Photo: Blancpain

The race has settled down into a rhythm and has been relatively calm for the last couple of hours, with the lead battle slowly but surely condensing down with every hour that goes by.

Disaster was averted by the #90 Mercedes as it made contact with a backmarker in Eau Rouge. The car did a full 360 and managed to not hit anything solid, rejoining at a cost of 15 seconds. The car retains the lead over #25 Sainteloc Audi, but with the gap reduced to 10 seconds.

On the move…

Markus Winkelhock in the #25 Audi decided he’d spent enough time behind Nico Muller in the #1 Audi and used traffic take second. He has since pulled away and is closing on the leader.

#8 Bentley is still posting fast lap times but is out of sync on pit stops. Tagging along 20 seconds behind is the #117 Porsche which is even faster, and on the same strategy as the #8 Bentley.

Bad times for…

#98 BMW went to the garage for repairs, ending the BMW challenge for the lead. The gap is now 5 laps down, but remains in the top 10.

#888 Ferrari leads the Am class, but was given a drive through for track limits. The Kessel Ferrari still leads, but needless mistakes like this could change it.

The #97 Aston Martin managed to keep the #16 Black Falcon in sight for the Pro-Am lead, but a drive time penalty dropped it back again. The car remains on the Pro-Am lead lap, but only just.

Keep an eye out for…

The lead battle is condensing all the time. The #25 Audi, #1 Audi, #8 Bentley and #117 Porsche are all catching the lead #90 Mercedes.

Almost every corner has debris in some shape or form off line. Whilst there has been short FCYs to deal with some larger parts, cars are constantly driving over smaller car parts, which could lead to punctures.

Pit stop strategy might play a part. The #8, #117 and #25 should make it to the finish on 2 more stops, but the #1 and #90 might have to make another splash due to the 65 minute maximum stint length. They might be ok depending on FCY/SC and the length of time spent in the pit lane, but it will be very very tight.

Engineering student, lover of all things technical and lifelong motorsport fan. Employed in the Oil & Gas Industry, developing Major Emergency Management simulations. Owner of the best beard on the site.