At 16:30 on Saturday, 27 June, a 69-car GT3 field will begin the 78th edition of the Belgian endurance classic. Among that enormous grid, 18 Pro crews from nine manufacturers will chase overall victory at the 2026 CrowdStrike 24H of Spa-Francorchamps.
Each Pro entry can use a maximum of three drivers, while the regulations place no restriction on driver categorisation. Teams can therefore build their crews entirely around professional talent, experience and outright pace.
The class features former winners, factory drivers, GT champions and leading teams from across international motorsport. As a result, the overall winner will almost certainly emerge from this group. However, the depth of the field makes any prediction difficult. BMW, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche hold the numerical advantage with three Pro cars each, while Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini enter two apiece. Audi, Ford and McLaren complete the class with one car each.
What is the Pro class?
The Pro class forms the main battleground for overall victory at the CrowdStrike 24H of Spa.
Unlike categories that require Bronze-, Silver- or Gold-rated drivers, Pro places no restrictions on driver categorisation. Each team can select three fully professional drivers and focus entirely on performance. That freedom allows manufacturers to assemble their strongest possible line-ups. It also creates an intense contest in which small differences in traffic management, strategy and pit execution can separate victory from defeat.
Nevertheless, speed alone cannot guarantee success. The drivers must negotiate almost 70 closely matched GT3 cars, cope with changing weather, race through the night and protect their machinery for a full day.
Spa also punishes mistakes. A minor collision, poorly timed pit stop or mechanical problem can erase hours of strong work within moments.
The Pro class at a glance
- Entries: 18 cars
- Manufacturers: Nine
- Line-up: A maximum of three drivers, with no restriction on categorisation
- 2025 winner: Grasser Racing – Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
- Race start: 16:30 on Saturday, 27 June
BMW, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche each enter three cars, which gives them the greatest number of opportunities.
However, numbers tell only part of the story. Aston Martin brings the crew that won in 2024, Ferrari has reached the podium at the past two editions, and Lamborghini returns as the defending manufacturer with an entirely new car. Meanwhile, Audi relies on two former winners, McLaren continues its pursuit of a first overall podium, and Ford arrives with growing confidence after showing front-running pace at Monza.
Team WRT: BMW targets an end to its home-race drought
Team WRT ranks among the most successful GT teams of the modern era, but the Belgian squad has not won its home endurance classic since 2014. WRT claimed its first Spa victory in 2011 and added a second three years later. Since then, the team has suffered several near misses, including a particularly painful defeat in 2021.
The #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO gives WRT its leading opportunity to end that drought. Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde won the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup together, while both drivers have already reached the overall podium at Spa. Jordan Pepper completes the crew after helping Lamborghini secure its breakthrough victory in 2025. His arrival gives WRT a driver with recent knowledge of how to manage the race’s decisive closing stages.
WRT also enters the #46 BMW for Valentino Rossi, Max Hesse and Dan Harper. Rossi will make his fifth attempt at the 24H of Spa and continues to develop as an endurance racer, while Hesse and Harper rank among BMW’s quickest young factory drivers. The #32 may carry greater expectations, but the sister car possesses enough pace to join the lead battle if WRT executes a clean race.
ROWE Racing: BMW calls on a proven Spa specialist
ROWE Racing gives BMW another clear route to victory. The German team has won the 24H of Spa three times since 2016, while no other squad has claimed more than one victory during the same period. That record highlights ROWE’s ability to manage Spa’s weather, traffic and constantly changing strategic picture.
Augusto Farfus, Jake Dennis and Raffaele Marciello share the #98 BMW. Marciello won at Spa in 2022 and remains one of the most accomplished GT drivers of his generation. Farfus contributes extensive endurance experience, while Dennis adds pace from both GT competition and Formula E.
Although ROWE enters only one Pro car, the team’s history removes any concern about numerical disadvantage. The squad knows how to keep its machinery in contention through the night and position itself for the final hours. If the #98 reaches Sunday afternoon without significant trouble, it should remain a serious threat.
Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter: the championship leaders chase a breakthrough
Mercedes-AMG enters Spa with outstanding momentum after winning the Bathurst 12 Hour and the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2026. Winward Racing’s Team Mann-Filter crew also leads the GT World Challenge Europe standings, giving the marque both confidence and strong current form.
Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel share the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. The trio has delivered impressive pace and consistency throughout the season, although none of its drivers has won the 24H of Spa. Even Engel, despite his extensive list of achievements in international GT racing, still seeks his first overall victory in the Ardennes.
That gap should provide extra motivation rather than create concern. Team Mann-Filter already possesses the speed, experience and operational strength needed to challenge, while Mercedes-AMG’s recent results show that the package can succeed in major endurance events. If the team maintains its championship form, the #48 should remain among the leading contenders throughout the race.
Verstappen Racing: Mercedes-AMG combines previous winners
Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing brings one of the most decorated driver combinations in the Pro field. Dani Juncadella, Chris Lulham and Jules Gounon share the #3 Mercedes-AMG, creating a line-up that blends winning experience with emerging talent.
Juncadella won the 24H of Spa in 2022, while Gounon triumphed in both 2017 and 2022. Gounon therefore joins Markus Winkelhock as one of only two double winners on the 2026 grid. Both drivers understand how to manage the event through heavy traffic, darkness and unpredictable weather.
Lulham adds further speed and can draw on the experience of two highly accomplished team-mates. Although Verstappen Racing carries a newer identity than several established Spa teams, the quality of its line-up immediately places the #3 among the leading contenders.
GetSpeed: another experienced Mercedes-AMG challenger
GetSpeed completes Mercedes-AMG’s three-car Pro attack with another crew that includes previous Spa winners. Maxime Martin, Maxi Götz and Fabian Schiller share the #17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
Martin won his home race in 2016, while Götz claimed victory in 2013. Schiller adds proven GT3 speed to a combination that balances experience with current performance. Martin’s knowledge of Spa should prove especially valuable, as the Belgian understands the circuit, its unpredictable conditions and the pressure that surrounds the event.
GetSpeed also knows how to compete in major endurance races. As a result, Mercedes-AMG does not depend on a single leading car. The manufacturer brings three separate crews with the experience and pace required to challenge for overall victory.
Lionspeed GP: Porsche brings one of the quickest line-ups
Porsche has shown considerable speed throughout the season, although its results have not always matched its potential. Lionspeed GP represents one of the manufacturer’s most exciting opportunities at Spa, with Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining and Bastian Buus sharing the #80 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
All three drivers can produce front-running pace. Feller has established himself as one of Europe’s strongest GT competitors, Preining brings championship-winning quality, and Buus adds further speed and endurance experience. Few observers will question the crew’s ability to run near the front.
Instead, Lionspeed must prove that it can convert that speed into a disciplined 24-hour performance. The team must avoid unnecessary risks, execute consistently in the pits and protect the car through the busiest periods of traffic. If the #80 reaches the final hours without major problems, it can fight for victory.
Boutsen VDS: a Belgian squad pursues success at home
Boutsen VDS gives Porsche another strong opportunity through a team with close Belgian ties. Morris Schuring, Dorian Boccolacci and Alessio Picariello share the #2 Porsche, creating a balanced combination of youth, speed and local experience.
Picariello knows the event well and brings a strong record in GT racing, while Schuring and Boccolacci provide the pace needed to compete with the leading factory-supported crews. A victory would represent the team’s biggest achievement and carry additional significance on home soil.
However, Boutsen VDS must manage that pressure carefully. The team needs to remain patient during the opening hours, avoid unnecessary incidents and preserve its opportunity for the decisive Sunday afternoon phase. The #2 gives the squad its strongest chance yet to win the 24H of Spa.
Schumacher CLRT: Porsche adds a one-off threat
Schumacher CLRT gives Porsche a third Pro entry and one of the most formidable one-off crews in the field. Ayhancan Güven, Matt Campbell and Frédéric Makowiecki share the #22 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Campbell and Makowiecki bring extensive experience from major endurance races, while Güven ranks among Porsche’s fastest drivers. Together, they give Schumacher CLRT enough quality to match the regular GT World Challenge Europe contenders from the beginning of the weekend.
The team does not contest the full championship with this entry, but that should not lower expectations. Instead, the one-off programme allows the squad to focus entirely on Spa. If Schumacher CLRT quickly establishes a competitive set-up and avoids early setbacks, the #22 can challenge at the front.
Comtoyou Racing: Aston Martin reunites its winning crew
Aston Martin waited 76 years between its first Spa victory in 1948 and its second in 2024. Comtoyou Racing now aims to secure the manufacturer’s third win much sooner, with Mattia Drudi, Marco Sørensen and Nicki Thiim returning in the #7 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO.
The trio won together in 2024 and challenged near the front again in 2025 before technical problems disrupted its race. Comtoyou’s unchanged line-up gives the team valuable continuity, as every driver already understands the car, the team’s procedures and the demands of the event.
More importantly, the squad knows how to win at Spa. It can approach the early stages patiently before increasing the pressure as the race develops. Aston Martin may not match BMW, Mercedes-AMG or Porsche numerically, but the #7 ranks among the strongest individual entries on the grid.
Walkenhorst Motorsport: Aston Martin seeks redemption
Walkenhorst Motorsport endured a difficult start to the 2025 event when a practice crash damaged its chances before the race began. The team now returns under the natural elements by Walkenhorst Motorsport banner and aims to demonstrate the performance that last year’s setback concealed.
Jamie Day, Christian Krognes and Henrique Chaves share the #34 Aston Martin. Krognes won the 24H of Spa in 2018 and brings valuable experience to the crew, while Day and Chaves add further speed and create a well-balanced line-up.
Walkenhorst must first complete a clean build-up and avoid the problems that ended last year’s challenge before it could develop. From there, the team can focus on consistency and strategy. The #34 may attract less attention than the 2024-winning Comtoyou entry, but it possesses enough experience to emerge as a serious contender.
AF Corse: Ferrari brings two routes to victory
Ferrari has not dominated the wider GT World Challenge Europe season, but its recent Spa record demands respect. The Italian marque won in 2021 and has reached the podium at the past two editions. It also came agonisingly close to another victory in 2024 before late drama transformed the result.
Alessio Rovera, Tommaso Mosca and Nicklas Nielsen share the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO. Nielsen formed part of Ferrari’s winning crew in 2021, while Rovera continues to establish himself as one of the manufacturer’s most dependable GT drivers. Mosca completes a line-up that combines pace, experience and strong knowledge of the Ferrari package.
Lilou Wadoux, Arthur Leclerc and Sean Gelael share the #50 Ferrari. Wadoux contributes factory GT experience, Leclerc brings a single-seater background and growing endurance knowledge, and Gelael adds substantial experience from long-distance competition. The #51 may lead Ferrari’s challenge on paper, but AF Corse can use both cars to strengthen its strategic position.
Garage 59: McLaren chases its first overall podium
McLaren remains the only manufacturer in the 2026 Pro field without an overall 24H of Spa victory. The British marque has not reached the overall podium either, despite several competitive appearances over the years.
Garage 59 now carries perhaps McLaren’s best chance to change that record. Joseph Loake, Dean MacDonald and Marvin Kirchhöfer share the #59 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO. Kirchhöfer took Superpole at Spa in 2025 and has performed at an exceptionally high level in recent seasons, while Loake and MacDonald add youth and further speed.
However, the crew must convert qualifying performance into sustained endurance form. McLaren has often shown flashes of competitiveness at Spa, but the race demands more than one quick lap or a strong opening stint. If Garage 59 maintains consistency through the night and protects its car for the closing stages, it can finally deliver McLaren’s long-awaited breakthrough.
HRT Ford Racing: Monza pace changes expectations
Before Monza, few observers would have placed HRT Ford Racing among the leading Spa contenders. However, the team changed that perception with a sensational pole position in Italy.
Circumstances prevented HRT from converting that pace into a representative result, but the performance proved that the Ford Mustang GT3 EVO can challenge the established manufacturers. The team must now show that it can sustain that speed across a complete 24-hour race.
Arjun Maini, Fabio Scherer and Thomas Drouet share the #64 Ford. Maini will aim to become the first Indian driver to claim overall victory at the 24H of Spa, while Scherer contributes significant endurance experience and Drouet adds further GT pace. Ford still faces questions over long-distance consistency, but HRT’s Monza performance means its rivals can no longer overlook the Mustang.
Eastalent Racing: Audi relies on experience
Eastalent Racing fields Audi’s only Pro entry, but the team can call on two previous Spa winners. Simon Reicher, Markus Winkelhock and Christopher Haase share the #84 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II.
Haase and Winkelhock both helped Audi win the race in 2017, while Winkelhock also triumphed in 2014. That second success makes him one of only two double winners in the 2026 field alongside Jules Gounon. Reicher will make his first appearance at the event, but his experienced team-mates can guide him through its most demanding phases.
The Audi R8 ranks among the oldest GT3 designs on the grid, yet teams continue to extract competitive performances from it. Eastalent lacks the numerical strength of the major manufacturers, but experience can compensate for that disadvantage. If the #84 remains on the lead lap and avoids contact, Haase and Winkelhock know how to capitalise.
TGI Team by GRT: Lamborghini begins a new era
Grasser Racing achieved a long-held ambition when it won the 2025 24H of Spa with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2. The squad now returns under the TGI Team by GRT name and introduces the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 to its first 24-hour race.
Franck Perera, Maximilian Paul and defending winner Mirko Bortolotti share the #63 Lamborghini. Bortolotti gives the team continuity after last year’s triumph, while Perera brings extensive experience with Lamborghini machinery. Paul adds further pace and GT knowledge to an already strong combination.
However, the new car creates considerable uncertainty. The Temerario remains in its development phase, and no test can fully recreate the demands of 24 hours at Spa. GRT must first guide the car through the night and prove its reliability. If the #63 reaches Sunday afternoon without significant problems, its drivers possess enough quality to challenge for another victory.
Rutronik Racing: last year’s runner-up changes allegiance
Rutronik Racing finished second at the 2025 24H of Spa while running a Porsche. For 2026, the German team has switched to Lamborghini and joined the new Temerario programme.
Luca Engstler, Marco Mapelli and Patric Niederhauser share the #96 Lamborghini. Engstler won the race with Grasser last year and now aims to repeat that success with a different team. Mapelli brings deep knowledge of Lamborghini machinery, while Niederhauser contributes extensive experience from top-level GT competition.
Rutronik already understands how to compete for victory at Spa, but the squad must transfer that knowledge to a completely new car. Like GRT, it must balance performance with reliability and ensure that the Temerario reaches the closing stages before launching an outright attack.
The full 2026 24H of Spa Pro entry list
- #2 Boutsen VDS — Porsche 911 GT3 R: Morris Schuring / Dorian Boccolacci / Alessio Picariello
- #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing — Mercedes-AMG GT3: Dani Juncadella / Chris Lulham / Jules Gounon
- #7 Comtoyou Racing — Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3: Mattia Drudi / Marco Sørensen / Nicki Thiim
- #17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed — Mercedes-AMG GT3: Maxime Martin / Maxi Götz / Fabian Schiller
- #22 Schumacher CLRT — Porsche 911 GT3 R: Ayhancan Güven / Matt Campbell / Frédéric Makowiecki
- #32 Team WRT — BMW M4 GT3: Charles Weerts / Kelvin van der Linde / Jordan Pepper
- #34 Natural Elements by Walkenhorst Motorsport — Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3: Jamie Day / Christian Krognes / Henrique Chaves
- #46 Team WRT — BMW M4 GT3: Valentino Rossi / Max Hesse / Dan Harper
- #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter — Mercedes-AMG GT3: Lucas Auer / Luca Stolz / Maro Engel
- #50 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3: Lilou Wadoux / Arthur Leclerc / Sean Gelael
- #51 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3: Alessio Rovera / Tommaso Mosca / Nicklas Nielsen
- #59 Garage 59 — McLaren 720S GT3: Joseph Loake / Dean MacDonald / Marvin Kirchhöfer
- #63 TGI Team by GRT — Lamborghini Temerario GT3: Franck Perera / Maximilian Paul / Mirko Bortolotti
- #64 HRT Ford Racing — Ford Mustang GT3: Arjun Maini / Fabio Scherer / Thomas Drouet
- #80 Lionspeed GP — Porsche 911 GT3 R: Ricardo Feller / Thomas Preining / Bastian Buus
- #84 Eastalent Racing — Audi R8 LMS GT3: Simon Reicher / Markus Winkelhock / Christopher Haase
- #96 Rutronik Racing — Lamborghini Temerario GT3: Luca Engstler / Marco Mapelli / Patric Niederhauser
- #98 ROWE Racing — BMW M4 GT3: Augusto Farfus / Jake Dennis / Raffaele Marciello
The key Pro storylines
BMW enters the 2026 24H of Spa with perhaps the strongest combination of numbers, driver quality and team pedigree.
Team WRT and ROWE Racing have collected five victories between them since 2011. All three BMW crews also contain drivers capable of leading the race.
However, Mercedes-AMG brings the strongest current endurance form. The manufacturer has already won at Bathurst and the Nürburgring this year, while Team Mann-Filter leads the GT World Challenge Europe standings.
Porsche can challenge through each of its three entries. Lionspeed GP brings exceptional speed, Boutsen VDS carries home ambition, and Schumacher CLRT fields a high-quality one-off crew.
Aston Martin relies on the team and drivers that won in 2024, while Walkenhorst returns with redemption in mind. Ferrari brings recent Spa podium form and two strong AF Corse entries.
Meanwhile, McLaren seeks its first overall podium, Ford aims to build on its Monza pace, and Audi places its trust in experience.
Lamborghini faces the largest technical question. The Temerario GT3 will attempt its first 24-hour race, but the manufacturer still brings two excellent teams and two members of last year’s winning crew.
An unpredictable fight for overall victory
The 18-car Pro field gives the 2026 CrowdStrike 24H of Spa no clear favourite. BMW combines successful teams, outstanding drivers and three credible opportunities, while Mercedes-AMG carries the strongest current endurance form. Porsche also brings front-running potential across every one of its entries.
Aston Martin and Ferrari already know how to win in the Ardennes, while Audi relies on experience and McLaren may have its strongest chance yet to claim a landmark result. Ford has shown unexpected pace, and Lamborghini returns as the defending manufacturer despite the uncertainty surrounding its new Temerario.
The race will reward far more than outright performance. Traffic, changing weather, pit strategy, mechanical reliability and driver discipline will shape the order throughout the day and night. Even a list of 10 favourites could exclude the eventual winner, and only 24 hours of racing will reveal which crew can combine speed, control and endurance to add its name to the 24H of Spa roll of honour.
Full entry list
Weekend schedule
Watch the race live here and follow along with Pit Debrief‘s live blog.
