On the evidence of Silverstone, it would be easy to presume that nothing has changed in LMGTE Pro in 2015; reigning champions and the all-round ‘Superteam’ of Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander swept to another victory in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia three weeks ago.
It was an impressive win for the Italian/Finnish alliance that is digging deep into their capabilities to defend their hard-won 2014 title. After being delayed by the spinning OAK Ligier-Nissan LMP2 car on the first lap, they fought back superbly.
Bruni will be going for a third straight victory at Spa this weekend and his 12th in a remarkable WEC career.
Aston Martin Racing had held what looked to be a commanding 1-2-3 in the early stages last month at Silverstone, but they ultimately lost out during the two Full Course Yellow periods. The three AMR-run Vantage V8s will be hungry for revenge at Spa, but again the Ferraris could have the upper hand during a full race distance.
Rob Bell joins Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke in the #97 Aston Martin. The British racer, who drove for AMR at Le Mans in 2013, will get re-acquainted with the Vantage V8 in preparation for La Sarthe next month, the third round of the 2015 WEC season.
Porsche Team Manthey will be keen to consolidate its points haul in the first round of the WEC. The team fields a changed driver line-up this weekend as Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Pilet are on TUSC duty at Laguna Seca in California.
In the #91 Porsche 911 RSR that finished in second place at Silverstone will be Sven Müller and Kevin Estre; both drivers make their WEC debut at Spa. In the #92 car are Porsche regulars Frédéric Makowiecki and Richard Lietz.
Last years pole time: Bruni/Vilander 2m32.338s – 4 lap average, damp conditions
Last years winners: Gimmi Bruni/Toni Vilander AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia
Fastest Race Lap: Davide Rigon AF Corse Ferrari458 Italia, 2m19.624s
The track action begins with Free Practice One at 12.00 local time on Thursday 30th April
