An unexpected victory at Spa for the drivers of the No. 51 Ferrari

If the weather did not play a role this Saturday, Spa remains Spa and the Belgian circuit did not fail to offer a few incidents during the third round of the 2025 season of the World Championship ofEndurance. Starting in third position on the starting grid, the Ferrari No. 51 driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi crossed the finish line first, ahead of the No. 50 Ferrari and theAlpine No. 36. A victory that even surprised the drivers of the victorious 499P, given that their weekend had started very badly.

Indeed, Antonio Giovinazzi lost control of his machine as soon as he left the pits during the second free practice session on Thursday, which considerably reduced the track time for the No. 51 crew. At the end of the race, however, it was Pier Guidi who found himself at the front, knowing that he would have to attack like a devil to ensure he could come out after a final stop in front of the No. 50 Ferrari, which was not to stop again, and theAlpine No. 36, which adopted a similar strategy to that of Imola, with two shorter stints, but where Mick Schumacher was able to attack at will.

"I can't believe it, we didn't start the weekend very well.", indicated Alessandro Pier Guidi in the Parc Fermé. “At the end of the race I really had to push like in qualifying, I’m exhausted! I gave absolutely everything, I tried to be as fast as possible. When I saw that I was still in the lead after the last stop, I couldn’t believe it. My teammates did a fantastic job, there were a few incidents during the weekend but everyone did a great job, the mechanics too of course. We couldn’t be better prepared for Le Mans ! »

A feeling of revenge for Giovinazzi?

For Antonio Giovinazzi, who experienced the Thursday afternoon incident, it's mainly the fact that he was able to tick two important boxes (Imola and Spa) that satisfies him. Last year, Ferrari already seemed to be the fastest, but various racing incidents prevented them from securing victories that would have given them even more momentum ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“The weekend didn't start in the best way with the crash in FP2. We didn't let up after that, we were at the front in qualifying and we drove a perfect race. The car was fantastic, as was the team. It's a great weekend before Le Mans, and winning two races in a row at Imola and Spa, when we lost both races last year, feels great.”

Great progress in strategy for Calado

With a mischievous smile, James Calado also had his eyes already turned towards Sarthe: “Now it’s time to focus on what comes next, the big race, Le Mans.” The trio, victorious in the 2023 Centenary edition, hopes to reclaim the crown they left to the other factory car, the No. 50, last year's winner. As we saw this Saturday, the strategy now seems well-developed on this side of the garage, as Calado points out, which is a major advantage in a 24-hour race.

“It was a difficult race, there were so many incidents, it was a rollercoaster. You never knew what was going to happen. The car was extremely fast, as the one-two proves, the team was perfect in terms of strategy. We improved enormously in terms of strategy and that makes a big difference.”

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