Thomas Preining passed Nicklas Nielsen on track to put the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche at the head of the 2026 CrowdStrike 24H of Spa as the race completed 16 hours.
Nielsen had controlled the closing phase of the hour aboard the #51 AF Corse Ferrari, but traffic interrupted his rhythm and allowed Preining to attack. The Porsche moved through on the inside as the pair exited the final chicane, converting several laps of increasing pressure into the race lead.
Maro Engel followed in third for Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER after a delayed pit exit cost the #48 Mercedes-AMG second place. The change at the front completed a four-hour period in which Optimum Motorsport, Team WRT, AF Corse, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER and Lionspeed GP all featured in the lead battle.
Owega leads as morning light reaches Spa
The second half of the race resumed with Salman Owega at the front aboard the Silver Cup-entered #5 Optimum Motorsport McLaren.
Owega led through an offset pit-stop sequence and began to build an advantage after the field returned to green. Behind him, Lilou Wadoux passed Max Hesse to move the #50 AF Corse Ferrari into second before Hesse reclaimed the position for the #46 Team WRT BMW.
Luca Stolz also overtook Wadoux and moved the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER entry into the leading group.
Owega’s spell at the front ended when Optimum Motorsport brought the McLaren into the pits. The car also had to account for penalties, including a 60-second sanction for ignoring blue flags and a four-second stop-and-go after completing a technical stop below the required minimum time.
The stop returned the #5 McLaren to the track outside the leading group and handed the advantage to Hesse.
Garage 59’s victory challenge ends
Garage 59 suffered a major setback when smoke appeared from the #58 McLaren.
The Gold Cup entry had challenged for the overall lead throughout the opening half of the race, but the team wheeled it into the garage with radiator trouble. The crew eventually returned the car to the circuit, although it had lost almost 30 laps and no longer featured in the fight for victory.
The problem completed a difficult sequence for Garage 59 after the sister #59 McLaren had already dropped out of contention with brake trouble.
With the #58 sidelined, the #998 ROWE Racing BMW inherited the Gold Cup advantage.
Team WRT moves to the front
Max Hesse took the lead in the #46 Team WRT BMW after Owega stopped.
Hesse remained ahead of Stolz and Wadoux as the race completed 13 hours, while the changing pit cycles continued to produce regular movement near the front.
Daniel Harper later took over the BMW and retained Team WRT’s challenge. He led Lucas Auer’s #48 Mercedes-AMG and the recovering #51 Ferrari after another sequence of stops.
The WRT entry continued to lead when Auer began closing rapidly, but Harper brought the BMW into the pits as the next fuel window approached.
The sister #32 Team WRT BMW remained in recovery mode after its earlier mechanical problems and mandatory technical stop. However, Kelvin van der Linde and Jordan Pepper gradually returned the car towards the top 10.
AF Corse completes its recovery from the earlier puncture
The #51 AF Corse Ferrari continued an impressive recovery after the puncture that had dropped it outside the top 40 during the first half of the race.
Tommaso Mosca brought the car back towards the leading positions before Alessio Rovera took over. Rovera moved through the field as the strategies aligned, initially climbing to sixth before returning the pole-starting Ferrari to the top three.
David Pittard briefly led aboard the Bronze Cup-entered #991 Paradine Competition BMW, but he still needed to stop. Once the BMW entered the pits, Rovera reclaimed the overall lead ahead of Auer and Harper.
Rovera then began to pull away. His advantage over Auer grew beyond six seconds before reaching approximately 7.7 seconds during Hour 15.
The comeback returned the #51 to the centre of the victory fight after its earlier puncture and Full-Course Yellow penalties had appeared to compromise its race. The official race updates also highlighted the Ferrari’s progress as it moved from third at the end of Hour 14 back to the lead.
Auer and Preining fight over second
While Rovera extended his lead, Auer faced increasing pressure from Preining.
The #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche moved within striking distance of the #48 Mercedes-AMG, and the two cars came close to contact during their battle for second.
Preining remained directly behind Auer as the race moved through Hour 15, while Harper followed in the #46 BMW. Arthur Leclerc also kept the recovering #50 Ferrari inside the leading group after the car’s earlier incidents and penalties.
Further back, Nicki Thiim suffered another setback in the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin. Thiim spun and struck the barriers near the Kemmel Straight. He managed to continue, but the damaged Aston Martin lost several positions as it returned slowly towards the pits.
Pit stops hand Nielsen the advantage
Rovera brought the leading Ferrari into the pits during the final major stop sequence of the four-hour period and handed over to Nielsen.
Preining, Dorian Boccolacci and Fabio Scherer also stopped, leaving Auer temporarily at the front in the #48 Mercedes-AMG. However, the Austrian still needed to complete his service.
Auer eventually pitted and handed the car to Engel. The Mercedes-AMG lost time when the #64 HRT Ford Racing Mustang delayed its release, allowing Preining to emerge ahead.
Once the cycle settled, Nielsen led Preining by more than seven seconds. Engel followed the Porsche by over five seconds, while Valentino Rossi ran fourth in the #46 Team WRT BMW.
Darren Leung completed the leading group aboard the #991 Paradine Competition BMW, which continued to combine the Bronze Cup lead with a strong overall performance.
Preining closes rapidly on the Ferrari
Preining began reducing Nielsen’s advantage as the morning temperatures continued to rise.
The gap fell from more than seven seconds to less than five, while Engel lost a small amount of ground in third. The Lionspeed driver soon moved close enough to follow the Ferrari through traffic and apply direct pressure.
Nielsen encountered slower cars and ran wide, giving Preining an opportunity on the inside. The Porsche driver reacted immediately and completed the pass as the cars exited the final chicane.
Nielsen remained close and positioned the Ferrari for a possible slipstream attack through Eau Rouge and along the Kemmel Straight. However, Preining completed Hour 16 at the front after taking the position through an on-track move rather than a pit-stop exchange.
Rising temperatures create another strategic question
Lionspeed GP attacked before the track returned to the hotter conditions that had caused the Porsche difficulties earlier in the race.
Preining’s pace allowed him to close the Ferrari’s advantage and complete the pass, but the team still faced questions over how the 911 GT3 R Evo would perform as temperatures continued to increase.
Ferrari had shown strong pace during the hottest periods of the event, while Mercedes-AMG remained close enough to capitalise if the leading pair began fighting or encountered further traffic.
Engel therefore remained a serious threat in third, with Rossi and Leung keeping BMW represented immediately behind the three leading manufacturers.
Silver and Bronze contenders remain in the overall fight
The #65 HRT Ford Racing Mustang continued an exceptional Silver Cup performance during the morning hours.
Finn Wiebelhaus, Max Reis, Maxime Oosten and Eduardo Coseteng kept the car firmly inside the leading group, despite the challenge of managing the category’s driver restrictions and minimum driving-time requirements.
The #991 Paradine Competition BMW also remained among the overall front-runners while controlling the Bronze Cup. Its alternative strategy briefly put Pittard into the outright lead before Leung returned the car to the leading five.
The #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari remained the BMW’s closest major Bronze rival, while the #999 GetSpeed Team PCX Mercedes-AMG and #0 Johor Motorsports Racing JMR Corvette continued their Pro-Am contest.
Race Control also remained busy with track-limits sanctions. The #33 2Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG received another 300-second penalty, while several other entries collected warnings or additional time penalties during the morning.
Porsche leads with eight hours remaining
Preining’s pass placed Lionspeed GP at the front with one-third of the race remaining.
Nielsen stayed close enough to respond for AF Corse, while Engel kept Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER within range of both leaders. Team WRT remained a factor through Rossi, and the recovering #50 Ferrari also continued to show competitive pace with Leclerc.
The rising temperatures could change the balance again, but Preining entered Hour 17 with track position after producing one of the most decisive on-track moves of the race.
Watch the race live here and follow along with Pit Debrief‘s live blog.
