The TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is the final pre-Le Mans test for the FIA World Endurance Championship.
In HYPERCAR, Michelin have bought the Soft (white band) and Medium (yellow band) tyres this weekend. The Medium is expected to be the preferred race tyre, with the relatively high temperatures this weekend making tyre degradation critical.
Traditionally, a tyre-dominated race would play into the hands of Toyota, but this is arguably the key area their rivals have made the most progress in recently.
After really struggling on tyres in Qatar, this should be a big test for BMW to measure their progress ahead of Le Mans.
Each HYPERCAR is allowed only 18 tyres for the race, including the four they used in Qualifying. This means double-stinting at least six tyres, which is often done by only changing two tyres at pitstops where a driver change does not happen.
Last years weather and Safety Car interrupted race means we don't have an optimal strategy to reflect on. With stints expected to last around one hour, the question is whether teams can do it on five stops or will require a splash. A short Safety Car at the start of the race would greatly simplify things for all involved.
Five HYPERCAR teams are running just two drivers this weekend, which gives them a few different options. They could split the race equally, or give one driver four hours (likely as a pair of doubles) and the other just two. Three driver crews generally give each driver a double-stint.
Compared to Imola, overtaking is much easier and traffic on outlaps is a much smaller issue. Therefore, we shouldn't see the same huge swings in lap time based on the particular lap drivers pitted that we did last time out. We also shouldn't see as many teams jumping off-strategy for some clear air and track position.
In LMGT3, Goodyear have again selected to bring the Medium tyre this weekend. LMGT3 has shorter stints than HYPERCAR, and as such we can expect the race to involve six or seven pitstops per car, with double-stinting tyres again essential.