5000 euros fine and 32 sec penalty for the winning Audi

From 55 seconds under the chequered flag, the gap between the leading Audi and the Mercedes-AMG GT3/GetSpeed dropped to 23 seconds a few hours after the finish. The reason ? An infringement during the last stop of the #15 car of Kelvin van der Linde. The Phoenix Racing team was fined an additional 5,000 euros.

  During his last stop, Kelvin van der Linde started the engine of the Audi before refuelling was complete. The South African then switched off the engine. 

  In the bulletin issued last night, three hours after the finish, the race organisers stated: "After hearing, the stewards consider that it has been proven that the pit stop was not carried out in accordance with the rules issued by the organiser: the engine was started by the driver a few seconds before the end of the refuelling process on the instructions of the team manager. The engine was started by the driver a few seconds before the end of the refuelling process on the instruction of the team manager. The stewards assessed this violation as no sporting advantage had been gained and the engine had not been started with the aim of gaining an assumed advantage. In their decision, the stewards assessed that the established violation did not provide a sporting advantage and certainly did not influence the result of the competition."

  There was a moment of uncertainty for Phoenix Racing a few minutes before the finish with a pit stop being investigated by the officials. In the end, Kelvin van der Linde, Robin Frijns, Dries Vanthoor and Frédéric Vervisch retained their victory.