The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps concluded with a second and a third place in the LMGTE Pro and a win and a third place in the LMGTE Am class for Ferrari. In the opening race of Season 9 of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the AF Corse 488 GTEs did brilliantly on the iconic Belgian track, with Pier Guidi-Calado and Serra-Molina mounting the podium and the trio of Perrodo-Nielsen-Rovera also on the podium, accompanied by the Cetilar Racing crew of Lacorte-Sernagiotto-Fuoco.
LMGTE-Pro. The forecast of unsettled and cold weather was partially contradicted by the facts. The race was held in dry conditions with pale sunshine, making for less rigid temperatures than anticipated. In a race interrupted by three full-course yellows, which, however, didn't change the positions in the standings, the two AF Corse 488 GTEs put in a convincing performance at a good pace, albeit not enough to challenge the victorious Porsche no. 92. The Maranello cars consistently occupied the podium positions, even moving into the lead at the three-hour mark, taking advantage of their rivals' early stop. Second place for Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado and third place for Miguel Molina and Daniel Serra, despite two drive-throughs for speeding during the first and second FCYs for the pair in no. 52, represent an excellent start to the championship.
LMGTE-Am. AF Corse no. 83 488 GTE, crewed by reigning champions François Perrodo and Nicklas Nielsen, joined this season by Alessio Rovera, put in an extraordinary performance to repeat last year's triumph on the Belgian circuit. Having taken the lead during the stint of a superb Rovera, the Piacenza-based team managed and increased their margin over their pursuers until Nielsen crossed the finish line in first. The Cetilar Racing crew, making their class debut, took third place on the podium, benefiting from the 23-second penalty given to car no. 88 at the end of the race. This result rewards the strong performance of the trio that had seen Antonio Fuoco mount an excellent recovery in the final stints. The second AF Corse car crewed by Thomas Flohr, Giancarlo Fisichella and Francesco Castellacci finished fourth, eight seconds off the podium, with another spectacular performance by Fisichella who showed his superior class. The two Iron Lynx Ferraris, eighth and ninth respectively, with the all-female trio Frey-Legge-Gostner and Schiavoni-Cressoni-Piccini, got some crucial miles and experience under their belts for the rest of the season.
Programme. The FIA WEC will be back on track from 11 to 13 June for the 8 Hours of Portimao, held on the beautiful Portuguese track.