Ferrari made the strongest start to the 2026 TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps weekend, as Antonio Fuoco placed the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P at the top of the WEC Hypercar order in FP1.
Cloudy skies and cool track conditions greeted the FIA World Endurance Championship field in Belgium. Even so, the leading contenders quickly built speed around the Ardennes circuit, while Racing Team Turkey by TF set the LMGT3 benchmark with its Corvette.
2026 FIA WEC: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: FP1: Hypercar
Ferrari takes early control
Fuoco led the way with a 2m02.955s lap in the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P. Therefore, Ferrari opened the Spa weekend with a strong statement and gave itself a useful early reference point before the longer runs and qualifying simulations arrive.
Behind Ferrari, Heart of Racing Team gave Aston Martin a timely boost. Alex Riberas placed the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie second with a 2m03.523s effort, finishing 0.564s behind Fuoco. As a result, the American-entered squad showed clear progress as it continues to build momentum in the FIA WEC.
Alpine builds a strong platform
Alpine also moved into the lead group during the 90-minute session. The #36 A424 of Jules Gounon, Frédéric Makowiecki and Victor Martins took third, with Makowiecki delivering the car’s best lap.
That performance carried extra weight because Makowiecki memorably led the 2025 Spa race for Alpine. Consequently, the French manufacturer will take encouragement from its early pace as it prepares for Saturday’s six-hour contest.
Robert Kubica then put the yellow Ferrari fourth with an early 2m03.650s lap. Moreover, Alpine showed strength in numbers as the #35 car of António Félix da Costa, Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi claimed fifth.
BMW WRT impresses on home ground
Team WRT also started solidly on home soil. The Belgian-based squad placed the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 sixth with René Rast, Robin Frijns and Sheldon van der Linde.
In addition, the sister #15 BMW of Dries Vanthoor, Raffaele Marciello and Kevin Magnussen took seventh. With Vanthoor racing in front of home support, BMW will aim to move further forward as the weekend develops.
The second Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin, the #007 entry of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble, finished eighth. Team Peugeot TotalEnergies followed in ninth with the #94 9X8, while the 2025 Spa-winning #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P completed the Hypercar top ten.
Late red flag ends Hypercar tunning
The session ran with only limited disruption at first, although officials briefly called a Full Course Yellow to clear debris from the track.
However, a late issue for the #92 Porsche brought out the red flag in the final minute after the car stopped at the exit of the Fagnes Chicane. That interruption ended any chance of late improvements and left Fuoco on top for Ferrari.
Classification
- Ferrari #50 – Ferrari AF Corse – 2:02.955 (38 laps)
- Aston Martin #009 – Aston Martin THOR Team – +0.564 (36 laps)
- Alpine #36 – Alpine Endurance Team – +0.568 (27 laps)
- Ferrari #83 – AF Corse – +0.695 (38 laps)
- Alpine #35 – Alpine Endurance Team – +0.757 (35 laps)
- BMW #20 – BMW M Team WRT – +1.194 (32 laps)
- BMW #15 – BMW M Team WRT – +1.252 (38 laps)
- Aston Martin #007 – Aston Martin THOR Team – +1.362 (30 laps)
- Peugeot #94 – Peugeot TotalEnergies – +1.489 (35 laps)
- Ferrari #51 – Ferrari AF Corse – +1.490 (33 laps)
- Cadillac #38 – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – +1.539 (31 laps)
- Peugeot #93 – Peugeot TotalEnergies – +1.830 (36 laps)
- Genesis #17 – Genesis Magma Racing – +1.983 (36 laps)
- Toyota #8 – Toyota Racing – +2.163 (38 laps)
- Cadillac #12 – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – +2.197 (35 laps)
- Genesis #19 – Genesis Magma Racing – +2.232 (38 laps)
- Toyota #7 – Toyota Racing – +2.582 (37 laps)
2026 FIA WEC: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: FP1: LMGT3
Racing Team Turkey sets the benchmark
Racing Team Turkey by TF led the LMGT3 field with its Corvette, as Eastwood produced a 2m18.034s lap. The Turkish-flagged entry therefore confirmed its early pace and placed itself firmly among the teams to watch.
However, its session did not pass without drama. Dempsey spun at Les Combes, although he continued without further issue and allowed the team to complete its programme.
Ferrari and McLaren keep pressure on
VISTA AF Corse started strongly in second with the #21 Ferrari 296 Evo of Simon Mann, François Hériau and Alessio Rovera. Rovera, a former Spa winner, set the car’s best lap and kept Ferrari close to the leading Corvette.
Garage 59 then placed third with the #10 McLaren, the same car that claimed pole at Imola last month. Tom Fleming delivered a 2m18.504s lap, which gave the British squad a solid start to the Belgian weekend.
Lexus and Mercedes-AMG join the fight
Akkodis ASP brought Lexus into the leading pack. The #87 car, shared by José María López, Petru Umbrărescu and Clemens Schmid, took fourth with a 2m18.565s.
Meanwhile, Iron Lynx completed the top five with the #61 Mercedes-AMG of Martin Berry, Rui Andrade and local favourite Maxime Martin. The car ended the session on a 2m18.763s, ensuring five different manufacturers occupied the first five places.
McLaren shows depth in the top six
Garage 59 also put its second McLaren inside the top six, as the #58 car followed closely behind the leading group. Notably, McLaren became the only manufacturer to place two cars in the top six during FP1.
Consequently, the LMGT3 order looked highly competitive from the start, with Racing Team Turkey leading a compact and varied field.
Classification
- Corvette #34 – Racing Team Turkey by TF – 2:18.034 (32 laps)
- Ferrari #21 – Vista AF Corse – +0.366 (34 laps)
- McLaren #10 – Garage 59 – +0.470 (29 laps)
- Lexus #87 – Akkodis ASP Team – +0.531 (33 laps)
- Mercedes #61 – Iron Lynx – +0.729 (33 laps)
- McLaren #58 – Garage 59 – +0.976 (32 laps)
- Lexus #78 – Akkodis ASP Team – +1.005 (32 laps)
- Ford #88 – Proton Competition – +1.007 (33 laps)
- BMW #32 – Team WRT – +1.105 (33 laps)
- Porsche #91 – Manthey DK Engineering – +1.114 (32 laps)
- Mercedes #79 – Iron Lynx – +1.131 (32 laps)
- Corvette #33 – TF Sport – +1.184 (32 laps)
- Ferrari #54 – Vista AF Corse – +1.403 (33 laps)
- Porsche #92 – The Bend Manthey – +1.406 (26 laps)
- BMW #69 – Team WRT – +1.636 (31 laps)
- Aston Martin #27 – Heart of Racing Team – +1.875 (30 laps)
- Aston Martin #23 – Heart of Racing Team – +1.930 (33 laps)
- Ford #77 – Proton Competition – +2.408 (27 laps)
FP2 next at Spa-Francorchamps
Ferrari holds the early Hypercar advantage, while Racing Team Turkey leads the way in LMGT3. Nevertheless, Spa-Francorchamps often rewards teams that adapt quickly, and the cool conditions could continue to influence tyre preparation, balance and race preparation.
The second Free Practice session for the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is scheduled for 15:40 local time.
