Alternate Strategy Puts BMW Into Spa Lead at Halfway

Photo: Fabrizio Boldoni/DPPI

BMW used an alternative strategy to catapult into the lead of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps FIA World Endurance Championship round as the race reached half-distance.

Diverging strategies among the lead contenders have created an intriguing battle for honors as the No. 20 BMW M Hybrid V8 was one of three crews to make shorter stops in their opening pit visit to vault up the order.

Sheldon van der Linde maintained an impressive pace to pull 22.576 seconds clear of the No. 8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid of Ryo Hirakawa that was the first to throw the dice and go for the alternate strategy by stopping inside the first hour.

The No. 12 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R that had moved into the lead on the first lap remained the first of the cars running a more conventional strategy for the majority of the second and third hours.

But Antonio Felix da Costa briefly emerged ahead after the second round of stops in the No. 35 Alpine A424 before Louis Deletraz instantly regained the place with a bold move at Raidillon.

Deletraz’s Cadillac then went off the track to keep the lead at the same corner as he encountered a stream of backmarkers shortly after a full-course yellow period inside the third hour to retrieve debris.

However, the Alpine again jumped ahead after the third pit sequence and this time da Costa was able to stay ahead of WEC Hypercar debutant Deletraz, albeit some 43 seconds adrift of the leading BMW.

Shorter pit stops just before the race reached half-distance vaulted the No. 009 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Alex Riberas into fifth and the No. 50 Ferrari 499P of Nicklas Nielsen into sixth.

Miguel Molina had guided the No. 50 Ferrari into second of the cars on the traditional strategy but then lost 20 seconds with a sticking front-left wheel nut during its second stop that initially sent the car tumbling outside of the top-ten.

Riberas and Nielsen jumped ahead of a trio of cars that had previously been battling for fifth, with the No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 that started from pole occupying the place but was under threat from the second Alpine of Victor Martins.

Martins did try a move on Theo Pourchaire at Les Combes but passed the Peugeot off the track and had to give the place back.

This drew the No. 51 Ferrari 499P of James Calado into the frame and he soon grabbed what is now eighth spot.

The race was going better for the Prancing Horses in LMGT3 as the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo moved into the lead following the second round of stops.

The No. 88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 Evo had itself grabbed the lead during the first pit sequence from the No. 78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3, which had inherited top spot when Eric Powell spun the sister Mustang inside the first hour.

Simon Mann aboard the Ferrari enjoyed a lead of over 40 seconds from the Mustang at half-distance, while Tom Fleming in the No. 10 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo that cruelly missed out on the victory at Imola was on a charge.

He had propelled the McLaren into third after a brilliant battle with the No. 78 Lexus, which had dropped back with a drive-through penalty for track-limits abuses while Tom van Rompuy was driving.

Fleming had several attempts on Hadrien David in the Lexus up through Eau Rouge on consecutive laps before eventually sealing third spot.

Giammarco Levorato in the Mustang will also need to serve a drive-through for exceeding track limits, a penalty awarded just as the race ticked onto mid-distance.

Source: Sports Car 365