Aston Martin team Comtoyou Racing also voices strong criticism following the 24 Hours of Spa

As well as WRT, another Belgian team has also voiced strong criticism following the conclusion of the 24 Hours of Spa. Comtoyou Racing team principal Jean-Michel Baert has likewise criticised the SRO Technical Commission following the conclusion of the endurance classic in the Ardennes. Comtoyou Racing fielded four Aston Martin Vantage GT3s, none of which managed to see the chequered flag.

“I’m just as angry with Aston Martin as I am with the SRO’s technical department, because in the end, the team is the scapegoat. I’d compare the situation to football. Both teams play with eleven players, the rules are the same for both sides, and in that respect they were well adhered to at the 24-hour race, as the sporting side of things was managed very well overall. However, one of the teams has studded boots, whilst the other is only wearing socks,” Baert summarised after the race.

The Belgian continues: “Just to be absolutely clear: I’m in no way criticising the promotional side of the event or the organisation, because everything there was above board and very well managed. What shocks me, however, is the technical execution. We’re not asking to win a race; we’re simply asking not to lose it without having had the chance to win it. I really would have liked to have had the means to try and win the race. I would also have liked to have had a discussion with SRO about the situation, which I’m still waiting for. Congratulations to Porsche and Lionspeed GP on their victory, and a big round of applause for Seb (Breuil), who didn’t need a stroke of luck to win – perhaps just a little less competition.”

“One thing surprises us: after the first and then the second free practice session, AMR receives a report from the technical directorate specifying whether the Aston Martins are within the regulatory limits or not. At that stage, the team only has the engine management system at its disposal. Why are we teams annoyed? We actually have no say in the matter and no way of influencing the engine. The engine is the result of discussions between the manufacturers and the committee responsible for BoP. We have absolutely no way of doing anything about the engine management system. “We’re just bystanders in a discussion, a negotiation, a relationship,” the Comtoyou Racing team principal told Endurance Info. “For my part, I have no idea what’s going on or what the engine set-up that’s fitted to our car should normally look like, as long as we don’t have access to the simulations carried out by the manufacturer.”

Jean-Michel Baert, who won the endurance classic on the Ardennes rollercoaster with his team in 2024, confirmed that negotiations regarding car classification take place exclusively between the SRO and the manufacturer, which, in Aston Martin’s case, is represented by Prodrive. “We did that, but what did they do with this feedback? How was it received by the SRO? Was it passed on? Was it taken seriously? I’m also unaware of the nature of the relationship between Prodrive and the SRO. I don’t know if there are any lingering issues, if there are any outstanding matters to be resolved, or if there are any problems. Be that as it may, the BoP should not be used as a means of punishment. Because ultimately, it is our customers and the fans who are being punished!”

“We have the BoP fitted to the car. After the first test sessions, Aston Martin receives a report from the regulator stating, for example: ‘Please note, you are at the limit in this and that area.’ What happens then? They adjust the mapping, and after the second free practice session we receive a report that really goes into detail at that stage, because the manufacturer is pushing the limits of what’s permitted. Then come the qualifying sessions, with no report from the SRO this time. The regulator has all the data. I can imagine that we would have been disqualified from qualifying for exceeding the boost limit and would therefore not have made it into Superpole… But when I say ‘we’, I mean the Aston Martins, because Walkenhorst Motorsport had the same issue. None of our Vantages were disqualified after qualifying. No changes whatsoever were made to the car, and we had overboosts in Superpole. We’ve been reporting since Thursday that we had a huge problem with top speed. Is it normal to lose 14.5 km/h and 1 second in Sector 1, even though there’s only one corner there – La Source? The rest is driven at full throttle,” the frustrated team principal continued.

After Superpole, both Aston Martins had their lap times struck out due to overboost. According to Baert, this may have been caused by Aston Martin: “Quite frankly: yes. But I don’t think so.” The team owner also put this question to the manufacturer: “The answer I received from Aston Martin was: no, there was no change. We were running with exactly the same engine management. The only difference was that we were two seconds slower than the day before. Walkenhorst Motorsport are in the same situation as us.”

Baert also admits that the Aston Martin suffered in the heatwave, but insists that this should have been taken into account by the BoP during the race weekend: “Yes, we suffered from the temperatures, but this phenomenon is well known; it’s noted in the car’s type approval certificate. So why isn’t this taken into account when calculating the BoP in extreme heat?”