2023 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
| Event information | |
|---|---|
| Round 3 of 7 in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship | |
 | |
| Date | 29 April 2023 |
| Location | Stavelot, Belgium |
| Venue | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |
| Duration | 6 hours |
| Results | |
| Laps completed | 148 |
| Distance (km) | 1036.592 |
| Distance (miles) | 644.096 |
| Hypercar | |
| Pole position | |
| Time | 2:00.812 |
| Team | Toyota Gazoo Racing |
| Drivers |  Kamui Kobayashi |
| Winners | |
| Team | Toyota Gazoo Racing |
| Drivers |  Mike Conway Kamui Kobayashi José María López |
| LMP2 | |
| Winners | |
| Team |  WRT |
| Drivers |  Rui Andrade Louis Delétraz Robert Kubica |
| LMGTE Am | |
| Winners | |
| Team |  Richard Mille AF Corse |
| Drivers | Luis Pérez Companc Alessio Rovera Lilou Wadoux |
The 2023 TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was an endurance sports car racing event held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium, held on 29 April 2023. It was the third round of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship, and the twelfth running of the event as part of the championship.
Background
[edit]The provisional calendar for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship released in September 2022. It brought back the Portimaõ race at Autodromo Internacional Algarve for 16 April, leaving only a two-week gap between the previous race at Portimaõ, and the race at Spa.[1]
Entry list
[edit]The provisional entry list was revealed on 29 March 2023. The entry list consisted of a record 13 Hypercar entries, 11 LMP2 entries and 14 LMGTE Am entries. Hertz Team Jota entered the Hypercar class with their customer Porsche 963 for the first time this season, meaning they will only run the No. 28 car in LMP2 for the remainder of the season. Cadillac Racing also entered an additional car for this race. There were no changes in entries in the LMGTE Am category.[2]
On 24 April 2023, Paul Dalla Lana announced he retired from racing effective immediately. Ian James' Heart of Racing Team has taken over the NorthWest AMR entry. Ian James, Daniel Mancinelli and Alex Riberas will drive the No. 98 Aston Martin Vantage AMR during the season. Conforming with championship regulations, the team will keep competing under the NorthWest AMR banner.[3]
Schedule
[edit]| Date | Time (local: CEST) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 27 April | 11:30 | Free Practice 1 |
| 16:20 | Free Practice 2 | |
| Friday, 28 April | 11:00 | Free Practice 3 |
| 17:00 | Qualifying - LMGTE Am | |
| 17:25 | Qualifying - LMP2 | |
| 17:50 | Qualifying - Hypercar | |
| Saturday, 29 April | 12:45 | Race |
| Source:[4] | ||
Free practice
[edit]- Only the fastest car in each class is shown.
| Free Practice 1 | Class | No. | Entrant | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypercar | 8 | Toyota Gazoo Racing
|
Sébastien Buemi
|
2:02.982 | |
| LMP2 | 22 | United Autosports
|
 Filipe Albuquerque
|
2:07.471 | |
| LMGTE Am | 57 | Kessel Racing
|
 Daniel Serra
|
2:16.177 | |
| Free Practice 2 | Class | No. | Entrant | Driver | Time |
| Hypercar | 51 | Ferrari AF Corse
|
Antonio Giovinazzi
|
2:01.871 | |
| LMP2 | 31 | Team WRT
|
 Robin Frijns
|
2:06.108 | |
| LMGTE Am | 54 | AF Corse
|
Davide Rigon
|
2:15.736 | |
| Free Practice 3 | Class | No. | Entrant | Driver | Time |
| Hypercar | 7 | Toyota Gazoo Racing
|
Kamui Kobayashi
|
2:08.702 | |
| LMP2 | 31 | Team WRT
|
 Ferdinand Habsburg
|
2:10.268 | |
| LMGTE Am | 60 | Iron Lynx
|
Matteo Cressoni
|
2:25.726 | |
| Source:[5][6][7] | |||||
Qualifying
[edit]Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.
| Pos | Class | No. | Team | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hypercar | 7 | Toyota Gazoo Racing
|
2:00.812 | - | 1 |
| 2 | Hypercar | 50 | Ferrari AF Corse
|
2:00.836 | +0.024 | 2 |
| 3 | Hypercar | 51 | Ferrari AF Corse
|
2:00.973 | +0.161 | 3 |
| 4 | Hypercar | 2 |  Cadillac Racing
|
2:01.043 | +0.231 | 4 |
| 5 | Hypercar | 3 | Cadillac Racing
|
2:02.138 | +1.326 | 5 |
| 6 | Hypercar | 6 |  Porsche Penske Motorsport
|
2:02.306 | +1.494 | 6 |
| 7 | Hypercar | 38 | Hertz Team Jota
|
2:02.907 | +2.095 | 7 |
| 8 | Hypercar | 708 | Glickenhaus Racing
|
2:02.960 | +2.148 | 8 |
| 9 | Hypercar | 93 | Peugeot TotalEnergies
|
2:03.217 | +2.405 | 9 |
| 10 | Hypercar | 5 | Porsche Penske Motorsport
|
2:03.650 | +2.838 | 10 |
| 11 | Hypercar | 94 | Peugeot TotalEnergies
|
2:03.879 | +3.067 | 11 |
| 12 | Hypercar | 4 | Floyd Vanwall Racing Team
|
2:04.614 | +3.802 | 12 |
| 13 | LMP2 | 23 | United Autosports
|
2:05.979 | +5.167 | 13 |
| 14 | LMP2 | 41 | Team WRT
|
2:06.318 | +5.506 | 14 |
| 15 | LMP2 | 63 | Prema Racing
|
2:06.506 | +5.694 | 14 |
| 16 | LMP2 | 31 | Team WRT
|
2:06.532 | +5.720 | 16 |
| 17 | LMP2 | 28 | Jota
|
2:06.556 | +5.744 | 17 |
| 18 | LMP2 | 9 | Prema Racing
|
2:06.601 | +5.789 | 18 |
| 19 | LMP2 | 22 | United Autosports
|
2:06.684 | +5.872 | 19 |
| 20 | LMP2 | 34 | Inter Europol Competition
|
2:06.825 | +6.013 | 20 |
| 21 | LMP2 | 10 | Vector Sport
|
2:07.035 | +6.223 | 21 |
| 22 | LMP2 | 35 | Alpine Elf Team
|
2:07.099 | +6.287 | 22 |
| 23 | LMP2 | 36 | Alpine Elf Team
|
2:07.157 | +6.345 | 23 |
| 24 | LMGTE Am | 25 |  ORT by TF
|
2:17.216 | +16.404 | 24 |
| 25 | LMGTE Am | 85 | Iron Dames
|
2:19.150 | +18.338 | 25 |
| 26 | LMGTE Am | 88 | Proton Competition
|
2:19.481 | +18.669 | 26 |
| 27 | LMGTE Am | 33 | Corvette Racing
|
2:19.506 | +18.694 | 27 |
| 28 | LMGTE Am | 83 | Richard Mille AF Corse
|
2:19.723 | +18.911 | 28 |
| 29 | LMGTE Am | 98 |  Northwest AMR
|
2:19.976 | +19.164 | 29 |
| 30 | LMGTE Am | 54 | AF Corse
|
2:20.382 | +19.570 | 30 |
| 31 | LMGTE Am | 777 | D'Station Racing
|
2:20.507 | +19.695 | 31 |
| 32 | LMGTE Am | 57 | Kessel Racing
|
2:20.515 | +19.703 | 32 |
| 33 | LMGTE Am | 77 | Dempsey-Proton Racing
|
2:21.247 | +20.435 | 33 |
| 34 | LMGTE Am | 86 | GR Racing
|
2:22.469 | +21.657 | 34 |
| 35 | LMGTE Am | 60 | Iron Lynx
|
2:23.097 | +22.285 | 35 |
| 36 | LMGTE Am | 56 | Project 1 – AO
|
No Time | — | 36 |
| 37 | Hypercar | 8 | Toyota Gazoo Racing
|
No Time | — | 37 |
| 38 | LMGTE Am | 21 | AF Corse
|
No Time | — | 38 |
| Source:[8] | ||||||
Race
[edit]The minimum number of laps for classification (70% of overall winning car's distance) was 103 laps. Class winners are in bold and ‡.
Standings after the race
[edit]
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source:[13]
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for all championship standings.
References
[edit]- ^ Watkins, Gary (29 September 2022). "WEC 2023 calendar expands to seven rounds, Portimao returns". motorsport.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Kilbey, Stephen (29 March 2023). "13 Hypercars Set For 6 Hours Of Spa-Francorchamps". Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (24 April 2023). "Dalla Lana Calls Time on Racing Career". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "2023 Spa-Francorchamps - FIA World Endurance Championship". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "2023 Spa FP1 results - FIA World Endurance Championship" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "2023 Spa FP2 results - FIA World Endurance Championship" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "2023 Spa FP3 results - FIA World Endurance Championship" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "2023 Spa Q results - FIA World Endurance Championship" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Decision No. 39 - Car 7" (PDF). 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Decision No. 40 - Car 93" (PDF). 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Decision No. 41 - Car 777" (PDF). 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "2023 Spa Race results - FIA World Endurance Championship" (PDF). FIA. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "2023 Spa standings - FIA World Endurance Championship". Retrieved 30 April 2023.
Notes
[edit]- ^ The No. 7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid received a 5-second penalty due to overtaking off-track without giving back the position.[9]
- ^ The No. 93 Peugeot 9X8 received a 5-second penalty for leaving the pits whilst a mechanic was still in the working area.[10]
- ^ The No. 777 Aston Martin Vantage AMR received a time penalty for not meeting the minimum drive time of 1 hours and 45 minutes with their driver Casper Stevenson.[11]