Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER Takes Second at 24 Hours of Spa Under Extreme Heat
Lucas Auer, Maro Engel, and Luca Stolz drove a flawless race to secure second place in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, battling extreme temperatures and tactical challenges.
2nd
541
>30°C
What Happened
The #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3, fielded by Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER and run by Winward Racing, finished second after 541 laps of the 78th CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Starting sixth on the grid, the team used strategic pit stops and avoided penalties to hold off rivals despite temperatures above 30°C. Just under half of the 69 starting GT3 cars failed to finish.
“That was one of the hardest-fought second-place finishes we’ve ever achieved. It was a very close contest in extreme temperatures throughout the race. The Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER did a perfect job, avoided any penalties and defended second place for over twelve hours.”
541
Under half of 69
Extreme heat and incidents caused many retirements.
- GetSpeed Team PCX Racing #999 took third in PRO-AM Cup.
- Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing #3 retired after pit-lane incident.
- Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed #17 retired after contact with another AMG car.
Why this matters
The result marks Mercedes-AMG's first podium at the endurance classic since 2023 and strengthens the team's lead in the GT World Challenge Europe championships.
Terms in This Story
- GT3
- A category of grand tourer racing cars with performance balanced by regulations.
- Overcut
- A pit strategy where a driver stays out longer than rivals to gain track position.
- PRO-AM Cup
- A class for teams with a mix of professional and amateur drivers.
- Full-course yellow
- A caution period where the entire track is under yellow flags, often prompting pit stops.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.