The FIA World Endurance Championship is Spa-bound for round three of its 2025 campaign on 8-10 May, but far from relaxing in a sauna or hot tub, protagonists can expect an exhilarating and exhausting high-speed rollercoaster ride from start-to-finish.
A staple on the FIA WEC calendar since the series’ inception back in 2012, the iconic 7.004km, 20-turn Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – whose illustrious history stretches back more than a century – is a firm favourite amongst competitors and fans alike. Nestled deep in Belgium’s Ardennes forest – famous for its unpredictable weather – its undulating, technical and demanding layout unfailingly generates drama, surprises and spills.
Corners such as Eau Rouge, Blanchimont and La Source are indelibly etched in motorsport legend, and Hypercars hit top speeds of approximately 315km/h, travelling with a fully open throttle for 58 per cent of the lap. Of the 104 drivers on the grid this weekend – across both categories, Hypercar and LMGT3 – 28 have previously conquered Spa’s formidable challenge to triumph either overall or in-class.
The 2024 edition of the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps went down in the record books, as Hertz Team JOTA became the first privateer to win a race outright in FIA WEC’s Hypercar era. Having since joined forces with automotive giant Cadillac, the squad is returning in search of a repeat result.
“Winning as a customer team was a really special moment for us as JOTA,” reflected Will Stevens, one of the architects of that milestone performance. “It was a chaotic race with the red flag and everything that went on, but I think we executed a good strategy, so it will be cool going back.
“It’s a circuit that we love driving, and it’s a track where we know the Cadillac has run strongly before. Having been resurfaced last year, the high-grip nature that we are expecting should suit the V-Series.R pretty well, so we head into the weekend with confidence that we are going to turn up with a better package [than at Imola] and be competitive and at the front again.”
In order to prevail, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA will need to overcome the likes of Ferrari AF Corse – the Prancing Horse having dominated proceedings so far in FIA WEC in 2025 – and local favourite BMW M Team WRT, the Liège-based outfit buoyed by a second-place finish last time out at Imola.
Ferrari is in a fine vein of form indeed, and could arguably be toasting two straight podium lockouts had circumstances played out differently, while BMW is edging ever-nearer to its maiden victory in the series. The Bavarian manufacturer goes into the event off the back of four consecutive top five results with its BMW M Hybrid V8 – the highest step of the rostrum is surely not far away.
Although BMW M Team WRT’s regular driver Dries Vanthoor will not be competing due to a clashing commitment, the Belgian’s older brother, Laurens Vanthoor, will take to the track for Porsche Penske Motorsport. Hailing from Hasselt, just an hour up the road from Spa, the reigning world champion has endured a difficult start to his title defence but will be keen to ignite his bid on home soil.
Kortrijk native Stoffel Vandoorne will similarly be hoping for better fortunes than he enjoyed in Qatar and Italy, as the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies star enters the weekend chasing his first points of the season.
The LMGT3 division has already witnessed two nail-biting finishes in 2025 – the closest to-date at Imola, where a scant 0.316 seconds separated the top two. Six different crews have ascended the podium over the opening couple of races, making picking a favourite an impossible task, but two drivers who will be particularly fired-up to shine are home heroes Tom Van Rompuy and Maxime Martin.
Behind the wheel of his Corvette, the former is eager to replicate the results of the sister TF Sport trio, who arrive at Spa at the summit of the standings, while the latter – the only Belgian to have won at the circuit in FIA WEC, in 2019 – will be aiming to take a step forward in Iron Lynx’s Mercedes-AMG LMGT3, a newcomer to the field this year.
The on-track sessions will begin with free practice on Thursday, 8 May. Qualifying – and the all-important Hyperpole top ten shootout – starts at 14:40 CET on Friday, 9 May, with the race getting underway at 14:00 CET on Saturday, 10 May.
For further information, including the full event timetable and entry list, click HERE.
Watch every moment of the action, live or on demand, via the official FIA WEC TV app – your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship, including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. For further information, click HERE.
