6 Hours of Spa starts for Ferrari 499Ps

The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, round three of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the first event of the season on European soil has kicked off in Belgium. Light rain and cold air temperatures of 7.7°C and asphalt temperatures of 10.7° set the scene for the opening of this endurance race.

After three training laps, which helped the drivers and teams familiarise themselves with the wet asphalt, the Ferraris made an excellent start. Antonio Giovinazzi, third on the grid, moved up to top spot in the 499P number 51 with an overtaking move on the inside of the Source, the first turn on this iconic Ardennes Forest track, while Nicklas Nielsen, at the wheel of number 50, expertly defended second place. Twenty-seven minutes in, as the track began drying out, on lap nine, the Danish driver's car was the first Prancing Horse entry to stop to mount four slicks, followed on the next lap by his Italian teammate's car.

The Ferrari – AF Corse team thus followed the same strategy to anticipate the pit stop. One hour after the green flag Nielsen, who shares the car with Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, was twelfth ahead of Giovinazzi, teamed with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado.