Rehomed and reset, Team WRT BMW aiming high on home ground at Spa

The grand opening for Team WRT's state-of-the-art, multi-story headquarters in Liege, Belgium, this week marked a significant moment for the multi-championship-winning team, showcasing the scope and scale of its future ambition in motorsport.

"The previous chapter is over and we start again," co-founder Vincent Vosse said during the event. "Can you imagine not winning from here?"

With that background project now complete, and by all measures, to a world-class standard, the focus for the BMW's factory Hypercar team now switches to Saturday's 6 Hours of Spa, where the team will push for the M Hybrid V8's first overall World Endurance Championship victory, off the back of a second-place finish at Imola last month.

Will the BoP for the event, which sees the M Hybrid V8s run with an additional 7 kilos onboard and a reduction of 10 kW maximum power below 250kph (155mph) compared to Imola, hurt the team's chances of fighting at the top end?

"Last time we were clearly not the fastest car -- Ferrari were clearly faster," says Rene Rast, who drives the No. 20. "But we made the best of our package. Maybe we can do the same here in Spa, but I don't expect us to be the fastest again. The test we did at Spa (in April) was quite difficult for us -- we had some question marks."

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Still, the general atmosphere surrounding the WRT program has changed dramatically over the past 12 months. The team has taken strides forward operationally, and the M Hybrid V8 has become a more driver-friendly package since the introduction of the braking-focused Evo Joker debuted back in January at Daytona with Team RLL.

"Everyone feels more confident in the car," Raffaele Marciello, driver of the No. 15, tells RACER. "Last year, we struggled; we were crashing more and flat-spotting the tires more, but since this update, we don't see our drivers making as many mistakes.

"The car is way easier to drive, and it gives us more confidence; it's just easier to control. The balance is the same, but you get more feedback, and it's easier to predict.

"Now we go on track, knowing what to expect, and we know we can fight, which means the motivation is much higher. Last year, it was all about trying not to get lapped -- honestly, before we started, we never expected to be two or three laps down in races. It was a nightmare. Now BMW and WRT have improved."

Without Dries Vanthoor this weekend, Raffaele Marciello and Kevin Magnussen are looking to make some highlights of their own with BMW M Team WRT at Spa-Francorchamps. Julien Delfosse/DPPI

The team's driver line-up has been also reduced from six to four drivers due to the clash with the IMSA weekend at Laguna Seca, meaning the team will be without its talisman Dries Vanthoor -- who will surely be disappointed to be missing his home race -- and Sheldon van der Linde, who played a key role in the No. 20's podium finish in Italy. It leaves Kevin Magnussen and Raffaele Marciello to steer the No. 15 and Robin Frijns and Rene Rast to share the No. 20.

"We don't have Dries, which is not nice because he's our number 1 driver," admits Marciello. "He is one of the fastest in the car, and our qualifying driver, so it won't be easy. But it also gives Kevin and me an opportunity to show we can do what Dries is doing, because he's been taking the spotlight and the driver doing the 'hot moments.'

"Last year, when the car was oversteery and tricky to drive, he was the guy who was able to fight the car. He likes oversteer more than I, let's say, but now I feel we are closer to him. If we do well, then we don't want him back!" Marciello jokes.

Anytime WRT races at Spa, it's important. It's the team's home turf, and it wears its national pride on its sleeve. Yes, Le Mans is around the corner, yes, there's a championship battle to think about, but this weekend means a huge amount to the band of long-serving crew members that man the garages. And the team is taking it one step at a time.

"We're trying to maximize every weekend," Rast adds. "We don't take fewer risks to secure solid points; we want the maximum results each race, so if we can win here, we will push for it. We want to win the championship, but for us it's about single results at the moment."