1. #8 Toyota crew
That’ll be Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, who took another step closer to being crowned 2018/19 ‘super season’ World Endurance Champions – and in novel circumstances. Snow in May? It had to be Spa-Francorchamps.
The ‘fickle Ardennes weather’ is a handy motor sport cliché that gets rolled out at most big races at the great circuit, but not usually for the cold white stuff this far into the year.
Proper flurries of flakes hit the Belgian track during a six-hour enduro blighted by four safety car periods, two full course yellows and an eventual red flag that ended the race 11 minutes early.
The pair of Toyota TS050 HYBRIDs are sadly racing themselves in the top LMP1 manufacturer category these days, so a world title for Alonso and his team-mates – while significant – might be a little hollow.
Still, they’ll take it, just as they did this victory after the #7 car, driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez, lost a clear lead with a brake sensor problem that cost them a whole heap of time in the pits. They could only finish sixth behind the privateer entries from Rebellion and SMP Racing.
Alonso and friends head to the final round, the Le Mans 24 Hours next month, with a healthy 31-point lead as they also chase a second consecutive victory in sports car racing’s ‘big one’.