The pole-starting #51 AF Corse Ferrari remained in control of the 2026 CrowdStrike 24H of Spa as the race reached the four-hour mark under Safety Car conditions.
Nicklas Nielsen held the lead before bringing the Ferrari into the pits during the latest Full-Course Yellow. However, AF Corse must account for a 15-second penalty after the stewards found that the car exceeded the 80km/h limit during an earlier neutralisation.
Behind, Maro Engel moved the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER entry into second after passing Tom Fleming’s Gold Cup-leading #58 Garage 59 McLaren in traffic at Blanchimont. A stranded #28 Haas RT Audi then triggered another Full-Course Yellow, which later developed into a Safety Car period.
AF Corse rebuilds its advantage after repeated interruptions in 2026 CrowdStrike 24H of Spa
Alessio Rovera began the third hour at the head of the field and quickly rebuilt the #51 Ferrari’s advantage following the earlier Safety Car restart.
Rovera extended the gap to more than 13 seconds as he worked through traffic. Nicklas Nielsen later returned to the cockpit and led Fleming by 6.3 seconds after the next round of scheduled stops.
However, the race leader received a 15-second time penalty for speeding under Full-Course Yellow conditions. AF Corse could serve the sanction during a pit stop, but the penalty placed extra pressure on a car that had otherwise controlled the race from pole.
The team brought Nielsen into the pits during the latest neutralisation shortly before the four-hour mark, taking advantage of the reduced time loss under Full-Course Yellow conditions.
Engel takes second from Fleming at Blanchimont
Maro Engel emerged as the closest challenger to the leading Ferrari after a strong stint in the #48 Mercedes-AMG.
Engel initially ran third behind Fleming but used traffic at Blanchimont to move alongside the #58 McLaren and claim second place shortly before the latest Full-Course Yellow.
Fleming retained the Gold Cup lead despite losing the overall position. Dani Juncadella followed in fourth aboard the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry, while Marvin Kirchhöfer completed the leading five for Garage 59.
The top group remained closely matched, with little more than 12 seconds covering the first five cars before the most recent neutralisation.
Farfus brings ROWE Racing into contention
ROWE Racing moved firmly into the leading battle during the fourth hour.
Raffaele Marciello made significant progress during his stint in the #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO before handing the car to Augusto Farfus. The Brazilian subsequently ran sixth, approximately 15 seconds behind the leader before the Safety Car compressed the field.
Earlier, Marciello forced his way past Fabio Scherer’s #64 HRT Ford Racing Mustang at the Bus Stop chicane. That move helped the BMW emerge as a genuine threat after starting outside the leading group.
Meanwhile, the sister #32 Team WRT BMW encountered problems. The team took the car into the garage and removed the bonnet, dropping it off the lead lap after a promising recovery from its qualifying position.
Latest neutralisation follows trouble for Haas RT
Race control called another Full-Course Yellow when the #28 Haas RT Audi became stranded in the gravel at La Source.
The Audi stopped in an unusual position, and officials required a recovery before the race could resume. The short neutralisation developed into a longer Full-Course Yellow and then a Safety Car period, with race control allowing eligible cars to complete wave-bys.
Many teams used the interruption to make scheduled stops and driver changes, including the leading #51 Ferrari.
The race had already featured repeated interruptions, including the first-lap Pouhon collision, debris-related neutralisations and incidents involving the #79 Tsunami RT Porsche and #54 Dinamic GT Porsche.
GetSpeed’s difficult 2026 CrowdStrike 24H of Spa weekend continues
The #17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed entry appeared to retire after stopping at the pit exit shortly before the latest Full-Course Yellow.
Maxime Martin, Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller had already endured a difficult event. The car initially topped Combined Qualifying before the stewards deleted its Q3 laps for unpermitted work between sessions.
Martin subsequently charged from 52nd on the grid during the opening stages, but the car later suffered a transponder problem and received the black-and-orange mechanical warning flag.
Its stoppage at pit exit appeared to end a recovery drive that had briefly brought it back towards the leading group.
Selected Car Racing loses ground after contact
The #71 Selected Car Racing Ferrari dropped from the leading group after receiving a drive-through penalty.
The stewards held the Ferrari responsible for contact that sent the #555 CSA Racing McLaren into a spin at the Bus Stop. Before the incident, the Gold Cup Ferrari had consistently challenged the #58 Garage 59 McLaren and ran inside the overall top three.
After serving its penalty and completing another stop, the #71 fell to 22nd.
The sister #50 AF Corse Ferrari also suffered further trouble. The car hit the barriers at Bruxelles following contact while attempting to pass through traffic. It continued, but lost several positions after already starting only 28th due to its post-Superpole technical penalty.
Bronze battle changes after Kessel penalty
Kessel Racing lost the Bronze Cup lead after the stewards penalised the #74 Ferrari for contact with the #11 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin.
The Ferrari tipped the Aston Martin into the gravel at Turn 10, earning a 10-second penalty at its next pit stop. The incident allowed the #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche to move to the front of the category.
Chris Froggatt held the Bronze lead from 11th overall after three and a half hours. However, the #93 later received a 30-second penalty for repeated track-limit infringements.
The class had previously featured the #12 GetSpeed Team Dubai Mercedes-AMG at the front. That car briefly ran fourth overall after benefiting from a Full-Course Yellow stop but lost ground after serving a 20-second penalty for a short refuelling infringement.
Rinaldi Racing takes over the Silver Cup lead
The #45 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari moved to the head of the Silver Cup during the middle phase of the race.
David Perel ran 15th overall at the three-and-a-half-hour mark after Dylan Medler and Alessandro Balzan had also completed stints in the car.
However, the Ferrari carried a 15-second penalty for speeding under Full-Course Yellow conditions. The sanction kept the Silver battle open, with the #6 GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros Mercedes-AMG and several other class contenders remaining within reach.
The #45 nevertheless retained the class lead as the latest Safety Car period began.
Car Collection leads Pro-Am despite mounting penalties
Car Collection Motorsport continued to lead Pro-Am with its #8 Porsche, although a series of penalties threatened its advantage.
The car initially received a 10-second penalty for speeding under Full-Course Yellow conditions. The stewards then added 30 seconds for repeated track-limit infringements and another 10 seconds for speeding in the pit lane.
Nicolò Rosi held the class lead at the latest confirmed classification, but the accumulated sanctions left the #8 vulnerable to its Pro-Am rivals.
Elsewhere, the #177 Grupo Prom Racing Mercedes-AMG and #914 razoon – more than racing Porsche each received 75-second penalties for repeated track-limit violations.
Safety Car resets the contest entering Hour 5 of the 2026 CrowdStrike 24H of Spa
AF Corse remained in control as the race reached four hours, but the latest Safety Car removed much of the advantage that the #51 Ferrari had built during green-flag running.
Engel’s move into second-placed Mercedes-AMG directly behind the leader, while Fleming retained a strong position in the Gold Cup McLaren. ROWE Racing’s progress also added BMW to an increasingly competitive leading battle.
However, penalties continued to influence almost every class. AF Corse must manage its 15-second sanction, while several category leaders face additional time losses when the race returns to green.
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