• Thiim, Sørensen and Drudi snatch remarkable win with nine minutes remaining
• Garage 59 McLaren dominates Gold Cup and secures overall podium
• Silver Cup ebbs and flows as Pure Rxcing Porsche emerges on top
• Rutronik Racing Porsche begins 2026 with dominant Bronze Cup win
RACE RESULT: CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD
Comtoyou Racing took a sensational late victory in the GT World Challenge powered by AWS season opener at Circuit Paul Ricard. The #7 Aston Martin of Nicki Thiim, Marco Sørensen and Mattia Drudi treated the fans to a spectacular grandstand finish, grabbing the lead less than 10 minutes from the chequered flag.
The majority of the six-hour race was dominated by the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter squad, which started from pole and remained out front as the final 60-minute stint began. It appeared to be on course for a commanding win, only for a late Safety Car to bunch up the pack.
Even then the Aston Martin faced a difficult path to victory. Thiim had to clear several lapped cars and close a gap of more than three seconds to Lucas Auer in the #48 Mercedes-AMG. The Dane was in typically aggressive mood, making light work of the traffic and quickly pulling up to the leader.
He still had to contend with Auer, who defended firmly when Thiim made his initial attack at the end of the Mistral Straight. One lap later the Aston Martin made a second attempt, and this time a small error from Auer allowed Thiim to dive past, bringing the Comtoyou mechanics to their feet in celebration.
The win was made even more remarkable by the fact that the Aston Martin suffered a puncture at the end of the opening stint, with Sørensen ducking into the pits just in time. The victory was the team's first since the 2024 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa – a result that also came in dramatic fashion.
The final step on the podium went to the #58 Garage 59 McLaren. Entered in the Gold Cup class, the crew of Benjamin Goethe, Louis Prette and Tom Fleming looked more than at home among the overall front-runners. Fourth spot went to year's winning car, the #32 Team WRT BMW, which climbed from 10th on the grid to complete a solid start to the season.
The #59 Garage 59 McLaren delivered a fantastic recovery drive after being tipped into a spin on the opening lap, ultimately coming home in P5. The car fell to the rear of the field but was faultless thereafter, making a late pass on the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche to cap a superb day for the British squad.
The battle for Silver Cup victory ebbed and flowed throughout the race. Ultimately the #9 Pure Rxcing Porsche emerged as the winner thanks to a late pass on the #30 Team WRT BMW. Aliaksandr Malykhin, Aleksei Nesov and Max Hofer shared the controls of the triumphant car.
In the Bronze Cup, Rutronik Racing bagged an impressive victory with its #97 Porsche. This car hit the front after two hours and then pulled well clear of its rivals, ultimately finishing an excellent 13th overall. Riccardo Pera, Antares Au and Loek Hartog delivered the win, the latter pair going back-to-back after triumphing in last year's finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The race began in dramatic fashion with a multi-car crash that eliminated the #10 Boutsen VDS Porsche and the #555 CSA Racing McLaren. Both were out on the spot, though the respective drivers were able to walk away unaided. This promoted the first appearance this season from the Maserati GT2 Stradale Safety Car, after which the race remained green until the late stoppage to remove the stricken #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Porsche.
The GT World Challenge powered by AWS season resumes on 2/3 May with the opening Sprint Cup round at Brands Hatch.
