans 24 Hours has entered its final stages. And if the 6 Hours of Imola was anything to go by, Saturday’s contest should provide more than enough action to tide us over until the cars hit the track at La Sarthe in June.
Across both classes, there are plenty of stories to follow, though the overarching theme concerns next month’s event. What will this weekend’s race tell us about the Le Mans 24 Hours?
In Hypercar, all eyes will be on Toyota, Ferrari and Porsche, who have set the pace so far this season.
Will Toyota be able to deliver a repeat of its performance in Imola, particularly if the conditions at Spa – as they often are – become changeable on race day?
In Imola, a mixture of strategy and wet weather performance gave Toyota’s GR010 HYBRIDs the edge over the Ferraris, which had the outright pace on home soil, but threw away a famous win with a gamble on tyre strategy that cost them dear in the second half of the race.
Was that a one-off, or is Toyota back on top? This weekend’s encounter may indicate what we can expect from the 2023 WEC champions going into Le Mans, where its sights will be set firmly on reclaiming the title of ‘reigning Le Mans winner’.
For the reasons stated above, Ferrari’s post-event debrief after Imola will surely have been a tough one for all involved. It was made clear after the race that it still needs to improve its chain of communication and its strategy on how to react when the weather turns. Here this week, with one eye on Le Mans, it will be eager to run a perfect race and get back to winning ways to boost confidence.
Of note, Ferrari has received the greatest adjustment in the latest round of BoP tweaks, with 12kg added to the minimum weight of the 499Ps minimum weight and a power reduction of 4kw (5bhp).
In general, the changes are relatively minor across the board – every car bar the Cadillac will run heavier than in Italy, power reductions have been handed to Alpine, BMW, Lamborghini, Porsche and Toyota, and everyone except Lamborghini will race with an increase in maximum stint energy.
Like Toyota and Ferrari, Porsche’s expectations will be sky high too. Qatar, on the billiard-table smooth surface, the five 963s looked right at home. In Imola, extracting the ultimate pace proved more difficult, the #6 crew managed to come away with a second-place finish in the challenging circumstances, but the privateers struggled to fight at the sharp end.
With Spa often touted as the circuit on the calendar most useful to run on before the Le Mans Test Day, the performance here from the 963s will be one to follow closely as we begin to ponder whether or not Porsche will have the speed and reliability to win its 20th Le Mans this year.
There are though, championship points on offer too; this weekend’s race may well play a crucial part in the final points standings by Bahrain.
Penske’s operation will be weary of the championship standings. Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor lead the way over Toyota’s #7 crew after winning Qatar and finishing second at Imola and they will be looking to protect and strengthen their 16-point advantage ahead of the most important race of the season.
On the other end of the scale, Cadillac Racing will be looking for their first strong points haul of the season after being disqualified from Qatar and finishing 10th in Imola. Last year a fifth-place finish in Spa proved to be a tablesetter for its memorable Le Mans podium. Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber will be hoping to rediscover their form from the first half of last season.
Of the other manufacturers, we’re beginning to get to the point where we should expect to start seeing the newcomers break through and begin challenging the established teams on a more regular basis each weekend.
BMW may be the prime candidate for an eye-opening run in what is WRT’s home race, after the #20 spent a chunk of the 6 Hours of Imola in the mix for a podium before finishing sixth.
Peugeot too, with the 2024 9X8, may be better positioned to showcase the capabilities of its new challenger, which will run with two-driver crews in both cars due to the Formula E clash in Berlin for Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne. The extended track time for its remaining quartet will surely prove to be invaluable as they push to get the car up to speed.
Might we see more encouraging signs from Lamborghini also? Sebring was strong for the IMSA crew, Imola saw steps taken on pace for the team tasked with managing the WEC programme. Ahead of the introduction of a second car for Le Mans, Iron Lynx will be grateful that it has a third WEC race weekend to work through with the car before its 24-hour race debut.
Looking at LMGT3, the race on Saturday has the potential to produce the best race yet for this young category.
Qatar lacked excitement, mainly because much of the field was focused on the challenge of running with new equipment in this new formula more so than their competitors. Imola though, featured far more door-to-door action and a final classification impacted by the change in conditions throwing a spanner in the works.
That brings us to Spa. With the teams now able to draw from the experience of two full race weekends and the pre-season Prologue, the race in Belgium is finely poised.
Despite Team WRT’s dominant 1-2 finish in Imola, Manthey Pure Rxcing – which holds a 17-point lead in the standings – remains the team to beat. The team’s Porsche and its driver crew have shown race-winning pace in both races so far this year, and had they not gambled with tyre strategy last time out Alex Malykhin, Joel Sturm and Klaus Bachler would have been in a position to make it two wins in two races.
WRT should not be counted out, of course, with the race being held on a circuit it has a wealth of GT3 experience to draw from, and its driver roster that will be well prepared to take the fight to Pure Rxcing. The Aston Martin teams and Vista AF Corse with its Ferrari 296 LMGT3s should be in the mix too.
Like Hypercar, it feels like the majority of the field has yet to reach its full potential though. Might we see United Autosports spring a surprise, or TF Sport and Proton Competition, who look increasingly more at home with their brand new cars?
We will find out in just two days time…
