BMW secures historic one-two finish at the 2026 WEC 6 Hours of Spa
The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps delivered a historic result for BMW. The German manufacturer secured its first victory in the modern FIA WEC Hypercar era in the most spectacular way possible, with both BMW M Hybrid V8 cars finishing first and second ahead of the entire field.
BMW’s breakthrough victory ended the dominance shown throughout the weekend by Alpine and Cadillac during practice sessions and qualifying.
Historic BMW triumph at Spa-Francorchamps
The result came through extremely intelligent race management and perfect use of two of the three Safety Car periods deployed during the race.
The #20 BMW crossed the line ahead of the sister #15 car, securing maximum championship points and relaunching BMW firmly into the title fight. Finishing third after an impressive recovery drive was the #50 Ferrari, which had lost valuable time earlier in the race due to a wheel nut issue during a mid-race pit stop. Antonio Fuoco produced an aggressive and determined final stint, trying everything possible to challenge the leading BMW #20 in the closing stages, but ultimately without success.
The race proved much more complicated for Ferrari’s #51 crew.
Despite a generally clean race — aside from double contact involving Antonio Giovinazzi and the #15 BMW — the car had managed to recover strongly until the final hour, when contact with two LMGT3 backmarkers ended Alessandro Pier Guidi’s race prematurely.
Toyota maximises strategy while Alpine wastes major potential
Toyota also managed to take advantage of a well-timed Full Course Yellow period, temporarily moving into virtual second position.
However, the #8 Toyota spent most of the race circulating in the midfield without major highlights.
In the end, the #7 Toyota GR010 finished fifth after being overtaken late in the race by Aston Martin, while the second Toyota completed the event in tenth position. It was instead a deeply disappointing weekend for Alpine. Based on the pace shown throughout practice and qualifying, the French manufacturer had appeared almost unbeatable and looked like the natural favourite for victory. Instead, the #36 Alpine A424 finished only eleventh, while the sister #35 car ended twelfth after spinning at the exit of Eau Rouge during the restart following the final Safety Car period.
Aston Martin impresses while Peugeot struggles again
Both Aston Martin Valkyries delivered extremely solid performances throughout the race, consistently running inside or just outside the points-paying positions.
In the end, the #009 Aston Martin secured a sensational fourth-place finish.
The #007 Valkyrie, however, was forced to retire after contact while attempting to overtake the #35 Alpine on the Kemmel Straight shortly after a Safety Car restart.
Peugeot endured another difficult weekend. The #93 Peugeot dropped to tenth position, while the #94 car retired following unfortunate contact with a Mercedes LMGT3 machine. Meanwhile, Genesis celebrated a hugely important milestone during its debut WEC season by securing eighth place and scoring its first-ever championship points in the Hypercar category.
Ferrari dominates the LMGT3 category at Spa
In the LMGT3 category, victory went to Vista AF Corse with the #21 Ferrari 296 GT3.
After spending the opening phase of the race just outside the podium positions, the Ferrari eventually took control of the class and never looked back. Silver-rated driver Simon Mann and Platinum-rated Alessio Rovera dominated the remainder of the race, managing multiple Safety Car periods perfectly while maintaining control at the front. After a difficult opening stint, the #10 McLaren recovered strongly to finish second by strategically exploiting the neutralisations.
Third place went to the #27 Aston Martin, with Italian driver Mattia Drudi once again delivering an extremely impressive and consistent performance to secure a podium that had looked far from guaranteed earlier in the race.
It was instead a disappointing day for Lexus. After starring during practice and Hyperpole, the Japanese manufacturer struggled during the race itself. The #87 Lexus still managed to finish inside the points after battling Ford throughout the opening stint, while the #78 entry was forced to retire.
Attention now turns toward the 24 Hours of Le Mans
BMW’s victory at Spa-Francorchamps now closes the penultimate event before the most important race of the endurance racing season.
The FIA WEC championship will return in only a few weeks with the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans — the crown jewel of the endurance calendar and the ultimate challenge for every Hypercar manufacturer.
Ferrari will arrive at Circuit de la Sarthe as winner of the most recent editions, but the competitiveness shown by BMW, Toyota, Cadillac, Alpine and Aston Martin strongly suggests that this year’s race could become one of the closest and most unpredictable editions in recent history. Once again, Spa confirmed just how quickly the balance of power can change ahead of the biggest race of the season.
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