The Ardennes showed a different face. No rain, no low clouds hanging through the trees, no unpredictable microclimate. Round 2 of the McLaren Trophy Europe 2026 greeted the Target Racing crew with temperatures nobody expected: 44 degrees on the asphalt, searing heat between the kerbs and a cockpit that turned into an oven for the entire duration of the weekend. Spa-Francorchamps, the circuit that usually tests drivers with rain, chose extreme heat this time to push cars and crews to the limit.

In conditions this demanding, physical management becomes as much of a factor as raw talent on track. Every stint turns into an endurance test, concentration fades faster, reactions slow down and every mistake costs twice as much. For Riccardo Ianniello and Gregor Jeets, the Belgian weekend was exactly that: a battle on multiple fronts, against rivals and against the conditions.

Seven kilometres of battles under the Ardennes sun

In Race 1 qualifying it was Gregor who took to the track, securing ninth on the grid. A result that, given the quality of the field, represented a solid foundation to build on. At the start, the Estonian delivered his opening stint with maturity and consistency, gaining positions and handing the McLaren over to Ianniello in a competitive spot. From there, Riccardo took the wheel and pushed all the way to the chequered flag, bringing the crew home in fourth place.

Saturday day told a different story. In Race 2 qualifying, Ianniello found good pace, but had several laps deleted for track limits. Left with only his slower times, he ended up seventeenth on the grid. A situation that could have derailed the weekend, but not the Roman driver's response. When the lights went out, Ianniello pulled off an aggressive and clean getaway, climbing to eighth within the opening laps. The recovery looked well underway, but contact earlier in the race weekend had already damaged the McLaren's door. As the laps went on, the door came open, forcing the crew into an unplanned extra pit stop. The race resumed, but the time lost was impossible to recover. Ianniello and Jeets crossed the line in twelfth.

A result that does not reflect the potential shown across the weekend, but one that comes with the territory of racing. Spa spared nobody this year: not the heat, not the setbacks, not the pressure of a championship that offers no breathing room.

Next up is Misano. And Ianniello and Jeets will arrive there with the hunger of a crew that still has something to prove.