Racing Reports: A Weekend of Performance, twists and turns at Spa-Francorchamps for the VSF Sports Racing Team
- Clara Chion
- 28 août
- 4 min de lecture
The fourth round of the Ligier European Series delivered an intense and demanding weekend for VSF Sports Racing at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. With constantly changing weather conditions, on-track battles and championship stakes, both crews had to deal with a series of unexpected challenges.
While the #41 of Antonin Bernard and Daniel Dallakyan confirmed its competitiveness with a pole position, a podium finish and a victory, the #18 of Maxime Aparicio and Anthony Ghibaudo endured a more eventful weekend, marked by several incidents and a retirement due to a technical issue.
A mixed overall result, but another important step in the championship battle, with just two rounds remaining in the season.
PROMISING PRACTICE SESSIONS
On Friday, both Ligier JS2Rs took to the track for the first free practice sessions.
The #41 of Antonin Bernard and Daniel Dallakyan immediately set the pace, topping the session with the fastest lap. Meanwhile, the #18 of Maxime Aparicio and Anthony Ghibaudo also confirmed its potential with a P3 Overall and P1 AM finish.
Free Practice 2 allowed both crews to continue their setup work and fine-tune their car balance, lines and race strategies ahead of qualifying. The #41 once again topped the timesheets, while the #18 finished P9.
HIGH-PRESSURE QUALIFYING
On Saturday morning, the weather conditions deteriorated, making qualifying particularly challenging.
During Qualifying 1, Maxime Aparicio secured a strong P4, despite an off-track excursion in the closing stages of the session, fortunately without consequence. Antonin Bernard delivered an outstanding pole position, once again confirming the competitiveness of the #41 and its championship ambitions.
The second qualifying session took place in heavy rain, with several red-flag interruptions. Anthony Ghibaudo managed to make the most of the difficult conditions and secured P3, while Daniel Dallakyan qualified P5 for the start of Race 2 on Sunday.
RACE 1: A BATTLE TO THE CHEQUERED FLAG
The first race of the weekend got off to a fast-paced start.
Starting from pole position, Antonin Bernard made an excellent getaway and quickly built a gap. However, the Safety Car was deployed following a competitor’s off-track incident, neutralising his advantage.
In a fiercely contested field, Antonin then chose to protect the car rather than take unnecessary risks in the battle for the podium during his first stint. A strategic decision aligned with the team’s overall championship objectives.
Meanwhile, Maxime Aparicio, starting further down the grid, made an impressive recovery before losing control of his JS2R at Les Combes. He nevertheless managed to make it back to the pits and hand the wheel over to Anthony Ghibaudo.
Following the driver changes, Daniel Dallakyan rejoined the track in first position and quickly found himself in the middle of an intense battle for the win. In the closing laps, the #41 fought hard for a podium finish and ultimately crossed the finish line in P3.
The #18, despite a particularly eventful race, finished P10.
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RACE 2: VICTORY FOR THE #41
On Sunday morning, conditions remained particularly challenging. Thick fog forced the race to start behind the Safety Car.
After around twenty minutes, the race got underway on a still-cold and constantly changing track. Anthony Ghibaudo then produced an impressive charge through the field to reach P2, while Daniel Dallakyan moved up to fourth before launching his attack.
At the 37-minute mark, Daniel reclaimed P2 and closed in on the leader, Simone Bianco. The #41 then entered a new strategic phase with the driver change.
Antonin Bernard took over at the wheel and rejoined the race in pole position, just a few tenths ahead of his main rival. The young VSF Sports driver quickly set the pace, managing his lines with precision and gradually extending his lead.
The #18 unfortunately experienced a very different scenario. After Anthony Ghibaudo’s stint, Maxime Aparicio reported a loss of performance and a lack of power. Following a pit-lane visit and technical checks, the team was forced to retire the car and end its race.
Meanwhile, Antonin Bernard continued his dominant performance behind the wheel of the #41. Solid, precise and consistent, he kept his rivals at bay and secured a well-deserved victory after a perfectly controlled race.
CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD STRENGTHENED
With a victory in Race 2 and a podium finish in Race 1, the Antonin Bernard / Daniel Dallakyan pairing has strengthened its position at the top of the championship standings.
The #41 therefore retains first place in the Ligier European Series standings following the fourth round of the season.
For the Maxime Aparicio / Anthony Ghibaudo pairing, the weekend proved more challenging, particularly due to race incidents and the technical retirement in Race 2. Despite these setbacks, the #18 retains third place in the overall standings, just 3 points behind second place.
The championship remains wide open.
Next stop: Silverstone, September 11–12, 2026.
VSF Sports Racing looks forward to welcoming its supporters to the legendary British circuit as the team continues the fight and pursues its ambitions all the way to the end of the season.
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