≠≠ We've just hit six hours so points are being awarded. The #17 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG banks maximum points (12) ahead of the #163 Lamborghini and the #50 Ferrari. The #59 McLaren had to stop just before points were awarded, so it does not score. If they can win, Garage 59 won't mind that.
≠≠ Class leaders at 5h40 complete. Gold is led by the #33 Aston Martin (P10 – that car looks strong, fighting for the overall top 10). Silver is led by the #26 Audi (P17 – leading for a long time and in roughly the same position). Bronze is led by the #74 Ferrari (P16 – going along very well, actually running ahead of the Silver leader). And Pro-Am is led by the #100 Aston Martin (P38 – however the #28 Audi is very close behind, so this could change before the six-hour mark).
≠≠ The #3 Mercedes has an engine problem, producing a major puff of smoke (more a cloud) before stopping at pit-in. It looks like they've managed to remove the car quickly. So that's two GetSpeed cars out... and the other leading.
≠≠ We go green again with 5h20 on the clock. The #17 Mercedes leads from the #163 Lamborghini, the #50 Ferrari and the #59 McLaren. The expected front-runners are running at the front. As expected.
≠≠ Starting another hour and we're under a long FCY for the Aston crash at Raidillon. This will become a safety car before we can go racing again.
≠≠ A big hit at Raidillon for the #11 Aston Martin. It's been tipped into a spin by the #611 Mercedes, which crashed there in quali. Frederic Jousset is out of the car and looks to be okay, but the car is very definitely out.
≠≠ Class leaders at 3h45 complete. Gold is led by the #33 Aston Martin (P10). Silver is led by the #26 Audi (P16). Bronze is led by the #74 Ferrari (P19). And Pro-Am is led by the #100 Aston Martin (P35).
≠≠ Driver-wise Fabian Schiller is at the wheel of the #17 Mercedes. Perera is aboard the #163 Lamborghini from Lecerlc in the #50 Ferrari and Loake in the #59 McLaren. Everyone seems to be doubling-stinting and they're all on their third driver. We have completed 4 hours and 40 minutes.
≠≠ Pit stops are cycling through and at 4h20 complete there's been a change for the (net) lead The #17 Mercedes and the #163 Lamborghini overhaul the #59 McLaren,The #50 Ferrari also makes its way past and the newly installed Jospeh Loake now has the #48 Mercedes for company.
≠≠ Another FCY? No, we've avoided this one! The #60 Lamborghini has stopped at Raidillon and looks to be going nowhere fast. However it's cleared behind the barrier under yellow flags so we can continue without another delay.
≠≠ The #59 McLaren has led pretty much the entirety of this race. Benji Goethe is now at the wheel and running less than half a second clear of the #17 Mercedes driven by Luca Stolz. The #163 Lamborghini, the #50 Ferrari and the #48 Mercedes complete a stout top five. In other news, the #51 Ferrari is back on the lead lap. Alessandro Pier Guidi is lapping quickly in P40.
≠≠ Class leaders at 3h45 complete. Gold is led by the #33 Aston Martin (P9). Silver is led by the #26 Audi (P16). Bronze is led by the #74 Ferrari (P15). And Pro-Am is led by the #100 Aston Martin (P47).
≠≠ Half an hour into hour four and much of it has been behind FCY. The #6 Mercedes stopped on-track (technical gremlins, it seems). We'll go to a safety car before getting underway again.
≠≠ We're three hours into this race. The #18 Porsche is in the pits taking lengthy repairs, so that's Dinamic GT out of the fight for overall victory. Electronic problems seem to be the cause. At 3h05 complete we're about to get a round of pit stops.
≠≠ We've settled down to some extent with Goethe running at the head of the field from Mapelli and Stolz. The gap is hovering around the one-second mark, with no suggestion that the Lamborghini will launch an attack on the McLaren.
≠≠ Here are the class leaders at 2h30 complete. Gold is led by the #33 Aston Martin (P10). Silver is led by the #26 Audi (P16). Bronze is led by the #25 Audi (P23). And Pro-Am is led by the #29 Porsche (P37).
≠≠ At 2h05 complete there have been driver changes at the front. Benji Goethe leads from Marco Mapelli, Luca Stolz and Matteo Cairoli. That's the #59, the #163, the #17 and the #48 respectively.
≠≠ Hour number three begins under FCY after Antares Au was tipped into the gravel by George Kurtz. Just as that FCY was called, the #70 Ferrari slammed into the back of the #7 Aston Martin on the Kemmel Straight. Just before that the #163 Lamborghini passed the #59 McLaren for the lead, only for those positions to swap back again during the pit stops.
≠≠ Driver-wise Marvin Kirchhöfer is at the wheel of the leading McLaren for a second successive stint. The same goes for Mitchell (#163 Lamborghini), Gounon (#17 Mercedes) and Engel (#48 Mercedes). The only two cars to have officially retired – and in a very definitive manner – are the #22 Porsche and the #112 McLaren.
≠≠ Class leaders at 1h40 complete: Gold led by the #92 Porsche (P7), Silver led by the #99 Audi (P19), Bronze led by the #991 BMW (P18) and Pro-Am led by the #29 Porsche (P46). We'll go back to green at 1h45 complete.
≠≠ This hour is going to largely be spent under FCY or behind the safety car. Several cars have made a second stop, including the top six. At 1h40 complete they are the #59 McLaren, the #163 Lamborghini, the #17 Mercedes, the #48 Mercedes and the #7 Aston Martin. The #92 Porsche is sixth but has only stopped.
≠≠ An enormous crash. The #112 McLaren was limping back to the pits when the #22 Porsche – driven by Laurin Heinrich – came upon it at Blanchimont. Heinrich was behind another car so didn't see the McLaren. The Porsche has been destroyed but Heinrich walks away. Joshua Mason – who was driving that stricken McLaren – has been taken to the medical centre for checks.
≠≠ Major drama at the top of hour 2. Vince Abril was running third in the first stint but lost time during his stop, when he handed over to Alessio Rovera. The Italian then stopped a lap later and the car was wheeled into the garage. It's back out and on the lead lap, but at the rear of the field.
≠≠ Mitchell was the first of the front-runners to shop shortly before the hour. A few other things to catch up on: the #88 Audi limped in with a puncture but is running again. The #97 Porsche meanwhile is back on-track, albeit 17 laps off the lead.
≠≠ Sandy Mitchell has been making progress in the #163 Lamborghini. He started sixth in the VSR-run car and has now climbed to P4 by passing the #48 Mercedes. The third-place #51 Ferrari of Vincent Abril is his next target.
≠≠ Saying that, we have a full-course yellow. The #60 Lamborghini goes around at the chicane and – after a few near misses – takes an almighty whack from the #97 Porsche, which then sheds some bits on the run to Eau Rouge. That's all been cleared up and we're green again, but both of those cars are in the pits for lengthy repairs.
≠≠ A clean start to the 77th CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. The #59 McLaren holds its lead from the #17 Mercedes, while the #51 Ferrrai jumps the #9 Mercedes-AMG for third. Kirchhöfer, Gounon, Abril and Götz respectively driving those cars.
≠≠ We'll have two formation laps, the second of which will count towards the race time. Cars are about to roll away. 24 hours of racing lie ahead.
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≠≠ Just 20 minutes left before the start. The grid is starting to clear and the national flag of Belgium has been handed to Princess Louise and Princes Nicolas and Aymeric, who will officially get us underway. All getting a bit serious now.
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≠≠ We're less than an hour away from the start and our live coverage has begun. Join us on GT World for uninterrupted coverage of the race, which can be enjoyed in no fewer than six languages: English, French, German, Italian, Flemish and Portuguese.
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≠≠ One car that won't be taking the start today is the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin. Henrique Chaves crashed during Superpole and, unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to repair the car, which could well have been in the lead pack during the final stages.
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≠≠ Assuming you're not at you Spa-Francorchamps, you can watch this weekend's race live on the GT World YouTube channel. If you're a new viewer, this is entirely free of charge around the world. Just head to GT World, the home of SRO's global racing activities. If you're a long-time viewer, then you know the drill. More info on our TV offering can be found here.
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≠≠ Welcome to our live coverage of the 2025 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the 77th running of the biggest GT race in the world. Over the next 24-and-a-bit hours we'll bring you updates from Spa-Francorchamps as a 74-car field tackles this epic endurance challenge. Excited? Just a bit.