The build-up to the 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa has been defined by extreme atmospheric heat and an absolute masterclass from Maranello. While the 69-car grid spent the daytime practice sessions battling a massive European heatwave with ambient track temperatures soaring past 32°C, AF Corse and the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo left no doubt about who holds the early advantage in the Ardennes.
Thursday night delivered a breathtaking qualifying session under the floodlights. It was a night of pure endurance racing chaos that concluded with a midnight technical bombshell, locking in a dominant provisional front row for the Italian manufacturer.
The Daytime Clean Sweep: FP1 & FP2 Recaps
Before the field took to the grueling 7.004 km circuit for official qualifying, AF Corse sent a clear warning shot across the paddock by topping every single timed session leading up to the main event.
- Free Practice 1: Ferrari laid down an early marker in sweltering conditions. Alessio Rovera flew to the top of the timesheets in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, clocking a blistering 2:17.234 to pace the field.
- Free Practice 2: As the scorching track temperatures climbed to a punishing 54.3°C, testing tire degradation to the absolute limit, the sister car took charge. Arthur Leclerc put down a 2:18.169 to narrowly edge out Fabian Schiller’s Mercedes by 0.141 seconds. With Nicklas Nielsen backing them up in third, AF Corse locked out two of the top three spots overall, signaling an ominous race-pace trend.
The Main Event: Four-Part Qualifying Under the Lights
The traditional Spa qualifying structure dictates that the final order is determined by taking the combined average lap times of all drivers across consecutive segments. The primary objective of Thursday night was simple: finish inside the top 32 to secure a coveted spot in Friday’s expanded, single-lap Superpole shootout.
The early segments were deeply chaotic, punctuated by multiple red flags. In Q2, the session was halted twice: first when the #8 Car Collection Porsche was beached in the gravel after contact, and shortly after following a violent collision between the #28 HAAS RT Audi and the #914 Razoon Porsche. The resulting stoppages left seven cars stranded without recording a valid Q2 lap time, effectively burying them at the back of the 69-car grid.
Amidst the disruptions, individual brilliance shined across the distinct segments:
- Q1: Salman Owega opened the account for Optimum Motorsport, setting a 2:17.867 in the #5 McLaren.
- Q2: The Ferrari charge ignited. Alessio Rovera extracted every ounce of performance from the #51 AF Corse Ferrari, dropping a hammer blow of 2:17.012. Right behind him, Lilou Wadoux put in a spectacular performance in the sister #50 Ferrari, driving a masterful 2:17.110 stint to keep her crew safely inside the Superpole window.
- Q3: Simon Gachet unleashed a stunning lap of 2:16.685 aboard the Gold Cup #111 CSA Racing McLaren, securing the absolute fastest individual time of the entire evening.
- Q4: Fabian Schiller executed a stellar final run of 2:16.817 to pull his team average to an impressive 2:17.049.
When the checkered flag dropped on Q4, the #17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed trio of Maxime Martin, Maximilian Götz, and Fabian Schiller provisionally topped the charts. They sat just 0.019 seconds clear of the chasing #51 AF Corse Ferrari.
The Midnight Bombshell & Final Top 10 Realignment
Just as teams were preparing for late-night practice, the stewards dropped a massive ruling. TV cameras during the broadcast had caught GetSpeed mechanics removing the right rear brake assembly to clear out a massive amount of stones and sand—telltale signs of an unrecorded trip into the gravel by Maximilian Götz.
Because extensive mechanical work is strictly forbidden while the qualifying segments are actively in progress, the stewards deleted all lap times set by the #17 Mercedes in Q3. In a system based entirely on driver averages, losing a full segment dropped the provisional pace-setters completely out of Superpole, relegating them to the tail end of the grid near 60th position.
The exclusion triggered a massive shake-up, cementing a spectacular Ferrari 1-4 result and altering the definitive Top 10 layout ahead of Friday’s Superpole shootout:
| Pos | Car # | Team / Entry | Car Model | Class | Combined Average |
| 1 | #51 | AF Corse | Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo | Pro | 2:17.068 |
| 2 | #80 | Lionspeed GP | Porsche 911 GT3 R | Pro | 2:17.108 |
| 3 | #2 | Boutsen VDS | Porsche 911 GT3 R | Pro | 2:17.164 |
| 4 | #50 | AF Corse | Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo | Pro | 2:17.195 |
| 5 | #48 | Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | Pro | 2:17.243 |
| 6 | #59 | Garage 59 | McLaren 720S GT3 Evo | Pro | 2:17.310 |
| 7 | #3 | Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | Pro | 2:17.345 |
| 8 | #7 | Comtoyou Racing | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | Pro | 2:17.412 |
| 9 | #99 | Rowe Racing | BMW M4 GT3 | Pro | 2:17.489 |
| 10 | #163 | GRT Grasser Racing Team | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 | Pro | 2:17.532 |
With the #17 Mercedes excluded, the #51 AF Corse Ferrari officially inherits the top-seeded spot for Friday’s shootout. Crucially, the penalty also saved #20 Team Motopark, who sneaked into the 32nd and final Superpole transfer spot by the skin of their teeth.
All 18 elite Pro Cup entries successfully avoided the cutoff drama to make it through. Meanwhile, class honors in the Bronze Cup have already been effectively settled; the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 was the lone Bronze entry to crack the top 32 (finishing P30 overall), meaning Dustin Blattner, Ben Tuck, Mathys Jaubert, and Dennis Marschall have already wrapped up class pole position ahead of the grueling 24-hour marathon.