​The 2026 24 Hours of Spa took a dramatic turn as AF Corse’s #51 Ferrari, driven by Alessio Rovera, Tommaso Mosca, and Nicklas Nielsen, relinquished its early race lead after a dominant start when a left-rear tyre failed about four and a half hours in. The Ferrari had looked seemingly unbeatable from the outset, with minor time penalties unable to threaten its advantage and multiple safety-car periods erasing built gaps. Roughly half an hour after the latest restart, disaster struck at the Bus Stop chicane when the left-rear tyre suddenly deflated, a tyre pressure warning having been issued beforehand according to the live stream.
This represented the second major setback for an AF Corse Ferrari in the Pro Cup, following an earlier scare for the sister #50 car. Arthur Leclerc had spun into the tyre barriers, damaging the rear and narrowly avoiding losing the lead lap; the 296 GT3 Evo was able to return to the pits at reduced speed, and a safety-car period three and a half hours in prevented it from being lapped.
The first retirement in the Pro Cup came with the #17 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Maxime Martin, Maximilian Götz, and Luca Stolz. Starting 52nd, the Mercedes survived the opening-lap crash but later collided with the #177 Grupo Prom Mercedes, incurring a drive-through penalty that dropped it off the lead lap. Additional issues followed when a transponder malfunction forced an unscheduled pit stop for repairs, and a subsequent incident during that visit led to further damage. After three and a half hours, the team retired the car with front-left suspension damage. Martin commented that the drive-through penalty had already placed them a lap down when they had to pit again, and a collision at the pit entrance compounded the problems, resulting in a puncture and further damage. He expressed disappointment but vowed to return next year.
Grupo Prom’s Mercedes involved in the earlier collision had also retired, and the #99 Attempto Audi, delayed by earlier contact, was parked after sustaining damage. AF Corse’s #70 Ferrari, inadvertently caught in the opening-lap crash, has also joined the retirement list for SEO purposes.