Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Friday, May 8, 2026
Alpine Makes WEC Hypercar History with First-Ever One-Two in Spa FP2
Alpine’s #36 A424, driven by Jules Gounon, Frédéric Makowiecki and Victor Martins, led the sister #35 car of António Félix da Costa, Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg in the second free practice session of the 2026 TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Gounon posted a best lap of 2:01.816, with the #35 car 0.274 seconds behind in second. The result marks Alpine’s first-ever one-two in a FIA WEC Hypercar session. BMW M Team WRT took third in the #20 car of Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde at 2:02.179. Toyota’s championship-leading #8 ended the session fourth, 1.588 seconds behind the Alpine pace.
Sources: Pit Debrief · GrandPrix247
Toyota Arrives at Spa as Hypercar Championship Leader Targeting Back-to-Back Wins
Toyota Gazoo Racing arrived at Spa-Francorchamps as the early leader of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship, targeting back-to-back Hypercar victories. The Japanese manufacturer leads the manufacturers’ standings with 40 points after its 6 Hours of Imola victory in April, where Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa claimed Toyota’s 50th WEC win during the team’s 100th WEC appearance. Ferrari trails in second with 27 points. Spa-Francorchamps is the final FIA WEC round before the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, making Saturday’s race a critical championship moment for all eight manufacturers in the Hypercar field.
Sources: Pit Debrief · Toyota Newsroom
Ferrari Leads Opening Spa Practice Then Drops as Rivals Find Hypercar Pace
Antonio Fuoco placed the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P fastest in the opening free practice session at Spa-Francorchamps with a lap of 2:02.955, as the championship contender showed strong early-weekend pace. However, Ferrari’s fortunes reversed dramatically in FP2 as both 499P entries dropped to the lower half of the top ten. The best Ferrari in the second session was 0.565 seconds behind session-topping Alpine. Ferrari, which won at Spa in 2025, must recover the deficit to Toyota, which leads by 13 points in the manufacturers’ championship, with qualifying and the six-hour race still to come.
Sources: Racer · ScuderiaFans
BMW M Team WRT Third in FP2 at Belgian Home Race as Spa Weekend Heats Up
Team WRT’s #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde, climbed to third in the second free practice session at the 2026 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps with a best lap of 2:02.179. The Belgium-based squad is competing at its home circuit, where it also leads the WEC LMGT3 teams championship. Van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor, both absent from the Imola opener due to IMSA commitments at Laguna Seca, were added to the BMW line-up for Spa. Both BMW M Hybrid V8 entries improved through the two practice sessions as Friday qualifying approached.
Sources: Pit Debrief
Aston Martin Valkyrie Demonstrates Consistent Hypercar Pace Across Both Spa Sessions
The Heart of Racing Team’s #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie delivered a strong start to the Spa race weekend, finishing second in FP1 just 0.564 seconds behind pace-setting Ferrari and maintaining fourth in FP2. The front-engined V12 Hypercar design is unique in the 2026 field, and the car’s competitiveness at high-speed Spa carries particular significance ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Heart of Racing also fields GT3 machinery in IMSA, but its WEC Hypercar program has shown consistent development. The Valkyrie’s strong practice form positions the team among genuine contenders for Saturday’s six-hour race.
Sources: Pit Debrief (FP1) · Pit Debrief (FP2)
Genesis Magma Racing Sixth in FP2 as New WEC Team Builds on Imola Momentum
Genesis Magma Racing brought its two GMR-001 Hypercars to Spa-Francorchamps for the team’s second FIA World Endurance Championship appearance, following an encouraging debut at the 6 Hours of Imola. The South Korean manufacturer’s entry features André Lotterer, Luis Felipe Derani and Mathys Jaubert in the #19 car, with Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and Daniel Juncadella in the #20 entry. The #19 Genesis GMR-001 finished sixth in FP2, demonstrating consistent baseline pace as the new constructor accumulates circuit data ahead of its all-important 24 Hours of Le Mans campaign in June.
Sources: Hyundai Motorsport · Pit Debrief
Peugeot 9X8 Maintains Top-Five Hypercar Pace in Spa FP2 Ahead of Saturday Race
The TotalEnergies-backed Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar maintained competitive pace at Spa-Francorchamps, with the #93 entry finishing fifth in FP2, 1.713 seconds behind session leader Alpine. Peugeot has competed in every FIA WEC Hypercar season and is targeting a strong result at Spa before the critical pre-Le Mans phase of the championship. The 9X8’s distinctive design, which eschews a conventional rear wing, has undergone continued development in 2026. With the championship standings tight across multiple manufacturers, Saturday’s race at the iconic Ardennes circuit offers Peugeot a chance to strengthen its position before the season’s defining 24-hour endurance event.
Sources: Pit Debrief · FIA WEC
WEC Spa-Francorchamps Sets Stage for Critical Pre-Le Mans Hypercar Title Showdown
The 2026 TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship, features 17 Hypercar entries from eight manufacturers across the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The race on Saturday, May 9, is the final WEC round before the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 13, giving the weekend outsized championship importance. Toyota leads the manufacturers’ standings with 40 points, Ferrari second with 27. Qualifying and Hyperpole sessions are scheduled for Friday afternoon, with the six-hour race beginning at 14:00 local time Saturday, running until the Belgian evening.
Sources: FIA WEC · Sportscar365
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. Buemi / Hartley / Hirakawa — 25 pts
2. Pier Guidi / Giovinazzi / Calado — 19 pts
3. Conway / Kobayashi / de Vries — 15 pts
4. Félix da Costa / Milesi / Habsburg — 12 pts
5. Frijns / Rast — 10 pts
6. Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen — 8 pts
7. Magnussen / Marciello — 6 pts
8. Bamber / Bourdais — 4 pts
9. Tincknell / Gamble — 2 pts
10. Hanson / Kubica / Ye — 1 pt
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. Toyota Gazoo Racing — 40 pts
2. Ferrari AF Corse — 27 pts
3. BMW M Team WRT — 16 pts
4. Alpine Endurance Team — 12 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. L. Heinrich / T. van der Helm — leads
2. J. Aitken — −21 pts
3. J. Andlauer / F. Nasr
4. F. Vesti / E. Bamber
After Laguna Seca, May 3
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. JDC-Miller MotorSports (#5)
2. Whelen Cadillac Racing (#31)
3. Porsche Penske Motorsport (#7)
After Laguna Seca, May 3
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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