Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER took control of the 2026 CrowdStrike 24H of Spa during a dramatic period that transformed the race between the fifth and eighth hours.
The #51 AF Corse Ferrari had dominated the opening four-and-a-half hours, but a puncture forced Nicklas Nielsen to complete almost an entire lap with a damaged tyre and ended the pole-starting car’s uninterrupted spell at the front.
The setback handed the net lead to the #48 Mercedes-AMG, while the Gold Cup-leading #58 Garage 59 McLaren and the steadily advancing #98 ROWE Racing BMW emerged as its closest challengers. Meanwhile, two significant accidents disrupted the opening stages of the night and removed further contenders from the race.
Mercedes-AMG closes on AF Corse during Hour 5
The fifth hour began behind the Safety Car after officials recovered the #28 Haas RT Audi from the gravel at La Source.
Once racing resumed, the #51 AF Corse Ferrari retained the lead, but Maro Engel brought the #48 Mercedes-AMG firmly into contention. Engel had already passed Tom Fleming’s #58 Garage 59 McLaren in traffic at Blanchimont and immediately began applying pressure to Nielsen.
The Ferrari had carried a 15-second penalty for speeding under Full-Course Yellow conditions, although AF Corse managed the sanction without initially surrendering the lead.
Behind the front two, Garage 59 remained firmly in the fight with the Gold Cup McLaren. The #98 ROWE Racing BMW also continued its climb through the order after Raffaele Marciello’s rapid earlier stint brought the car towards the leading group.
Puncture ends the #51 Ferrari’s dominance
AF Corse’s race changed dramatically shortly before the five-hour mark.
Nielsen suffered a puncture immediately after crossing the start-finish line and therefore faced almost a complete lap of the seven-kilometre circuit with a rapidly deteriorating tyre. The tyre delaminated as he worked his way back to the pits, costing the Ferrari almost a full lap.
The #51 rejoined in 45th position and began an immediate recovery, reaching approximately 35th by the six-hour mark. However, race control later added a further 30-second penalty for another Full-Course Yellow speeding infringement.
The incident erased the advantage that Nielsen, Tommaso Mosca and Alessio Rovera had built since the start and moved one of the strongest pre-race favourites away from the leading battle.
The #48 Mercedes-AMG assumes the net lead
The Ferrari’s puncture placed the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER entry at the head of the conventional strategy.
Engel pitted after four hours and 50 minutes and handed the car to Luca Stolz following a clean stop. The team maintained its advantage through the driver change and continued to lead the #58 Garage 59 McLaren on corrected strategy.
The #84 Eastalent Racing Audi officially headed the order at the six-hour mark, with the #32 Team WRT BMW running second. However, both cars followed alternative pit-stop cycles and still needed to stop.
Consequently, the #48 Mercedes-AMG held the effective lead. Lucas Auer later took control and held a 2.4-second advantage over Louis Prette in the #58 McLaren as the race reached one-quarter distance.
Garage 59 remains close despite pit-stop delays
Garage 59 continued to challenge for the overall lead with its Gold Cup entry.
The #58 McLaren had featured among the leading three since the start and maintained pressure on the Mercedes-AMG as darkness approached. The gap fluctuated throughout the sixth hour, which became the first uninterrupted hour of the race without a Safety Car or Full-Course Yellow.
However, the sister #59 Garage 59 McLaren lost valuable time during a pit stop. The crew struggled to remove a windscreen tear-off and surrendered approximately 15 seconds, dropping the Pro entry several positions.
The car later encountered a more serious front-right brake problem during Hour 7. Garage 59 kept it in the pits for an extended period, effectively removing Joseph Loake, Dean Macdonald and Marvin Kirchhöfer from the overall victory contest.
ROWE Racing joins the victory battle
The #98 ROWE Racing BMW continued its steady progress and moved into the effective third position by the six-hour mark.
Marciello had charged through the field before handing the BMW to his teammates, while the car benefited from penalties for several rivals. Race control applied a 10-second pit-lane speeding penalty to the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry and added 15 seconds to the #59 McLaren for speeding under Full-Course Yellow conditions.
Those sanctions also helped the #64 HRT Ford Mustang, #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche and #998 ROWE Racing BMW move further into contention.
Once the pit strategies aligned during Hour 7, the #48 Mercedes-AMG led the #58 McLaren and #98 BMW. The #64 Ford and #2 Porsche followed, while the #46 Team WRT and #998 ROWE Racing BMWs strengthened the German manufacturer’s presence near the front.
Pro-Am lead changes after bonnet drama
The Pro-Am contest produced another dramatic sequence during the sixth and seventh hours.
The #86 High Class Racing Porsche had moved to the front of the class after Car Collection Motorsport lost time through penalties. However, the Porsche’s bonnet lifted while Leo Ye Hongli drove at speed.
Ye guided the car safely back to the pits despite the bonnet obstructing his view. High Class Racing secured it with tape and returned to the circuit, although the unscheduled repair cost approximately two minutes.
Race control then issued the #86 with a 10-second stop-and-hold penalty for speeding under Full-Course Yellow conditions, handing the advantage to the #700 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin.
However, the Aston Martin later limped back to the pits with its own problem. The #86 briefly regained the class lead before the #999 GetSpeed Team PCX Mercedes-AMG moved ahead as the race approached seven hours.
Kessel and Saintéloc emerge at the front of their classes
Kessel Racing recovered from its earlier contact penalty and returned the #74 Ferrari to the head of the Bronze Cup.
Dennis Marschall ran inside the overall top 15 as the race passed six hours, keeping the defending class-winning team in a strong position despite the changing strategies around it.
Meanwhile, the Silver Cup order continued to evolve. The #30 Team WRT BMW led at the six-hour point, but the #25 Saintéloc Racing Audi moved to the front before the end of Hour 7.
Both categories remained closely contested as the falling temperatures and increasing darkness changed the character of the race.
Baud crash starts Hour 8 under caution
A major accident brought the seventh hour to a dramatic conclusion.
Sébastien Baud lost control of the #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin at Courbe Paul Frère and struck the barriers heavily. The impact caused extensive damage and ended the Silver Cup entry’s race, although Baud escaped without serious injury.
Race control immediately deployed a Full-Course Yellow before sending out the Safety Car. Officials also reviewed whether contact from another car contributed to the accident.
The neutralisation carried the field into Hour 8, with the #48 Mercedes-AMG leading the #58 McLaren and #98 BMW.
Further crashes interrupt the opening night running
The Safety Car period lasted only briefly, and race control returned the field to green-flag conditions at 23:40 local time.
However, another accident soon followed at Campus. The #9 Pure Rxcing Porsche left the circuit with rear damage, while the #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche also became involved.
The incident additionally caught the #7 and #11 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martins to a lesser extent. Both cars returned to the pits, avoiding the severe damage that had ended the sister #21 entry’s race.
Despite the repeated interruptions, the #48 Mercedes-AMG retained control as the race moved beyond eight hours. The #58 Garage 59 McLaren remained its closest consistent challenger, while the #98 BMW’s recovery kept ROWE Racing in the overall victory conversation.
Mercedes-AMG leads the race into the night
The four-hour period fundamentally changed the complexion of the race.
AF Corse had looked capable of controlling the event from the front, but the #51 Ferrari’s puncture and additional penalty forced the team into recovery mode. Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER capitalised immediately and established the #48 as the new benchmark.
Garage 59 continued to combine Gold Cup leadership with an overall victory challenge, while ROWE Racing’s steady climb added BMW to the fight. However, brake trouble removed the second Garage 59 McLaren, and the major accidents involving the #21 Aston Martin and #9 Porsche demonstrated the increasing risks as darkness covered Spa-Francorchamps.
The #48 Mercedes-AMG therefore carried the advantage into Hour 9, but the compressed field, offset strategies and constant traffic left the contest far from settled.
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